New measures come after Councillor Fletcher’s call for proactive enforcement in wake of recent maulings.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TORONTO - The City of Toronto announced today a series of new, proactive measures to enforce dangerous dog orders.
Staff will visit all 373 owners of dogs under a dangerous dog order to ensure compliance, remind them of requirements and deliver the city’s new standardized sign that must be visibly posted on the owner’s residence.
“I’m very happy to see the city taking proactive measures to enforce dangerous dog orders. These steps will help ensure we prevent violent dog attacks before they happen” said Councillor Paula Fletcher.
The newly announced enforcement actions come after City Council approved a suite of new measures last month. These stemmed from Councillor Paula Fletcher's call for a review last September of how the city manages severe dog mauling incidents, proactively enforces dangerous dog orders and makes information publicly accessible.
Recent incidents in Fletcher’s ward last summer, Rexdale in February and at the Little Norway playground last month all involved dogs that were unmuzzled and unleashed, despite previously being issued a dangerous dog order prohibiting them being in public without a leash or muzzle.
Residents can also now access an online registry of dangerous dogs and resources on what to do if they or their pet are bitten by another dog.
“I believe this is the beginning of a new preventative model that focuses on dogs who pose the most risk, holding owners of dangerous dogs to account and empowering residents to know about dangerous dogs in their neighbourhood and how to report them” added Fletcher.
An update on these enforcement and compliance measures, the long-term switch to proactive enforcement, improvements to complaint tracking and any needed provincial legislation changes is slated to come to the Economic and Community Development Committee on October 23, 2024.
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