Animal Control

Who do I contact about...

Animal services for the Township of North Dumfries are provided under contract by the Humane Society of Kitchener Waterloo Stratford Perth (KW Humane Society). If there is a concern about an animal, the following information can provide assistance.

Dead Animal on Township Streets or Township Property

KW Humane Society

The Humane Society of Kitchener Waterloo Stratford Perth provides animal control services for the Township of North Dumfries. These services are limited to dogs and small wildlife. They are located at 250 Riverbend Drive in Kitchener and can be reached at 519-745-5615. Please check the KW Humane Society hours of service for more details.

Call the KW Humane Society to report:

Wildlife or a domestic animal that is roaming on public property
Animal control by-law violations
Lost or found pets
For emergency after hours services please call 519-745-5615 and follow the prompts for the following:
- Sick or injured dogs and small wildlife
- Vicious dogs

Animal in Distress

Ontario Animal Protection Centre

Contact the Ontario Animal Protection Centre at 1-833-926-4625 if a pet, farm animal, or wild animal in captivity is in distress of being neglected. This includes animals that:

Are injured, in pain, sick, suffering, or abused
Lack proper care, water, food or shelter

KW Humane Society

The KW Humane Society shall respond to calls for small wildlife in distress or deceased, within 45 metres (150 ft) of a residence on private property (not to include nuisance calls) for the following:

Small wildlife or domestic animal that is in need of assistance, injured, or dead
- The Kitchener Waterloo Humane Society will accept stray cats or small domestic pets if space and resources allow. Residents MUST call the Humane Society in advance at 519-745-5615. When space is not available, cats may be placed onto a waiting list and brought into the centre as space becomes available. We would also encourage residents to contact other local humane societies to inquire about assistance.
Sick or injured dogs or small wildlife

911 (Emergency)

Call 911 in an emergency when any life is in immediate danger, such as when there is:

An act of animal cruelty underway, such as beating or torturing of an animal
An animal left unattended in a hot or cold vehicle

Excessive Dog Barking or Dog at large

Contact By-law Enforcement Officer at 519-632-8800 or email a Township By-law Officer to report the following:

an animal-related noise complaint
a dog at large on Township property

Dog Attack or Dangerous Dog

KW Humane Society

Call the KW Humane Society to report:

A dog attack (such as a bite) or an animal behaving in a way that poses a risk to the safety of people or other animals
A pit bull (banned under the Dog Owners Liability Act
For emergency after hours services please call 519-745-5615 and follow the prompts for vicious dogs

911 (Emergency)

Call 911 in an emergency when any life is in immediate danger, such as when there is:

An animal attack resulting in serious injury to people or other animals that requires emergency medical attention
A dog or cock fighting ring underway

Pit Bulls

In accordance with the Dog Owner's Liability Act, it is prohibited from owning, breeding, transferring, importing, fighting or abandoning pit bulls. However, for Ontario residents who owned a pit bull prior to the changes coming into effect in 2005, the Act contains a grandfathering clause that allows pit bulls to remain in Ontario provided the owner can prove the pit bull was in Ontario prior to August 29, 2005 or born within 90 days of August 29, 2005.

Restricted or "grandfathered" pit bulls must be:

Spayed or neutered
Leashed and muzzled in public
Licensed with the Township

See the Township animal control bylaw for more information.

Dog Licence

Every resident of the Township of North Dumfries who owns a dog must apply for a dog licence. Please visit the Dog Licence page for more information.

The Township of North Dumfries licences dogs and kennels. The Township does not licence cats.

Kennel Licence

A kennel is a place where dogs are housed, groomed, boarded, bred, trained, sold, or kept and shall include a doggie daycare. Any owner, tenant, or occupant of a property shall not keep, own, or harbour more than three (3) dogs per dwelling unit. Any person who has more than three dogs must apply for a kennel licence. Refer to Animal Control By-law for more information.

A new kennel application must be approved by Council. All new kennel applications are subject to 250 m circulation to surrounding properties and a Public Meeting with Council for approval. Contact the Clerk for more information on this process.

Any kennel licence application must be accompanied by a detailed site plan and fee. Please view the Fees and Charges Schedule page for the current Kennel Licence fee.

Please contact the Clerk's Department for more information.

Wildlife Rescue and Wildlife Rehabilitators

In Ontario, Wildlife Rehabilitators are authorized by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry to provide temporary care to sick, injured and abandoned wildlife until they can be returned to the wild. Rehabilitators provide a significant amount of time and resources to do this work. Every effort is made by Wildlife Rehabilitators to ensure wildlife in their care do not become tame.

Contact a Wildlife Rehabilitator in your area.

Ontario Wildlife Rescue has two goals:

Connect people who have found injured or orphaned wild animals with those who can look after them and get them back into the wild
Help raise money for wildlife rescue centres across Ontario

Rabies

Follow these procedures if rabies is suspected:

Contact the Kitchener Waterloo Humane Society to trap and/or remove small wildlife (ex. skunks, raccoons, foxes) that exhibit rabies
Report any abnormally-behaving wildlife to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry at 1-888-574-6656 and contact the Region of Waterloo Public Health at 519-575-4400
Report all wild animal or domestic animal bite/scratches to the Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs at 1-877-424-1300
If a person comes into direct contact with a rabid or potentially rabid animal (domestic or wildlife), immediately call the Region of Waterloo Public Health at 519-575-4400 to report and seek direction
Domestic animals should be kept on a leash or monitored by their owners to minimize risk of exposure to wildlife. The most important thing you can do to protect your pet is to have it vaccinated. All pets over the age of three months must be immunized against rabies. It's the law and failure to vaccinate your pet can result in a fine of $110 per day.
It is recommended that those working in high risk occupations for animal exposure (e.g. veterinarians, animal control offices, etc.) receive a rabies pre-exposure vaccine
To protect yourself from rabies:

have your pet immunized against rabies
don't approach or touch unfamiliar animals, even if they seem friendly
don't touch sick or injured animals
do not feed wild or stray animals

For additional information on rabies, contact a Public Health Inspector at the Region of Waterloo Public Health at 519-575-4400 (TTY 519-575-4608).