by Devon Hanley Talking about our dogs and their behaviour could be compared to talking about our children; discussions often elicit strong opinions, emotional reactions and expert advice. Before I offer mine, let me first relate a personal experience to help explain why I have decided to go public with some of my concerns regarding dog behaviour.
A few weeks ago I was walking in town on a forest trail with my unleashed dog, when from around the corner appeared another unleashed dog. Call it intuition or a gut reaction, but something told me to get my pooch off the ground. I reached down, scooped him up and as I tried to turn away from the oncoming dog I felt a solid chomp to my forearm.
Within seconds the owner had the dog leashed. In shock from the pain that was searing through my arm, I ran straight past him calling out “Your dog just bit me.” All I could think about was getting clear of the scene and getting some ice on my arm. The next day I went, in good faith, to visit the owners of the offending dog. I wanted to show them my arm, and suggest that keeping the dog on a leash would be a good idea. Unfortunately, I was dismissed at the door.
That reception created almost as much injury as the dog bite. Over the next few days, I talked to three other dog owners who had first-hand experiences with the same dog. One woman was so shaken by her encounter she has not walked on that particular local trail for over a year and a half. Not one of these people had called to make a report to the bylaw officer for the City of Powell River.
Although I was not aware of any other instances of this dog biting a person, I wondered whether, if these folks had reported their encounters, would I have suffered a dog bite? And what if the next encounter has a more serious outcome than mine? I decided to speak with the bylaw officer and make a report. The bylaw officer was supportive and took my call very seriously. She explained to me that aggressive dog behaviour, bite or no bite, toward dogs or people, is good enough reason to contact the city.
In all honesty, I enjoy walking my dog off-leash in areas where there are few people, and I am tolerant of other people doing the same. But not all dogs are socialized or comfortable with other dogs and different breeds are driven by different instincts.
My thinking is that a report at least puts an aggressive dog on the city’s radar. If there are subsequent incidents reported then measures can be taken so no animal or person is harmed. If it never happens again, great. But if a pattern of problematic behaviour emerges, the city can then refer to that history and decide upon the appropriate action.
Devon Hanley is a resident of Powell River.
