Montreal crackdown on unlicensed pets leads to 5K new dog permits in 2 weeks

More than 5,000 dog owners have snapped up new licences since the City of Montreal started cracking down on unregistered pets last month.

Although licences are mandatory, the majority of dog owners don't have them.

• Montreal unleashes additional animal inspectors

That's why the city sent out extra animal control inspectors, stepping up patrols in parks and public spaces.

The city estimates there are 150,000 dogs in Montreal. Prior to July 14, it says only 20,000 of them had licences.

There are now about 25,000 dogs with tags, or about one in six dogs.

Animal licences by borough

During the two-week period between July 14 and July 31, the three boroughs with the largest number of new dog licences were:

• Rivire-des-PrairiesPointe-aux-Trembles (554)
• LaSalle (457)
• Cte-des-NeigesNotre-Dame-de-Grce (442)

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Valerie Dagenais, a spokesperson for the city, said inthe week following the announcement of anincrease in canine patrols, nearly 1,500 licences were soldin two days. Since then, an average of 300 licences are sold perday.

The city's goal is to register every single dog in the 19 boroughs.

Fines for owners

Owners face a fine of $250 if an inspector catches their dog without a tag.

There's also a minimum fine of $100 for dogs caught off-leash.

If an unregistered dog is a breed the city considers dangerous, the inspector can confiscate the animal.

As of Aug. 3,the three boroughs where animal control officers handed out the the most fines were:

• PlateauMont-Royal (15.8%)
• Rivire-des-PrairiesPointe-aux-Trembles (15.8%)
• RosemontLa Petite-Patrie (14.8%)

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Dagenais saidthe city expects more fines will be handed out in other boroughs as inspectors expand their checks and fan out across the city.

Inspectors are targeting Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve and Ville-Marieboroughsthis week and Montreal North next week.