The Municipality is reminding pet owners that they are legally responsible to provide their pets with adequate shelter and there are bylaws in place to ensure they do so.
Outdoor dogs must have a proper dog house that is the appropriate size for their breed, age and personality to ensure comfort and durability. Size can be determined by ensure the dog or dogs using the house for shelter can comfortable lay down, stand up and be able to move around.
The dog houses should also be sufficiently insulated, ventilated, slighting raised from the ground to keep moisture, mold, bacteria, and bugs out and have a plastic flap as a door to shield the elements.
Some helpful tips issued by the Municipality is to use wood as an insulator, covered with sheet metal or heavy plastic to preventing chewing. Treated lumber is not recommended as it could make your animal sick if chewed on or ingested. When constructing or buying a dog house it is also recommended to have a hinged roof to allow for easy access for cleaning.
For inside the dog house, it is recommended to regularly replace straw over a layer of wood chips to prevent bacteria and mold from forming.
Bylaw also requires all cats and dogs to be licensed.
Having your pet licensed allows for quicker and free returns if they are picked up by animal control with all of the proceeds from licencing fees going towards funding animal services in the region such as determining how many dog parks the city should have and maintaining off leash dog parks.
