Dog attacks in London prompt reminder from animal control to keep pups on a leash

London Morning6:43London has dog leash laws... but are they followed?

London is a dog-friendly city with five off-leash dog parks. So why do so many people let their dogs off-leash in public spaces? London Morning spoke to London Animal Care Centre director of operations Kent Lattanzio about the staggering amount of off-leash complaints coming into the centre daily.

Judy Hickenand her family haven't taken their dogBaileetopublic dog parks in two years, after the Bouvier desFlandres was brutally attacked by another dog.

"We were were on a narrow trail path when another dog approached usand the next thing was pandemonium. The dog attacked her and latched onto her, and the owner just let go because they couldn't control it," said Hicken.

Though the incident was a one-off, Hicken has seen many off-leash dogs in city parks where they're not allowed. She believes owners need keep their pets on leashes in public spaces as they can seriously injure others, she said.

London Animal Care Centre deals with one dog bite incident almosteveryday because some owners aren't following rules and are letting their dogs off leashes,KentLattanzio, director of operations,said on CBC's London MorningWednesday.

"We respond to approximately 360 dog bites a year, and those are just ones reported to us.There are more bites that occur that don't get reported, and some of those bite incidents are severe for sure," he said. "Our bite investigations officer is busy."

Over the weekend, a child in Toronto wasleft with serious, life-altering injuriesafter being bitten and dragged by an off-leash dog at a waterfront playground.

Bite incidents taken 'quite seriously'

The incidents are very concerning toLattanzioand animal services officers in London, who have ramped up education efforts to inform the public about animal related bylaws and penalties for such occurrences.

London's dog licensing and controlbylaw requires dogs to be leashed and under their owner's control at all times. If a dog is outside their home, they need to be fenced or tethered to the property. Fines for non-compliance are $125 and can be increased on second and third offences,Lattanziosaid.

"When we do a bite investigation we take that quite seriously, so usually it's not just a written warning in a bite incident, there are penalties that are involved in that because the laws are in place and they do work," he added.

There are five off-leash dog parks across the city, which are open year-round and are equipped with signs or fenced off.

Londoner Diane Thomas never lets her golden retriever, Hudson, off his leash during walks. Although they haven't had any bad experiences with other dogs, Thomas isn't surprised that more people are getting bit, she said.

"I don't think it's the dog's fault, it's the owner's," she said. "It has to be enforced. If somebody's got their dog off the leash then they should up the fines because that's not a deterrent."

Donna Eiler said that off-leash dogs have made their way to her kids' elementary school, and very little is being done to combat the issue.

"Hejumps on kids, and the guy has no control over it. The teacherstell kids to try and stay away from the dog instead of having the man removed from school property," she said.

"The dog doesn't seem to be aggressive but you just don't know what willhappen if there's one bad incident. People need to have common courtesy and respect for others."

Hicken has now started taking Bailee to private dog parks where she can roam around for a half-hour for a $20 fee, butsaid the incident's impact has traumatized her dog.

There need to be more areas where dogs can safely be off-leash, she said.

"She's very nervous of other dogs and she's reactive. We're training her but we don't take her in closed trails where there's other dogs. If we do, we take her aside and make her sit down."

Dog bites can be reported to the London Animal Care Centre at 519-685-1330.