On June 18, Elliot Laker Alec Herdy was out with his service dogs for an evening neighbourhood walk. Both he and his two dogs were attacked by an off leash pit bull running loose.
When the dust had cleared and after several visits to the veterinarian, Herdy wound up with a $3,000 vet bill. He requires his dogs to help him navigate.
He suffered bites and required medical treatment and noted, “Damn near killed me because it had five strains of antibiotic resistant bacteria.”
This was probably the most serious animal attack reported to date in 2022, a year in which anecdotally has seen an increasing number of dogs running lose either as a nuisance or a threat in Elliot Lake. It is an unfortunate outcome, especially in the warm weather months.
The problem of dog attacks was front and centre at a meeting of the Elliot Lake Bylaw and Planning Committee on Aug. 2, where a draft version of the city’s re-written Animal Control Bylaw was up for consideration.
Herdy explained to the committee, “We reported it to the OPP. ‘Oh geez. We don’t deal with dog attacks.’ We reported it to bylaw, ‘Bruce is busy, Kyle’s on vacation.’”
Mayor Dan Marchisella said the liability lies with the dog owner.
”It’s all on the dog owners,” he told the committee.
Part of the problem seems to be finding the dog(s) or the owner after the fact, especially where no owner was present as in the June 18 attack.
Several committee members including chair Coun. Ed Pearce noted an increase of animal complaints reported to them.
Elliot Lake City Clerk Natalie Bray is responsible for city bylaws including the one which regulates animal control. An outcome of the August second meeting was a recommendation that council extend the public comment period on the bylaw to 60 days.
Click here to read the draft of the Animal Control Bylaw.
Bray says Herdy followed the proper procedure reporting the incident to city Bylaw Enforceent or the OPP. Bylaw officers can be reached ether by phone or by email via the internet.
She says it is a good idea to supply photos of the animal(s) or to retain other evidence of an attack.
Herdy told the committee that in the middle of the fray, there was no way he could have obtained any photos or video evidence of the evening encounter on his cell phone.
Pearce said, "A couple of things to consider, these bylaws are not final, as mentioned.
"These are all very complicated laws. We understand that. And we understand that there are some things that are missed.
"I encourage all of you if you have something you want to bring forward to the committee ... to do so over the next two weeks," he concluded.
Drafts of the Animal Control Bylaw along with Elliot Lake’s new Personal Recreational Cannabis Bylaw are now up for public comment.
Council will become a lame duck after the Aug. 19 nominating deadline for candidates seeking a spot on council later this year. Although council will relinquish some powers on money matters and personnel issues after that, the lame duck council can still debate about and pass bylaws.
On the topic of the city's planned Personal Recreational Cannabis Bylaw, Pearce said it's unfortunate the federal government downloaded enforcement responsibilities to municipalities when Ottawa decided to legalize marijuana use.
Marchisella said common sense seems in short supply when people grow marjuana in their yards. He stressed the necessity of keeping the plants away from access by children.
Pearce agreed with Coun. Sandy Finamore over her concerns about exposing people, especially children, to second hand marijuana smoke from their neighbours. He said, "Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about it."
As of April 2019, cannabis has been available for purchase through provincially licensed private recreational cannabis retail stores. Since the legalization of the recreational use of cannabis, there has been no public regulation bylaw developed or amendments to the current property standards bylaw to address concerns around location and/or security of cannabis on residential property.
Public Input on both bylaws will remain open for four weeks closing September 2 at 4:30 p.m.. All input will be vetted and amalgamated into a synopsis report to go back to Bylaw and Planning for review.
Responses can be submitted to staff via the following avenues:
- Email: [email protected] or;
- Dropping off at City Hall Front Desk or exterior DropBox if after hours.