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Please be aware of some of the rules of owning a dog in the City:
You must provide safe and humane living conditions for your dog;
You must remove dog feces right away;
Dogs must be indoors, in a fenced yard, in the City's Dog Park, on a leash or controlled by the owner at all times;
Dogs must be licenced each year and wear the licence on their collar;
You must contact the City if a dog changes owners or moves;
You may keep up to 3 dogs in your home.
The City's Dog By-law has the complete list of dog rules.
Cats
Please be aware of some of the rules if you own a cat in the City:
You must provide safe and humane living conditions for your cat;
Cats must stay on your property or be under your control at all times;
Cats must be licenced once and wear the licence on their collar;
You cannot abandon a cat in the City;
If you can no longer take care of a cat, you may release it to the Animal Shelter.
The City's Cat By-law has the complete list of cat rules.
Other Animals
You can have animals like birds, hamsters, gerbils, rabbits, and lizards as pets in the City.
The City's Keeping of Certain Kinds of Animals By-law does not allow you to keep other animals, including pigs, snakes with venom, and chickens. For questions or to report an animal that is not allowed in the City, contact By-law Enforcement.
Wild Animals
Feeding wild animals, other than song birds, is not allowed in the City and can do more harm than good:
artificial feed is not healthy for wildlife;
animals which are fed can become aggressive and/or dependent on artificial food sources ;
feeding animals near roads increases their risk of being hit by vehicles;
feeding wildlife may attract other unwanted animals to your property.
Services offered at the Owen Sound Animal Shelter and by Animal Control Officers include:
caring for lost or stray animals;
adoption services;
public education and outreach; and
enforcement of animal control by-laws and patrol of the City.
Visit the Owen Sound Animal Shelter website or contact the shelter at 519-372-1123 for more information, to volunteer, to make a donation to the shelter or to make an animal by-law complaint.
