With the new bylaw in place, owners will no longer be allowed to leave dogs outside for extended periods of time.
Dogs in Mississauga, Ontario, just let out a huge woof of relief – the 24/7 ban on outdoor confinement for pets has passed unanimously!
What does this mean, exactly? Pets can’t be left outside (tethered or otherwise) for any longer than a total of four hours out of every 24 hours. The bylaw comes after complaints that pets were being left outside for extended lengths of time during extreme weather, both hot and cold, without adequate shelter. And if you live in many parts of Canada, you know how hot and humid it can be in the summer – and how unbearably cold and snowy in gets in the winter!
A few cities and states have bylaws similar to this in effect, while others are working on petitions to ban outdoor confinement for animals where they live. Mississauga, along with Toronto and other surrounding GTA cities, have already banned the sale of puppies and kittens in pet stores in order to curtail puppy mill operations. This outdoor confinement bylaw will pave the way for other cities in the area to pass similar ordinances.
Here are some of the by-law’s highlights:
These changes will take place on December 1, 2014 and will be enforced on a complaints basis. This is just the beginning, and there will be changes to the bylaw as time goes on. But I think this a start in the right direction, and hope all cities will implement this measure. What do you think of this new bylaw? Does your city have a similar bylaw in effect? Please leave your comments down below.
