Canine Services

 Benefits of licensing

Licensing your pet not only displays responsible pet ownership but it also helps fund local animal welfare initiatives in our community. In addition to your pet’s licence, benefits of your DocuPet online profile include:

• Choosing from hundreds of unique and colourful designer tag styles or designing your own tag style online

• Full access to the HomeSafe® 24/7 lost pet service, just upload recent photos of your pet and include important information that will help identify and retrieve them if they become lost

• Access to exclusive promotions and discounts

• Ability to add additional pet guardians to your pet's profile

• Easily purchasing or renewing your pet's licence from the comfort of home

• Uploading important new documents for your pet by snapping a photo

• Easily viewing and downloading your pet’s licence documentation

• Reading up on exclusive pet-focused content

• Managing, or making changes to your account at anytime including updating your contact information and making changes to pet details and status

• Viewing your order status and history

Cost of dog license

*based on the date of rabies expiration

Responsibilities of a pet owner

• Dogs must be kept on leash in public

• Check with your landlord to see if you need permission to keep a pet. Remember, the law does not allow more than three dogs in each household.

• Put an identification license on your dog so they can be returned safely if they become lost. Dog licenses must be renewed according to the expiration date on your rabies certificate. At renewal, proof of a current rabies vaccination must be shown.

• Exercise your dog but keep it on a leash. Stray animals can cause traffic accidents, bite people, or damage property. You are legally responsible for your dog's conduct.

• Have your pets vaccinated regularly against rabies and other diseases.

• Stoop and Scoop after your dog - especially in areas where children play.

• Give your dog plenty of attention if it is outside all day. It is unfair to your neighbours if it is always barking.

• Provide appropriate care, food, water, exercise, shelter, and a sanitary environment.

• Have your pet spayed or neutered to avoid unwanted puppies or kittens - sterilized pets are healthier and calmer.

• Train your dog to “come”, “sit” and “stay”.

• Remember to consider your neighbours - they may not share your love of pets

Off leash pets

In Halton Hills, all dogs must be kept on a leash and under the control of their owner unless in a designated off-leash area. Dog owners share parks, trails, and open spaces with many other residents, visitors, and wildlife, and must abide by the dog regulations set out in By-law 94-077 to help protect these users and the natural environment.

While many dogs are obedient, there is a possibility that they may forget some of their training in unfamiliar surroundings with enticing scents or wildlife. Owners and dog walkers are responsible for any injuries or damage caused by any dog in their care as a result of being off-leash.
Letting your dog off-leash in undesignated areas poses many risks, including: becoming lost, a dangerous encounter with another animal, exposure to an animal carrying diseases, such as a raccoon carrying rabies, exposure to poisonous plants, and/or the victim of a road accident.

Leash Free Parks

Bans and related controls

The Province of Ontario's recent amendments to the Dog Owner's Liability Act ban pit bulls and make dog owners responsible for the actions of their dogs. The new legislation restricts existing pit bulls and deals with irresponsible dog owners who own dangerous dogs that bite, attack, or pose a threat. The amendments provide for increased fines, penalties, seizures of dogs, and extend new powers to municipal and animal control staff.

The Act received Royal Assent on March 9, 2005 with the effective date being August 29, 2005. However, a transitional period of 60 days (to October 28, 2005) has been given to municipalities for ensuring the legislation is applied effectively. Pit bulls with a current license issued by any municipality in Ontario by August 29, 2005 are considered “grandfathered”, and their owners will be able to keep them, provided the owners comply with the requirements of muzzling, neutering and leashing the dogs as set by the Province. The owners must also comply with any additional requirements as set out in this legislation or by the municipality.

For further information or to report violations of the Responsible Pet Owner's By-law, please call (905) 873-2600 ext. 2330.

Rabies

Southern Ontario has the highest concentration of animal rabies in all of North America. Rabies kills animals and people. Fifty percent of people who come into contact with rabies are exposed to it by their household pets. Rabies is a fatal disease for which there is no cure once the disease takes hold. It is caused by a virus carried in the saliva of a rabid animal, which attacks the nervous system. It can be transmitted via a bite or when the saliva otherwise gets into an open wound, an eye, or the mouth.

Not all rabid animals foam at the mouth and act madly. Some can act calm and tame. Therefore, stay away from wild animals even if they are acting friendly. Report any wild animal behaving oddly to Omega Canine Control Services at 905-877-6235.

If you have been bitten by or exposed to a suspicious animal:

• Don't panic.

• Immediately wash the wound thoroughly and vigorously with soap and water.

• Capture the animal if it is safe to do so without being bitten again. (Do not pick the animal up).

• Call your family physician immediately.

• Report the incident to Regional Municipality of Halton Health Department at 1-866-442-5866.

If your pet bites someone:

• Urge the individual to see a physician immediately.

• Report the bite to Regional Municipality of Halton Health Department at 1-866-442-5866 and Omega Canine Control Services 905-877-6235. You will probably have to confine your pet and watch it closely for 10 days. During this period, report any illness or unusual behaviour to the Health Department and your veterinarian.

To protect you, your community, and your pets, all dogs three months of age or older must have annual rabies vaccinations.

You will receive an immunization certificate and a rabies vaccination identification tag. The due date for re-vaccination is marked on the certificate. This certificate is required when purchasing a Town of Halton Hills dog tag. Failure to comply may result in a fine of up to $5,000.

For further information about rabies regulations, call or write:

Regional Municipality of Halton Health Department
1151 Bronte Road,
Oakville, Ontario,
L6M 3L1
1-866-442-5866

Stoop and scoop

Thoughtful dog owners have always cleaned up after their pet.

Every person in charge of a dog must clean up any mess left by the dog on public and private property.

Town of Halton Hills parks and streets can become a “minefield” because owners fail to clean up after their pet. But besides being a nuisance, dog excrement may harm your family's health because roundworm and other diseases are passed to humans by pet feces.

Young children are especially susceptible because they play and crawl in parks. To prevent the spread of disease, stoop and scoop and have your pet checked regularly by a veterinarian.

Municipal Law Enforcement Officers with the Town of Halton Hills are authorized to issue tickets to any person who violates the by-law. The by-law covers private property too – you have to clean dog excrement from your own yard.

Failure to clean up after your dog may result in a conviction and a penalty of a set fine of $100.00, or a maximum penalty of $5,000. Please co-operate and help keep our Town clean.

Stray dogs

Letting your dog run loose puts your pet and the community in danger. Every year, hundreds of dogs die in traffic accidents. Motorists may be hurt trying to avoid these animals. Pets suffer death and injury in animal fights - or by choking, poisoning and other misfortune.

A large playful dog may frighten seniors and children and can cause injury by jumping up on them. Dogs also create conditions for disease by ripping apart garbage and by soiling property. A stray dog also puts people at risk of rabies.

Pets that run free contribute to the already explosive pet population in the Town of Halton Hills. Your dog must be kept on a leash and under the control of a person capable of handling the dog.

Owners who fail to keep their dog on a leash in The Town of Halton Hills are subject to fines that could reach $5,000.00. And while Canine Control make every effort to return your dog, we may have to impound any stray that doesn't have a license tag.

If you have taken in a stray dog, call Omega Canine Control Services at (905) 877-6235. They will pick up the lost dog and try to find the owner. Remember, a leash keeps your dog where it wants to be - by your side.

Spaying and neutering

Spaying and neutering help control pet populations, but there are other benefits for you and your pet.

Health Benefits:

• Spaying before the first heat reduces the possibility of breast cancer, common in older dogs.

• Spaying prevents diseases of the uterus, ovaries and some skin disorders.

• Neutering prevents prostate disease and certain tumours of the anal area.

 Behavioural Benefits:

• Spaying will keep away unwanted suitors and prevents messy spotting.

• Neutered males likely will be less aggressive and less apt to roam.

• Neutered males are less likely to mark the home with urine.

Wildlife

Nuisance wildlife

The natural environment within the Town of Halton Hills offers a haven for nuisance wildlife. Sometimes these animals can become unwanted house guests and trespassers.

Please note it is an offence to use “leg-hold” traps or snares to catch animals. Anyone breaking this law could face a fine of up to $5,000.

For information on control of nuisance wildlife, contact the Ministry of Natural Resources at 1 (905) 713-7400. They will also refer you to a local licensed trapper to assist you, but all costs are your responsibility.

Preventing and managing conflicts with coyotes, wolves and foxes

Halton Hills is a terrific blend of urban and rural areas. We are blessed to be surrounded by wonderful trails and open space. As a result, wildlife occasionally can be spotted in developed parts of our community.
Coyotes, wolves and foxes are the most common types of wildlife you may encounter in a park or even your own backyard. Dealing with coyotes, wolves and foxes is a responsibility of the Ministry of Natural Resources, and not the Town.

What to do if you encounter a coyote, wolf or fox

• If you see a coyote, wolf or fox, keep your distance and the animal will most likely avoid you.

• If you encounter an aggressive animal:Carry a flashlight at night

  • Never approach or touch a wild animal

  • Do not turn your back or run from a wild animal

  • Back away from the animal while remaining calm

  • Stand tall, wave your hands and make lots of noise

• If a wild animal poses an immediate threat or danger to public safety – call 911

• Never feed these animals. Feeding them makes them less fearful of humans. Ensure garbage, compost and pet food is not accessible. Do not leave food waste in open garbage cans

• Do not attempt to tame or play with any of these animals. Remember they are wildlife, and abnormal familiarity with humans can lead to unpredictable behaviour

• Discourage wildlife from entering your property by consistently frightening them away. This is called hazing and keeps the wildlife wary of people. Along with motion detectors, use noise makers, spray water from a hose, or throw items such as small stones, tennis balls, or sticks in the animal's direction, but don't hit them

How to make your property unwelcoming

• Use flashing lights, motion sensors, and noise makers

• Keep your yard areas free from garbage that will attract these animals

• Put up two-metre high fences that extend at least 20 centimetres underground

• Install a roller system to the top of your fence so animals can't gain a foothold

How to prevent conflicts with dogs

• Keep dogs inside at night

• Clean up after your dog – coyotes are attracted to dog feces

• Spray and neuter your dogs – coyotes are attracted to, and can mate with, domestic dogs that have not been spayed or neutered

How to protect livestock

• Where possible, bring your livestock into barns at night

• Use guard animals such as donkeys, llamas, and dogs

• If livestock has been killed by predators you may be eligible for compensation through the Ontario Wildlife Damage Compensation Program

How to report a wolf or coyote death

• Contact a local officer from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry

Sick wildlife

The Ministry of Natural Resources is monitoring and testing raccoons and skunks in Halton Region.

Due to the concern for public safety, Omega Canine Control Services will respond to calls regarding sick raccoons and skunks on public property. Calls will be accepted for private property on condition that the sick or injured animal is contained within a trap. These animals must be accessible to the Officers in the yard areas and not located in an attic, rooftop or similar inaccessible area. Traps can be obtained by residents by contacting Public Works at 905-873-2600 ext. 2607 for animals in this situation for a $100 returnable deposit and a $5 per day fee. Once captured, Canine Control staff will pick up the animal.

Omega Canine Control Services can be reached at 905 877-6235.

Please note that the Canine Control Officers will not respond to healthy wildlife on private property creating a nuisance. A private pest control company can assist residents with this problem.

For further information on Responsible Pet Owner's By-law or to report violations of the By-law, please call 905-873-2600, ext. 2330