RCMP Community Programs Officer (CPO) Trevor Stephens said he hoped to alleviate some Crossfield resident’s concerns and answer some queries regarding dog control and its associated bylaws in a presentation to Crossfield Town council on Jan. 18.
During the meeting, Stephens provided council members with updated statistics regarding incidents of enforcement and violations of local dog-control laws.
“I was asked to come forward and answer questions that may be fielded by council regarding dogs in town and some anecdotal complaints that have come forward,” Stephens said.
He said the biggest complaint has been regarding dogs running at large, or in other words, without a leash.
Other complaints have included dogs causing a nuisance, such as loud or obnoxious barking, or biting another animal or human.
According to an incident count from Jan. 1, 2017 to Nov. 15, 2021 encompassing incidents of aggressive dog bites and dogs running at large, there were a total of 70 events in Crossfield: 47 incidents of a dog running at large and 23 dog bites. Stats for last year alone indicate there were 13 incidents of dogs running at large, four incidents of dogs causing a nuisance, and three incidents of aggressive dog bites.
Stephens said when it comes to dog complaints, he sees people taking out their frustrations most often through social media, and in most cases, these complaints do not materialize into a phone call or an in-person formal complaint.
“I don’t know what it is, even with people lurking in back alleys and what not, prior to phoning law enforcement, they’re on Facebook chatting back and forth.
“The feeling is, they like to talk about it, but nobody really wants to come to me with the complaint.”
He said incidents of complaints regarding dogs aren't "chronic," but do occur from time to time, often never actually materializing into a formal complaint.
"A good portion of [complainants] never actually file a [formal] complaint with me so that I can follow up with the right information," he said.
Crossfield Mayor Kim Harris proposed it as an opportunity to provide education as to how to properly deal with a dog complaint through a formal statement to the community sent out via the Town’s newsletter or social media channels, to which the officer agreed would prove helpful.
“I don’t think it would hurt – I do remind people on the [online] forum if you want me to do something, you get a hold of me,” he said. “A lot of people don’t go on the forum, don’t read the newsletter, so by getting all of the different media, hopefully we catch more of the residents in there.”
Stephens said he prefers taking a route of educating residents rather than jumping to charge them at the first breach of the law.
“This is all about living with one another,” he said. “In some cases, people get a little bit more hostile and upset over bylaws than they do about getting charged for speeding or running a stop sign.”
He added his hope when dealing with all aspects of his role is to obtain compliance, and not to act as a “hammer” or seek to generate money through fining people.
“The ultimate goal is to get compliance with the Town bylaws and any of the provincial statutes that relate to my appointment without charging somebody,” he said.
