In response to two pieces of correspondence about problem dogs on Texada Island, qathet Regional District (qRD) directors will consider a report on dog control issues.
At the October 25 committee of the whole meeting, Electoral Area D [Texada] director and committee chair Sandy McCormick said she had clarified with Texada RCMP that there were two separate, unrelated incidents.
“My reason for bringing it up is I would like to know what the regional district has done in relation to dog control issues,” said McCormick.
She made a motion to ask for a staff report back on dog control issues in qRD.
“I would like to see a report to know what information is out there because the people were both seriously injured,” said McCormick. “What happened to them warrants at least a look at what we can do.”
Electoral Area B director Mark Gisborne said he occasionally receives calls about dogs. He said his two dogs got out recently and thankfully, some community members returned them to him.
“While they were out, there was wildlife, such as bears, that were causing trouble,” said Gisborne. “The whole time I was very worried because if those dogs were out and anyone saw them chasing wildlife and someone shoots the dogs, I would be okay with that because it’s not okay for dogs to be doing that.
“I don’t believe we have any bylaws for dog control in our rural areas but we do have a lot of folks who come into a rural area and seem to think it’s okay to let dogs wander. It is a very serious problem, but the question comes down to if the regional district does bring in a bylaw, how do we enforce it?”
Gisborne said it was unfortunate to hear how bad things are on Texada.
McCormick said she is not proposing that the regional district have a bylaw. She said she was asking how dog control issues have been dealt with previously.
Electoral Area E director Andrew Fall said he supported asking for the information and that prevention is key. He said there is a strong community sense that dogs running free on Lasqueti Island is not okay, and that if a dog runs free, it is at risk of not coming home.
“These incidents don’t happen very often, but they are traumatic when they do,” added Fall.
McCormick said education for dog owners is the best way to deal with the matter. Her motion for the board to consider a staff report carried unanimously.
One email from Texada resident Tom Scott reported that he had filed an incident report with the RCMP, who indicated there was not much they could do because there are no dog bylaws for Texada. He said the recommendation was for him to contact the regional district and push for some sort of bylaw.
Scott stated that on October 7, he was walking his dog on the Emily Lake trail. Another dog attacked and Scott stated he moved in-between the two dogs, where he sustained a significant bite, which required hospital treatment.
The second email was from Mia Barkasy, who said that Daniel Cammiade was the victim of an unprovoked dog attack on Texada. She stated that Cammiade has had three surgeries and lost independence, and his ability to work and be involved in recreation.
She said she and Cammiade are dog lovers, but she suggested putting reasonable rules and bylaws in place to prevent unnecessary incidents resulting in life-altering injuries.
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