Town to consider bad dog ban
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Council to debate further a move to keep dangerous dogs off of Qualicum Beach trails
A proposed bylaw to regulate the movements of canines deemed dangerous was a bit of a dog’s breakfast, concedes the councillor who brought it up.
Speaking at last Monday night’s regular council meeting, Coun. Kent Becker said the select committee on public safety recommended an amendment to the town’s animal control bylaw that would bar dangerous dogs from walking on local trails or in public parks.
“The recommendation to council is that an amendment to the animal and dog control bylaw be considered that they be deemed dangerous by the Town of Qualicum Beach and shouldn’t be permitted on local walking trails or in public parks,” he said.
The move, he said, came after an unnamed local resident complained about being twice bitten by the same animal — described as a cross between a Rottweiler and a Pit Bull.
Becker’s proposal soon came under attack however, with Coun. Jack Wilson leading the pack.
“This recommendation is broad and vague,” Wilson said. “Surely there are dog laws on the books, and shouldn’t that be what governs us, rather than this?”
Mayor Teunis Westbroek agreed, suggesting that staff should come up with clearer wording, noting that Becker’s comments were just a way to get the ball rolling.
Commenting on the issue, local resident Frank Horner questioned the whole concept.
“Who on staff is qualified to deem a dog dangerous,” Horner said. “Whoever it is has no more capability than I have, which is none at all. Leaving it in that very vague state is going to leave you wide open to criticism.”
Speaking after the meeting, Becker conceded his wording was vague.
“I accept some responsibility here,” he said. “I have the ability to defer a recommendation or a motion if I’m not clear on it myself. I didn’t do that. I should have done that.”
The matter will come up again, he said, in a more defined manner, at November’s council meeting.
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