City to explore tougher ban on dogs in truck beds

REGINA – The city of Regina could soon beef up its rules for enforcing how dogs are transported in the beds of pickup trucks.

Under the city’s animal control bylaw, a ticket can be delivered for ‘failure to control an animal’.

But Ward 8 councillor Mike O’Donnell would like to see restrictions similar to a new bylaw in Saskatoon, where drivers caught transporting unrestrained animals can be hit with a $100 fine for the first offence and $200 for a second.

Groups like the SPCA and Canadian Veterinary Medical Association consider it animal cruelty to have your dog loose in the truck bed while moving, O’Donnell said.

He believes the dangers go beyond what an animal could face during a collision.

“Dust coming into their eyes, they can get all sorts of infections,” O’Donnell said. “And they’re not conscious of where they are if they see another dog, they want to go after it.”

Enforcement of the current animal control bylaw is difficult, according to a Regina Humane Society spokesperson.

City staff have been asked to come back with recommendations in early 2015.