Animal Control Rules
Promoting responsible animal ownership
Whether on your own property or not, your dog is not allowed to be a nuisance to any resident.
By definition, nuisance includes waste and disposal of waste, trespass on another property, a threat to public safety or noise. Animal Control Bylaw 06-2023 regulates and provides the controls for animals including dogs within the municipal boundaries of Lac Ste. Anne County. Cats are not controlled within the County.
Pet owners: call the County
Do you recognize a wayward dog as yours? First step: contact the County — not the kennel itself. A community peace officer will arrange a time to meet and return your dog to your care.
The County's Animal Control Bylaw 06-2023 covers three distinct types of dogs: a domestic dog (a tame dog relying on humans for survival); a guard dog (a dog of any age used for security); and a livestock service dog (a dog of any age used to protect livestock from predators).
Rules on Nuisance Dogs
Whether on your own property or not, your dog is not allowed to be a nuisance to any resident. The term nuisance encompasses waste and disposal of waste, trespass on another property, a threat to public safety, or noise.
Your dog is not allowed to howl, bark or yelp excessively or in any manner that unreasonably interferes with the use and/or enjoyment of any property.
Rules on Vicious Dogs
If any dog, while off the owner’s property and whether or not on a leash, attacks a person or another animal, or chases or challenges a person, it can be deemed vicious. County peace officers may use any legal means to capture and restrain a vicious dog.
Quantity of Dogs You Can Own
Only three domestic dogs are allowed per property (not including livestock service dogs). You can have up to three additional livestock service dogs (more at the discretion of County peace officers) on agricultural parcels. If you harbour more than three non-livestock-service dogs (as in a kennel or boarding facility), you will require a development permit.
Common Questions About Lost and Found Dogs in the County
How is an animal picked up?
Enforcement officers monitor all dog-related complaints lodged to the County. If a complaint is received by an Enforcement Officer about a dog (or dogs) roaming or causing a nuisance, the Officer(s) will respond. If you would like to make a complaint you can reach an Officer at the number(s) below. This line has a 24-hour answering service that allows you to leave a message for an Enforcement Officer. After-hours calls will be followed up by an available Enforcement Officer — either immediately if they are on duty, or during their next scheduled shift.
Enforcement personnel always strive to respond as quickly as possible given call volume and priority of calls received.
Does the County also pick up cats?
No, the only animal that is picked up by County officers are dogs.
What happens to the dogs after they're picked up?
The County believes in the humane treatment of all animals, and is governed by many laws governing such treatment. When a dog is picked up by our enforcement Officers, the first thing they do for the animal when it comes into our care is thoroughly check the dog for any injuries, markings, tattoos and the like. If the animal is injured, the Enforcement Officer will take the animal to the nearest veterinary clinic for further treatment. If the animal is healthy or uninjured, it will be scanned for a microchip with a handheld scanner that can read the registration number and phone number of the registry for the brand of chips. With this information and any tattoo information, all vets in the region are contacted to determine if any clinic has a lead on the owner(s).
Who do I call if I see that my dog has been picked up?
If you're looking for your lost dog, contacting a County Enforcement Officer is the first step. They will be able to assist you in the process of getting your lost dog home.
How do I know where to look for my missing dog?
When dogs are picked up by our enforcement officers, we do our best to get the information out to the public as soon as possible via the County's Facebook, Twitter and Instagram channels. When these dogs have been retrieved and are no longer in County care, these posts are removed from County channels as promptly as possible.
How long does the County keep the dogs?
Per legislation, Lac Ste. Anne County is bound to hold non-purebred dogs for three days, and purebred dogs for ten days.
What happens to a dog after its three-day or ten-day hold?
Once the time has elapsed, and the owner has not come forward for the dog; the vet clinic, facility, or foundation where the dog is kept will make arrangements to put the dog up for adoption or re-homing.
The County's Animal Control Bylaw 06-2023 outlines three distinct types of dogs: domestic dog (a tame dog relying on humans for survival); guard dog (a dog of any age used for security); and livestock service dog (a dog of any age used to protect livestock from predators).
Only three domestic dogs are allowed per property. Livestock service dogs are not included in that number. An individual may have up to 3 additional livestock service dogs or more at the discretion of County Peace Officers on agricultural parcels. More than non-livestock service dogs (as in a kennel or boarding facility) requires a development permit.
Whether on your own property or not, your dog is not allowed to be a nuisance to any resident. By definition, nuisance includes waste and disposal of waste, trespass on another property, a threat to public safety or noise. Your dog is not allowed to howl, bark or yelp excessively or in any manner that unreasonably interferes with the use and/or enjoyment of any property.
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