As Kingsville Council prepares to debate a proposed new animal bylaw, the executive director of the Windsor/Essex Humane Society wishes more municipalities would do the same.
The bylaw will make it illegal to put a dog in the bed of a moving pickup truck, tether longer than 12 hours or leave a pet in a vehicle that is too hot or too cold.There is a provincial law against the mistreatment of animals, but Melanie Coulter says it has a lot of gaps in it. "Under provincial legislation, you can leave your dog tied up 24 hours a day outside," she says. "Municipalities are more and more recognizing it's not really a good issue for community safety."
Coulter calls Kingsville's proposed bylaw a good step forward although she wishes it went a little further. She believes 12 hours is still too long to keep a dog tied up. "We're going to continue to hopefully work with the town and ensure the bylaw that passes is really effective for the community and really helps to protect the community's animals."
While most pet owners know better than to drive around with their dog in the bed of their pickup truck, Coulter says the humane society still gets phone calls and even pictures from concerned residents.