BONNYVILLE - Inspector Charlene Skinner, manager of public safety, gave a quarterly report on May 28, at the last regular MD of Bonnyville council meeting, noting an increase in dog control related calls for service.
Skinner mentioned the spring season being a factor in the increase, showing 43 dog control/livestock related calls in the first quarter.
SPCA shelter manager Judith Rodriguez relayed the challenges they face when well-meaning citizens pick up dogs they find wandering in rural areas – often those dogs turn out to be farm dogs hanging out around their own property.
“It’s really frustrating when we have the dogs coming from the MD - you have the farmer coming [to pick up their] dog because somebody took it away... when the dog was just puttering their property doing its job.”
Rodriguez suggests people passing by should leave rural dogs alone unless they look visibly distressed or injured.
“You can tell when a dog is lost,” says Rodriguez. “The look on their face is like ‘what am I doing here’?”
If they are just “sniffing the flowers,” they are probably okay where they are.
Inspector Skinner adds that people travelling in from the city are particularly liable to pick up dogs that aren't lost.
Rodriguez adds, “[Farmers get] really upset because they have to pay the impounding fees.” She also urges farmers to register their dogs and have them wear tagged collars with their contact information to avoid unnecessary impounding.
