A pair of Ottawa dog owners are facing a long list of criminal and bylaw charges after a series of biting incidents over the last year that resulted in the animals being seized from their Vanier property. According to Ottawa Bylaw and Regulatory Services, the city received six service requests reporting dog bites at a property on Deschamps Avenue since May. On Sunday, bylaw and police officers executed a search warrant at their property and seized the dogs. The animals have since been transferred to the municipal animal shelter and the city is seeking a destruction order to have the animals put down. The Ottawa Police Service says each owner was charged with two counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm, two counts of unlawfully causing bodily harm and two counts of assault with a weapon. The identity of the owners was not released. According to an email from Ottawa Bylaw and Regulatory Services chief Jake Gravelle, the city found two of the service requests relating to the dogs were duplicates, one was unsubstantiated and another resulted in a charge of a dog being at large. The city says the first incident involving a dog bite was reported on June 19. While the incident could not be substantiated, the owners were still charged for permitting a dog to run at large and for failing to register a dog. Each charge resulted in a $365 fine. Another dog bite was reported on Oct. 2. A muzzle order and a charge for permitting a dog to bite was issued, resulting in a fine of $880. Another incident was reported on Oct. 13. The city says the owners were issued a court order for two additional charges of failing to ensure a dog does not bite or attack a person or domestic animal, two charges of failing to keep a dog on leash and under control, and a charge for keeping more than three dogs over twenty weeks of age in a dwelling. The city says if a dog has been found to have bitten a person or domestic animal, a fine and a muzzle order is issued. If the owner does not comply, escalated enforcement may include more charges, a court order or euthanasia. “There are numerous considerations in the decision to pursue a destruction order with the Court. Among the considerations are repeat offences and the severity of the bite/attack,” Gravelle said. According to police, the individuals were held for a bail hearing and have since been released.
