Hundreds of Montreal dog owners could lose their pets after receiving notices from the city that their applications for licenses were late or incomplete.
Roughly 500 of the notices have been sent out and attorney Anne France Goldwater, who represents the Coalition to Promote the Safety of People and Canines said about 60 of them have contacted her and shown that their files were complete.
Goldwater said several of the owners she’s spoken to were unable to afford some of the costs associated with the license requirements, such as the $150 application fee or the cost of microchipping their pet.
She added that some pet owners have brought their dogs to shelters after receiving the letters, a drastic measure she said might not be necessary.
“I promise you… there will be another proceeding filed in Superior Court, along with the court challenge that the SPCA and Coalition together have filed against the city,” she said. “We’re going to ask the court to be kind enough to give another delay to these law abiding citizens who are responsible dog owners, who are just trying to get the rest of their paperwork in order.”
Montreal city councillor Anie Samson said the city’s rules are clear and it was owners’ responsibility to complete their file in full. She pointed out that 2,000 people fully completed their file on time.
“They know the rule, they signed the rule, they signed it before people, it’s just too bad,” she said. “I’m angry with them. Because of that, they’re going to lose their dog. The dog didn’t want to do that, that’s not the fault of the dog, but the fault of the owner. They agreed to their responsibility and they failed.”
