(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)
February 19, 2020 - 3:00 PM
The number of complaints about dogs running free in the North Okanagan rose by almost 30 per cent in 2019, and while the number of complaints about unruly dogs also saw an increase, dog control officers appear a little less heavy-handed as the number of tickets handed out dropping by almost one third.
The numbers in the North Okanagan Regional District 2019 Animal Control Annual Report show dog complaints overall rose by 12 per cent in 2019 compared to 2018.
The Regional District’s contractor K-9 Systems Control impounded more dogs last year - a 57 per cent increase over 2018 - with 75 per cent of them finding their way back to their owners.
The report lists 6,078 licensed dogs in the North Okanagan, up six per cent from 5,710 in 2018.
And while complaints grew, the number of tickets handed out by K-9 Systems Control dropped by almost a third. The company handed out 240 tickets in 2019, down from 352 in 2018. The number of written warnings stayed much the same with just over 100 given out each year.
Complaints about “dogs barking excessively” dropped slightly by four per cent, while complaints about aggressive dogs were up by 15 per cent over the year before.
Of the 42 dogs impounded and not collected by an owner, the majority went to the BC SPCA branch, with six being euthanized - three per cent of all the dogs impounded.
The report also shows of the 6,078 dogs licensed in the North Okanagan the most common breed was Labrador retriever, with Bella being the most popular name.
The second most popular breed was shih tzu, followed by shepherd, poodle and border collie.
The second most popular name was Molly, followed by Charlie, Buddy, Maggie, Cooper, Lucy, Sadie, Bailey and Lily.
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