Politicians unanimously have endorsed a review of London’s dog licensing bylaw and its enforcement in the wake of a dog-on-dog attack in the city’s east end.
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City councillors unanimously endorsed a review of London’s dog licensing bylaw and its enforcement in the wake of a dog-on-dog attack in the city’s east end.
Though the review would look into all operational aspects of the bylaw, the focus, potentially, could be requiring dog owners to share information after an attack, a demand by resident Stephen Karchut after an attack on his dog Samson.
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“It’s about making sure owners can hold each other accountable, and resolve things in a fair and straightforward way,” Karchut told city councillors at a meeting Monday of council’s community and protective services committee. “It’s not about punishment, it’s not about retribution; it’s about protecting pets, promoting compliance, and fostering a community of responsible pet owners.”
Councillors Hadleigh McAlister, Sam Trosow, David Ferreira and Jerry Pribil supported referring the bylaw to city staff for review.
In October, while walking his dog in his neighbourhood near Clarke and Hamilton roads, Karchut recently told The London Free Press Samson was bitten several times by another neighbourhood dog.
After the woman got control of the dog, she walked away without providing Karchut with any information, prompting concerns about expensive vet bills to potentially update Samson’s vaccinations.
McAlister, who brought the motion forward on behalf of Karchut, argued the city should always be looking to improve its bylaws. He applauded Karchut for coming to city hall to advocate for the change.
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“This is definitely one of those ones where I’m trying to be cognizant of what constituents say to me,” McAlister said. “I think this gives us the opportunity to look into this further.”
Though the city doesn’t get many complaints on the issue of enforcing dog licensing, Trosow said there is general satisfaction with the level of enforcement.
He argued the city should have clear protocols for what residents should do in Karchut’s situation, and not have to file a freedom of information request to obtain a dog’s licence number from city hall.
“As I understand it, there is a hole in this bylaw. How it went on this long, I’m not sure,” Trosow said.
Orest Katolyk, the city’s bylaw enforcement boss, said the city investigated 330 dog bites in 2024. Only in one to two per cent of those cases did investigators have trouble determining who the offending dog’s owner was, he said, including owners who may be homeless.
The committee’s recommendation to review London’s dog licensing bylaw will go to city council for approval at its next regular meeting on Jan. 21.
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