Quispamsis council is set to approve revisions to its Animal Control Bylaw at its next meeting at the end of the month.
Councillor Lisa Loughery says she’s glad the complete bylaw was looked at rather than just having a few amendments made.
Loughery says the bylaw has been pretty much completely re-written.
Quispamsis resident Robert Hunt, who was a military dog handler and trainer, spear headed the initiative and worked on the revisions with town staff, other members of the community, police officers and veterinarians.
The main changes include making owners more responsible for the actions of their pets and implementing strict conditions for euthanasia.
A veterinarian will be the one to deem an animal dangerous enough for euthanasia and the owner will then be able to go through the legal process if they wish.
Mayor Gary Clark says the goal was to achieve a balance between public safety and a good quality of life for residents.
He says it was never council’s intent to euthanize animals and says that will be reserved for just the “most serious incidents”.
Under the revised bylaw, an animal control officer can only recommend that an animal be deemed fierce or dangerous if they have enough evidence under the written definition.
The way it’s written now, it appears the officer can make their own judgement call.
Councillor Pierre Rioux says he could see a lot of smiles on people’s faces as council passed the motion to adopt the new bylaw.
He says the revisions were necessary in order to modernize the town’s Animal Control Bylaw.
Quispamsis town council will finalize the revisions at its next meeting on February 27th.
