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Sask. RM criticized for bylaw change suggesting landowners can shoot trespassing dogs

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PORCUPINE, SASK. -

A petition with hundreds of signatures is circulating online, criticizing a bylaw change in the Rural Municipality of Porcupine that seems to allow rural property owners to kill any unknown, unattended dogs on their land.

The RM made the rule change in May, which suggests dogs found roaming unattended may be shot if trespassing on someone’s property or on roads adjoining the lands.

The Mayor of Porcupine Plain said the bylaw is not applicable in town, even though stray dogs are a common resident concern.

“It’s nuisance dogs. People frequently are concerned about dogs roaming, and occasionally aggressive dogs. And it’s probably one of the harder things for us, to deal with,” Mayor Nick Wood said.

The bylaw caught the attention of Regina resident Angie McGarry who started an online petition, garnering 2,500 signatures as of Thursday afternoon.

“I can sit with the owners of Porcupine Plain or any other RM and explain, ‘If your dog is loose, these are the consequences,’ and because they’re human, they understand that,” McGarry said.

“I can sit with the dog all day long and say, ‘If you go past this fence, here’s what’s going to happen to you.’ And they don’t understand. So you can’t rationalize with a dog."

McGarry does not believe the bylaw is legal, citing Saskatchewan’s Stray Animals Act, which includes other options before terminating an animal.

RM of Porcupine Reeve Steve Kwiatkowski said the bylaw does not mean it is open season on dogs, instead calling it a deterrent for dog owners.

He added that a landowner took issue with one nuisance dog taking down wildlife, and they wanted to rectify the situation quickly.

“We will be definitely talking about it. I do agree, some of the wording is, maybe not quite right. But at the end of the day, nobody, nobody, today, has given any indication or ideas that fix the problem,” Kwiatkowski said.

The reeve said the RM will talk about the bylaw wording at its upcoming council meeting on Sept. 1. Discussions surrounding the wording of the bylaw will be heard.

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