Overview - Proposed Pet Owners Responsibility Bylaw

The Windsor-Essex County Humane Society has been searching for solutions to the cat population explosion for several years. One of the factors that has contributed to the problem is the provisions or lack thereof in municipal bylaws regulating domestic pets in Windsor and Essex County. Our research into other communities revealed a number of recently-enacted municipal bylaws that shift the focus entirely from regulating animals to demanding responsibility of pet owners. This includes the responsibility to adequately care for one’s animals as well as the responsibility to ensure one’s animals do not transgress upon the quality of life of others in the community.

The Humane Society has reviewed the comments from the public posted on our website, has listened to the views expressed and is revising its proposed Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw to accommodate the majority of dissenters. 86% of respondents were in favour of the proposal without reservation. 20% of the dissenters were against the restriction on cats being allowed to roam, while 60% saw the proposal as a tax grab that wouldn’t contribute to animal welfare.

The removal of the roaming provision has been addressed through an additional provision under the owner responsibilities section as follows:

1) No owner of a cat shall permit his or her cat to:

1. be at large in an intact state (unaltered)
2. impinge upon the enjoyment of property of any other resident

To address the concern that the license provisions are merely a tax grab, the Society is proposing that all revenue from cat licensing be transferred to the Windsor/Essex County Humane Society for the care of animals and to contribute to lowering or eliminating the costs of spaying and neutering cats in the City or other participating municipalities.

These changes are consistent with the previously articulated ‘pillars’ of Pet Owner Responsibility which follow:

1. License and permanently identify your companion animal. Licensing and identification is the key to the return of lost animals to their owner. Municipalities that mandate licensing and identification see return rates over 80% of dogs to their owner in 24 hours or less. Many animals do not even come to the shelter and instead are driven straight home by an officer. Returning lost animals home quickly reduces the need for conventional shelters. Licensing also provides an incentive to spay or neuter through graduated license fees and bestows value upon the animal.


2. Spay or neuter your companion animal. Unplanned breeding is a major contributor to pet over-population that fills shelters each year. Effective spay and neuter programs will reduce the population of animals and reduce the need for conventional sheltering. An altered cat who escapes his or her home and becomes part of the stray and feral population (as some always will) will not contribute to the growth of the population.


3. Provide appropriate food, medical care, grooming, training and exercise for your companion animal. These actions ensure the mental and physical health of an animal and if followed by every animal owner would reduce the need for shelters to house animals in distress. Proper training will reduce the number of animals who are abandoned because of behavioural issues.


4. Do not allow your companion animal to become a threat or a nuisance in the community. Many animals end up in shelters because of problems of aggression or roaming at large. Ensuring that your companion animal does not create problems in your community will reduce the number of animals who are seized in the interest of public safety and end up in shelters. Fulfilling this simple requirement would eliminate the trend to breed specific legislation as an attempt to solve animal issues.

Licensing cats will impact directly on the Humane Society’s single biggest obstacle in coping with the more than 4,000 stray cats entering our shelter annually - the abysmal claim rate of 1.9% in 2007. A cat wearing a license will be returned to its owner on the day of admission and will not contribute to overcrowding in the shelter. The City of Calgary licensed over 31,000 cats in 2007 before licensing was made mandatory. The people of Calgary clearly see the value and practicality of purchasing a license to ensure a valued member of the household is returned to them. The City of Calgary will alter 10,000 cats in 2008; that program is funded solely by the proceeds of the cat licensing bylaw.

A copy of the proposal is available through the link below as well as an extract from a website conversation with Bill Bruce from the City of Calgary Animal Services. The Humane Society welcomes comments from the people of Windsor and Essex County through the on-line survey at the bottom of this page.

The City of Windsor hosted ward meetings in late summer 2008 to gather public comments about this model. We hope that the results will be brought before City Council soon.

Download a PDF file of the presentation made to the Ward Meetings
 Share your thoughts on the proposal using our feedback form

Download a copy of the Proposed City of Windsor Animal Owners Responsibility Bylaw
Questions for and Answers from Bill Bruce
Questions and Answers about the Humane Society Proposal