Dog owners in Black Diamond and Turner Valley can give themselves high praise when it comes to licensing their pooches.
Administration and peace officers in the two communities say most dog owners are complying with their municipality’s pet licensing bylaws.
Black Diamond peace officer Jim Berry said this is evident in the small number of dogs taken to the Turner Valley pound due to the inability to identify the pet’s owner. He said less than 10 dogs were taken to the pound in 2018.
“We’ve been really lucky,” he said. “Our residents of Black Diamond have been phenomenal about licensing their dogs.”
The Town has licensed 420 to 469 dogs annually the past five years, with the highest number in 2018.
A licence costs $25 per dog, or $60 for dogs that aren’t spayed or neutered.
Berry said the fees cover administrative costs, the price of the tag and the Town’s approximate $800 annual contribution towards operating costs of the Turner Valley pound, as well as $25 a day to impound dogs that haven’t been claimed.
Berry said renewal
notices are sent to residents with existing licences before the Jan. 31 deadline as a friendly reminder. If it’s not renewed, the Town will check with the pet owner to determine whether they still have the dog.
The Town keeps a record of all licensed dogs with contact information and addresses of the owners, Berry said.
Berry said the owners of licensed dogs face a $150 when their pooch is found running at large. Those without a licence pay another $150, and often pound fees on top of that, he said.
“If you do not have a licence odds are I take the dog to the pound,” Berry said, adding it costs dog owners $35 a day. “After three days if I can’t locate the owner I make other arrangements like Heaven Can Wait (Animal Rescue Foundation) or, if it’s not healthy, we’ll take it to the SPCA.
“I’ve been here 13 years and I’ve taken four dogs to the SPCA.”
Before this occurs, the Town will post a photograph of the animal on social media in an effort to find the owner, Berry said.
“Social media can really help you find the owner of a dog pretty quick in a small community,” he said.
Information about dog licensing is available in the welcome package new
residents receive.
“Usually when new people are moving into town and I’m doing my tours I will stop and say ‘hi’ and if they have a dog I will tell them to make sure they get a licence for their dog,” Berry said. “If people leash their dogs and act responsibility there shouldn’t be any problems.”
Monique LeBlanc, Turner Valley community service and business development manager, said the Town also has few problems when it comes to licensing dogs.
“Turner Valley residents, we found, have been very responsible and they do a great job of licensing their pets,” she said. “Most are compliant and want to assure their pets are able to be easily identified. The odd time we do find an unlicensed animal but it’s quite rare.”
Turner Valley’s pet licensing bylaw includes cats. The annual cost to licence a pet is $25.
In 2018, 516 dogs and 195 cats were licensed in Turner Valley, compared to 439 and 172 respectively the previous year, said LeBlanc.
Last year, the Town impounded 27 dogs, all of which were returned to their owners, and 20 cats. LeBlanc said 19 of those cats had to be rehomed through local adoption agencies.
The deadline to license pets was Jan. 31. Pet owners who miss the deadline to renew their pet licences have to pay a $5 late charge, said LeBlanc.
“We certainly encourage everyone who has a pet to licence them for the pet’s protection and be able to help us reunite any lost pets with the owners,” she said. “Failure to licence an animal could result in a $300 fine. In terms of fines, we always try to educate first before enforcement.”
LeBlanc said pet owners often understand and appreciate the value of the licence as being a primary source of information to reunite lost pets with their owners.
“This saves time and worry for all involved,” she said. “In addition, it helps support the cost of the pound services including re-homing unclaimed animals through partner agencies.”
The pound in Turner Valley is manned by an animal control officer.
If the animals aren’t claimed, LeBlanc said Heaven Can Wait in High River and Pound Rescue in Okotoks are contacted.
“It’s mostly cats we have to deal with,” he said. “We do not send animals to any shelter.”
