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Deer attacks family dog in Okotoks backyard

Okotoks: Concerns rise around feeding deer in the neighbourhood

An Okotoks dog needed approximately 40 stitches and its owners faced a $1,075 veterinarian bill after a deer in the family’s yard attacked the animal on Jan. 12.

“It was about 5:30 in the morning and we let the dog out to let her pee like we always do,” said Jodi MacAulay, who lives in the Hunter’s Glen area near Big Rock School. “She was out for less than 30 seconds, there was one bark and she was being attacked by deer at the side of our house.”

She said she saw the deer retreat by jumping over about a 4 1/2–foot fence by their gate. The entire home is surrounded by either fence or a hedge which has wire-fence in it.

The dog, Mya, an eight-year blue heeler Australian mix, was hit with the deer’s hooves and had an eight-inch scar from back hip to back-hip.

Mya was taken to the vet and is recovering.

MacAulay said she is a former farm girl and said “deer are deer”.

However, she said things are getting out of hand in Okotoks as the animals have become habituated to the community.

“It’s become ridiculous,” MacAulay said. “We have six to eight deer that come through every evening and morning, young bucks.

“I mean you can’t even let your dog out anymore?… I live a block away from an elementary school, what’s going to happen when a kid gets hit next?

“I love animals, but right now I have to go outside with my dog because she is so terrified.”

She is also concerned about the feeding of deer in the neighbourhood.

She said she is aware of the Town of Okotoks starting an Urban Deer Task Force, however MacAulay said something needs to be done concerning deer in Okotoks sooner rather than later.

Okotoks corporate strategist Christa Michailuck said she had heard of one other incident in the summer of a dog being attacked by deer in a backyard.

“It seems to me most aggressive deer acts I have heard of have involved a dog,” Michailuck said. “They’ve been out walking a dog, that’s the most common one.

“Deer see the dog as a threat and the person is attached to a leash…”

An aggressive deer act is defined as “deer chasing or kicking at people or pets.”

At present, there is a bylaw against feeding deer on public land, but not on private property.

“It gets a little complex and it is something certainly the task force will be looking at,” Michailuck said. “There’s intentional feeding of deer where
people buy hay, salt blocks or other things and put it out for the deer…  There is also a lot of indirect feeding of deer and how do you treat those two things.

“For example, putting out bird seed and the deer get into that or having fruit trees heavily laden with fruit.”

She added the MacAulays acted promptly and did the right thing by calling Alberta Fish and Wildlife that morning.

A statement from Fish and Wildlife stated an officer attempted to track the deer that morning but was unable to locate the specific animal involved in the attack.

The officer determined that a deer had been frequenting the area and that some residents may have been feeding it.

Michailuck said the one-year task force consists of community members with experience in conservation and related issues.

At present it is studying how other communities are handling the urban deer situation.

The next step is to determine strategies for the urban deer issues.

“We are trying to find options from Alberta Environment with what can be done with urban deer and learning what is actually our jurisdiction,” said urban deer chairman Grant Pryznyk.

The task force is also going to have further public consultation with the Okotoks community.

Pryznyk is a former wildlife officer who was stationed in the Northwest Territories.

He said terms of reference can be seen on the Town’s website.

The task force will be presenting an action plan concerning the urban deer issue to council in the future. For safety information from Alberta Fish and Wildlife Enforcement concerning deer encounters go to the bottom of this story at okotokstoday.ca

General safety info concerning urban deer:

· To avoid an encounter, officers advise not to take your dogs in areas where deer are caring for their fawns. If you must take your dog, keep them on leash and do not let them bark at or antagonize the deer. This can stress the deer and lead to aggressive, self-defensive behaviours.

· Signs of an agitated deer include, staring with flattened ears and raised rump hair, curled lips, grinding teeth, and charging and kicking.

  • If a deer has found its way into your backyard, it can usually find its way out. Bring your children and pets into the house to minimize the stress on the visiting deer and wait for it to leave. Do not let your dog bark at or antagonize the deer. This can further stress the deer and lead to aggressive, self-defensive behaviours.

· Never feed deer. Deer can feed themselves, and leaving out salt blocks to attract deer may also attract the larger carnivores that prey on deer. Remove all food sources that may attract a deer, such as fallen apples and bird seed spilled from bird feeders.

· For more information about human wildlife conflict in Alberta, visit: https://www.alberta.ca/human-wildlife-conflict-overview.aspx

 

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