London is considering giving its pet licensing by-law more teeth, with greater consequences for the owners of dogs declared “dangerous”. Next week, the Community and Protective Services (CAPS) Committee will consider a staff report that proposes modernizing the Dog Licensing and Control Bylaw by strengthening city hall’s response to dogs that pose a risk to public safety. “Butch would want me to give a voice to all of the dogs that were taken and all of the people that were hurt,” said Debbie Morris, whose 13-year-old Chihuahua named Butch was killed during an unprovoked attack by her neighbour’s dog in April, 2025. “I didn’t have time to react. My neighbour’s dog picked him up and killed him instantly,” Morris recalls, fighting back tears. “It was really tough. I had a lot of nightmares and PTSD for a long time trying to figure out what I could have done differently.” Morris launched an online petition calling for city hall to strengthen its response to dangerous dogs. Responding to a subsequent direction from city council last summer, city staff are proposing several enhancements to the current bylaw and enforcement protocol. The changes would include defining what constitutes “dangerous acts” and “dangerous dogs”. Based on the severity and frequency of incidents, a graduated response would begin with a written warning for an initial (non-severe) act. Subsequent dangerous acts, or a severe first act, would result in a Dangerous Dog Order to Comply. The staff report recommends, “An Order to Comply would impose lifetime requirements, including a city-supplied warning sign, muzzling, leash restraint, a dangerous dog tag, microchipping and behavioural training. A public registry would identify the dog’s location using only the first three characters of the owner’s postal code.” Not obeying the order would result in a fine. Exemptions would apply if it’s determined that a dog acted in self defence. “My concern is primarily responsible dog ownership because there’s been an influx of the number of dogs people are buying in the last six years,” Morris explains. She says bringing London’s policies in line with some other Ontario municipalities like Waterloo, would be a fitting tribute to Butch. “It started as a personal journey for me, and then I noticed there were others speaking up,” she said. “As soon as I brought it up, there were other people speaking up saying their dog was killed by a dog, or they were attacked.” The CAPS Committee will consider the proposed changes to the bylaw on Tuesday. If endorsed by council, a subsequent report detailing implementation, resourcing, and cost will be completed in spring 2027.
