In the wake of painful-to-watch images of animal cruelty at the Berger Blanc shelter, the city of Montreal has outlined a new series of initiatives aimed at limiting the stray animal population.
However, the city stopped short of meeting the demands of scores of animal rights activists calling for Montreal to cut all ties with Le Berger Blanc.
The city promised that it would move to sterilize stray pets and launch an animal-citizenship-accountability campaign to encourage people to keep their dogs and cats for a longer time.
"What we're announcing today is we're going to work on the source of the problem," said city executive committee member Richard Deschamps.
The new regulations include mandatory licensing for cats and dogs, an official pet registry, fees for owners giving up their pets and mandatory sterilizations.
Breaking the rules will result in fines.
"The idea that they will include experts and have people that really have knowledge of that area be part of that committee and that they are going to look at this in a global sense is something that certainly gives us a lot of hope," said Alanna Devine of the SPCA.
The city also promised to hold all groups associated with pets to a higher standard, without committing to cutting ties with the Berger Blanc pound, a measure called for by many animal welfare organizations.
Many of them held another protest outside Montreal city hall Friday evening to drive that point home, and Deschamps said abandoning Le Berger Blanc remains a possibility.
"Every option is on the table," he said.
Two boroughs have cut ties to the animal shelter since an investigative report on Radio-Canada displayed hidden camera footage of cruelty to animals at Le Berger Blanc was aired last month.
Montreal plans to implement the new measures it announced Friday within a year.
