Three dog rule to increase adoption rate

By Richard Riosa

City Council’s decision to allow three dogs per household may cause an increase in adoptions by Windsorites.

Windsor City Council voted unanimously to accept a change to the Keeping of Animals bylaw 8156 Feb. 19. This change saw the number of dogs permitted per household increase from two to three. The Windsor-Essex County Humane Society were the driving force behind the campaign to have the bylaw changed.

Manager of shelter operations Rachel Dottermann said the Humane Society has often had to turn away potential adopters in the past because they already own two dogs.

“I think once the bill passes we’ll probably have a bit of a surge of people that are excited about it and want to come in and get a third dog,” said Dottermann.

Dottermann said she believes responsible owners getting a third dog won’t create any issues for the city.

Ann Kalinowski, Windsor’s bylaw enforcement manager, said only 20 of 168 Keeping of Animals complaints in 2012 were related to someone housing more than two dogs.

“I don’t anticipate that there’s going to be an increase in those types of complaints (dog noise violations) because historically we have not received very many,” said Kalinowski.

Dottermann said she also doesn’t expect to see an increase in incidents of abuse or neglect. The Humane Society has the ability to investigate owners to make sure they can properly take care of their animals.

“Hopefully (the new bylaw) just means we can help out more dogs in the community,” said Dottermann. “I think having the ability to take in a third dog will help our adoption numbers.”

Cutline: Rachel Dottermann, manager of shelter operations, shows off two-year-old Nanny at the Windsor-Essex County Humane Society March 1. (PHOTO by/Richard Riosa)