Dog bites

Its difficult when we talk of children getting hurt not to have an emotional response. Hearing about a 3 year old girl getting bitten by a rottweiller and having surgery to reconstruct her nose definitely tugs at ones heart strings. One city alderman would like for there to be a bylaw that if your dog bites and draws blood then it is put down, but I dont think a blanket bylaw like that is the answer. Dog bites must be handled on a case by case basis, and handled by a non bias third party. We already have by-laws about dogs being on leashes and where a dog can and cant be. The province has a process in place to handle requests that a dog be put down, and we have rules for animals deemed vicious. I do believe what we already have in place is sufficent.

Another question that Ive heard a lot of talk about is whether we should ban dogs from being at a park like the bear creek ball diamonds. For me, its not about where a dog should or shouldnt be, its about the supervision that is being provided. If you bring your dog into a public area you must be prepared to care for that dog the entire time you are out. I dont know much of the details of the specific case that happend recently, but I am a firm believer that if you are watching your children or pets that accidents, like a dog bite, can be avoided.