Montreal is taking steps to make sure more residents register their dogs with the city, and making it easier to do so.
The city has hired a new troop of animal patrol officers who will be tasked with inspecting animals across all of Montreal's 19 boroughs.
The new hires will be patrolling parks and public areas throughout the city and they will fine the owner of any dog that is not wearing a registration tag $250.
They start Monday.
"It will be around eight or 10 people who are going to go in public spaces and parks in all the boroughs to make sure that dog owners have the license, the permit that is obligatory and they have the leash with their dogs," said Executive Committee member Anie Samson. "This is the main responsibility when you own a dog, you have the responsibility to have the license."
City officials believe only 14 percent of the estimated 150,000 dogs in Montreal are properly registered.
Animal owners said they have several reasons for not registering their pets with some arguing it is nothing but a tax grab.
Others said the regulations which vary from borough to borough are excessively confusing and point out that many boroughs make it unclear exactly how or where to obtain a permit.
In some boroughs animal patrol officers go door-to-door to verify pets, in others animal owners can only visit borough offices, and some allow registration at pet stores or veterinary clinics.
To make the process simpler the city has set up a new section of its website that lists every borough's rules in one spot.
The cost to obtain a dog permit varies by borough. It is free in Montreal North, but in other boroughs ranges from $15 to $61.20, with animals that are spayed, neutered, and microchipped generally costing less.
This comes in the wake of the deadly pit bull attack in Montreal by a dog that escaped its yard and mauled 55-year-old Christiane Vadnais, and the city is still planning to alter its animal control bylaw.
New measures likely to be implemented in the fall include banning aggressive breeds of dogs including pit bulls, although a grandfather clause will allow existing dogs to remain if they are muzzled, sterilized, and microchipped.
