Kitchener bylaw officers knocking doors to remind owners they must buy a dog licence

Thestar.ca
Jan. 12, 2022

If a bylaw officer with identification pinned to his or her uniform knocks at your door asking if you have a dog licence for your pet, it’s legitimate.

The City of Kitchener is conducting a door-knock campaign in which bylaw officers are canvassing neighbourhoods reminding residents with dogs that they must have a city-issued dog licence, said Kitchener’s director of bylaw enforcement Gloria MacNeil.

“It’s a public education campaign where we are going door to door. If people don’t answer, we are leaving a pamphlet,” she said.

Bylaw officers wear masks and remain six feet apart when approaching the front doors, MacNeil said. They also have a portable debit machine with them for those wanting to pay at the door.

Regular fees in 2022 for new sterilized dogs are $34.54. Fees are lower for seniors with spayed or neutered dogs.

The annual fee offsets costs to the Humane Society of Kitchener Waterloo and Stratford Perth for programs such as spaying and neutering, as well as helping to cover the city’s contract with the agency, she said.

MacNeil said licensing also helps to identify dogs, especially if the dog goes missing. Dogs wear a tag that must be on its collar when the dog is off their own property.

MacNeil said pamphlets on responsible pet ownership are left in mailboxes if residents aren’t home.

Pet owners are encouraged to purchase their dog licence online through the humane society. Buying your dog tag online allows pet owners to get a $25 voucher for Ren’s Pet Depot.

Some residents voiced their concerns on a social media app wondering why bylaw officers were knocking on doors during a pandemic.

MacNeil said the door-knock program has been in place for about four years. It was suspended during provincial COVID-19 lockdowns but under the province’s Step 2 protocol, the program is ongoing.

“Staff have been instructed to wear their masks. They ring the doorbell and then step back six feet and maintain that distance,” MacNeil said.

“They are in full uniform and city-issued ID pinned on them,” she said. “They don’t need to go into anyone’s home.”

Last year, the city sold 11,700 dog licences. The number was lower than previous years despite more people getting dogs during the pandemic.

“Most of 2020 we were not doing any dog licensing. We were leaving it up to people to get it on their own and we saw a decrease in the uptake of people purchasing their licences,” she said.

Before the pandemic, there was almost 13,000 dog licences.

MacNeil said despite a bylaw to enforce the measure, there is a large number of unlicensed dogs in the city.

“Licensing has been a consistent challenge for many years,” she said.

Some people may not be aware of the licence and others may see the charge as unfair and “some people don’t agree with it for sure,” MacNeil said.