London woman fights for upgrades to bylaws for 'dangerous dogs' after pet was killed

A London dog owner is calling for changes to the city's dog licensing bylaws after her dog was attacked and killed by a larger dog in her neighbourhood earlier this year.

Debbie Morris, who launched a petition to require more responsibility for owners of "dangerous dogs," says she's ecstatic something is being done now that two London councillors are bringing it to a city committee next week.

"I appreciate the councillors going to bat for me," Morris said. "It was a tough personal thing, but I don't think this is an isolated incident at all."

Councillors Skylar Franke and David Ferreira are putting forward a motion on Monday at the community and protective services (CAPS) committee asking city staff to provide a report with recommendations for the bylaw changes.

If the motion passes, staff will report back on how other municipalities are dealing with dangerous dogs, what the criteria could be for dangerous and "potentially dangerous" dogs, as well as possible enforcement measures, public messaging and reporting.

In April, when Debbie Morris took her 13-year-old male Chihuahua, Butch, for a walk, she didn't expect it to be his last. She said their walk was abruptly and violently cut short when her neighbours' 56-kg German Shepherd got loose and attacked Butch, picking him up off the ground, puncturing both his lungs and shaking the little dog to death.

"He was my friend … He was my family, and seeing him getting killed in front of me was devastating," Morris said through tears. "I couldn't sleep. It tortured me for a very long time because there was nothing I could do."

Morris sought recourse through the police, animal control, and even put in a claim through the Dog Owners' Liability Act, she said. While a muzzle order and a fine of $125 were enforced, she felt this wasn't enough to prevent similar tragedies from happening in the future.

It's then Morris began to research other cities' bylaws and created a petition on Change.org to update the rules around dog ownership. Morris is unofficially calling the campaign "Butchie's Bylaw."

The petition has since garnered more than 700 signatures, which is what initially gained the attention of city councillors.

Londoners have, in fact, brought up the issue of aggressive dogs multiple times, Councillor Franke said, adding that she has heard stories of people or their pets being bitten, and the frustration they felt when nothing happened afterward.

The staff report the motion is asking for could lead to a proactive solution, she said.

"We know that there are some dogs in the community that are a bit more aggressive than others and might be dangerous toward other animals or humans," she said. "So I see this as a way that we can try to address it before something bad happens. So I'm hopeful that we'll see broad support."

The Humane Society London and Middlesex (HSLM) provided a letter to the CAPS Committee expressing their interest in contributing their expertise to potential bylaw updates.

It would be crucial, executive director Shannon LaHay wrote in the letter, that any proposed changes adhere to three principles.

The first would be they use behaviour-based designation criteria for dogs, rather than breed-specific, she said. There would also need to be a system that ensures accountability, with accurate tracking and reporting of dog bite incidents, dangerous dog designations and enforcement outcomes.

Lastly, clarity would be key, LaHay said, so community members could easily understand expectations and develop confidence in the process.

The CAPS committee meeting is Monday at 1 p.m.