Your Pets and Bylaws that Rule

By Andrew English

Each municipality has specific regulations and requirements for pet residents and guests. Please be a responsible pet owner and familiarize yourself with these rules. For details, please check with the relevant municipality or with your Pets Can Stay™ accommodation provider. Bylaw enforcement officers generally patrol public areas, and in many municipalities dog control is strictly enforced with penalty of fines for bylaw infraction.

With few exceptions, you can generally be safe in assuming that the following minimum guidelines apply to every municipality.

Dogs are prohibited
Unless otherwise posted, dogs are generally prohibited from all playgrounds, beaches, beach parks, playing fields, fitness circuits, golf courses, running tracks, bowling greens and creeks.

Off-Leash Areas
A maximum of one dog per owner is permitted off leash and under the immediate control of the owner. It is your responsibility as a pet owner to determine and observe where these off leash areas are; in many cases they are posted publicly.

On-Leash Area
Owners are to ensure that animals are restrained on a leash when on the grounds or in common areas of any building.

Out of Bounds Areas
Pets are generally not permitted in elevators, laundry rooms, libraries, lounges or restaurants (This does not apply to seeing-eye dogs and dogs trained to provide assistance to individuals with hearing impairment or physical disability).

Unattended animals
Owners should not leave animals unattended (chained or otherwise). There may be exceptions to this (within the accommodation premises) but you should check with your Pets Can Stay host.

Stoop and Scoop
Pet owners are required to remove all waste deposited by their pet

Pet Litter Disposal
All pet litter should be bagged and placed directly into garbage bins. It is usually an offence to place litter in toilets.

License and Tags
It is the responsibility of the pet owner to ensure that their pet is wearing license tags at all times. (This rule generally applies to dogs over six months of age with the burden of proof resting on the owner.)

Be Aware
In most municipalities legal responsibility rests with any person who owns or has custody and control of an animal within the municipality. The following infractions may constitute a fine for a wayward pet owner:

• Failure to remove waste
• Allowing an animal to run at large
• Allowing a dog off leash in public place
• Allowing a barking dog
• Keeping more than 2 dogs
• Possessing a dog without a license
• Possessing a dog without identification tags
• Leaving an animal inside a vehicle
• Walking more than 3 dogs
• Allowing an animal to travel outside of the vehicle’s passenger compartment
• Allowing a dangerous animal at large
• Allowing a dangerous animal to be un-muzzled
• Animal injures a person or kills a pet
• Animal aggressively harasses or pursues a person

Where good common sense prevails you can't go wrong. Above all - Enjoy your  Pet!

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