Item - 2015.LS8.2

The Licensing and Standards Committee received the item for information.

This report responds to City Council's direction that the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards report to Licensing and Standards Committee with recommendations on how the City can effectively respond to incidents of dog bites and dangerous and/or vicious dogs, including a review of best practices on public education, legislation and enforcement in other jurisdictions.

The ultimate goal is zero dog bite incidents in the City of Toronto. To achieve this goal preventive actions such as educating the public and clear and easy-to-understand by-laws are needed.

With a growing population and over 230,000 dogs in the city, dog owners and non-dog owners must be able to co-exist in public places. Prior to amending by-laws and creating new policies, Municipal Licensing and Standards set out to understand the issues by completing research which included a jurisdictional scan and conducting public consultation which included public meetings and a survey.

From this work, it is clear that owners need to be responsible for their dogs and their dog's actions. Municipal Licensing and Standards has identified the need to develop educational materials and amend Toronto Municipal Code, Chapter 349, Animals to ensure responsible dog ownership. Further consultation will be required.