Responsible animal ownership and treatment of wildlife is an important part of living in Elkford.

With a recent increase in reports of pets roaming at-large in town, the District of Elkford has issued a friendly reminder about what this entails:

• Always keep your pets leashed and under control within the District of Elkford’s boundaries. Unless on private property, unleashed pets will be considered “at-large,” and owners will be fined $50 or more. Many people feel that this bylaw does not apply to them (because their dog is friendly or their cat is accustomed to living indoors/outdoors), but it is in place to keep you, your pet, other humans, wildlife and other pets in your neighbourhood safe.
• Allowing your dog to harass, injure or kill wildlife is illegal in the District of Elkford—and across British Columbia—under the B.C. Wildlife Act.
• Please be considerate of your neighbours and attentive to your dog’s needs. Noisy (i.e., continuously barking) dogs are subject to fines of $100 or more.
• Pick up after your pets! Failure to remove and dispose of your pet’s waste results in fines of $50 or more. Many of our parks and trails are equipped with dog waste bags and waste receptacles for your convenience.
• We require that you licence your pets so that we can quickly and easily return them to you if they’re ever lost. Dogs and cats must be licensed for the current calendar year and be wearing the corresponding tag. Licences are valid from January 1 to December 31 and can be purchased at the District of Elkford Office. Failure to comply with this bylaw will result in fines of $50 or more.
• Be a responsible pet owner! In British Columbia, this means providing all animals in your care with veterinary treatment and necessities such as sufficient food, clean water and adequate shelter. Animals must also have adequate light, ventilation, space, exercise and protection from excessive heat and cold.
• Abandoning or dumping a domestic animal to fend for itself is not only unethical, but it is illegal in British Columbia as per the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.

If you are unable to care for a pet, please contact one of the Elk Valley’s animal rescue organizations or the East Kootenay branch of the B.C. SPCA for assistance. If they can’t help you, they will connect you with someone who can!

Read more here.

District of Elkford photo

District of Elkford

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