Months after a ‘horrific mauling,’ Toronto wants stiffer dog enforcement and rules

February 20, 2024 Canuck

Several Toronto city councillors are gathering Tuesday to mull over proposed changes to how the city handles severe dog attacks, which includes creating a public list of all “dangerous dogs” in the city.

City staff are presenting multiple recommendations to the Economic and Community Development Committee months after Coun. Paula Fletcher directed them to look into how the city enforces dangerous dog orders following a dog mauling in her ward last July.

That’s when a woman was hospitalized with serious injuries from an attack by two dogs. Toronto police have since charged a 51-year-old woman with criminal negligence causing bodily harm in connection with the attack.

“The horrific dog mauling in my ward last summer shook our community,” said Fletcher in a news release. “The city’s response was concerning to many residents and highlighted issues in our processes for dealing with dangerous dogs.”

“Proactive monitoring, enforcement and communication are needed to keep residents and other dogs safe.”

Dangerous dog orders, which are given to owners if their dog was involved in a serious attack against a person or animal, includes muzzling their dog outside of their private property, displaying a warning sign on their premises or bringing their dog to socialization or obedience training within 90 days of the order.

City staff are recommending council sign off on a public list of dangerous dogs that will include the dog owner’s first three digits of their postal code, their ward number, the dog’s name, breed, colour, and the date of the dangerous act, along with past dangerous dog orders.

Staff also want to develop a standard dangerous dog warning sign to be posted on the dog owners’ private property. Currently, there are no standardized requirements for what the sign must look like.

If approved by city council, the city will also commit up to $500,000 for a public communication and education campaign, prioritize dog attack investigations based on severity and request the provincial government to change its dog owner liability legislation to speed up proceedings at the Ontario Court of Justice.

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