King's animal control bylaw will require cat licensing in future

YorkRegion.com
Sept. 14, 2016
By Tim Kelly

Township council didn’t pussyfoot around in updating its animal control bylaw on Monday night.

Despite criticism of the process and content from resident Sandra Kendall, who objected to provisions such as tethering, putting dogs and cats in cages, and a charge for an appeal to muzzling dogs, council scratched out an updated bylaw that will include a new cat licensing fee.

“I’m not a big fan of trying to license, it can seem like a cash grab,” said Mayor Steve Pellegrini, who argued it would be a good idea to put off the new cat licensing for a year or two.

So you won’t have to immediately pay to have your cats licensed. That won’t happen until at least 2018, if not later, to give the Township time to publicize the plan and educate cat owners about the reasons for the new fee, which will cost $20 from Jan. 1 to April 15 and $25 from April 16 to Dec. 31. The same applies for dogs, which currently must be licensed and tagged.

The reason for cat licensing, explained King Township animal control bylaw officer Nancy Cronsberry, is to keep track of the animals and make sure they are vaccinated, especially against rabies.

It will also cost you $208 if you choose to appeal a muzzle order for your dog. A committee has been struck that includes Pellegrini and Councillor Bill Cober.

Councillor Cleve Mortelliti said, in his opinion, such a committee was a “gong show. I won’t be one of the ones putting up my hand for it and I don’t know how any member of council who is an expert (on whether to muzzle or not muzzle a dog).”

But Pellegrini and Cober bit into the responsibility nonetheless.

In spite of concerns raised by Kendall about tethering - tying up dogs or cats - Pellegrini said he consistently sees dogs “on runs. Some people have a spike in the ground and a dog on a long lead or rope.”

Cronsberry replied we don’t want people, “tying up dogs where they can hurt themselves or other people … they need freedom to move as they wish.”

The updated animal control bylaw passed Monday with the fees to be passed at a later date.