After repealing the previous administration's breed specific dog legislation/animal control bylaw, city officials are now focusing on responsible dog ownership and teaching vulnerable citizens how to safely interact with our four legged friends.
On Monday, about 20 children in the Sud-Ouest borough took part in a new initiative being offered through to a partnership between the city and Zootherapy Quebec.
Animal experts show children the proper way to approach and interact with a dog in order to reduce the chances of being bitten.
"They need to respect his personal space. The dog will show signs, like hiding his tail, putting his ears back," Regine Hetu, clinical coordinator of Zootherapy Quebec told CTV Montreal. "[We want to] help children recognize the body language of dogs."
Before Hetu began the course the children were asked if they had ever been nipped by a dog, about 25 per cent of the kids raised their hand.
The class then instructed the children that if they want to pet a dog, before anything else they need to ask the owner if it is ok. If the answer is yes, they then put their hand out so the dog can smell it, to become more familiar with them, before they can touch the animal.
"We say that all dogs can bite. All dogs, they have teeth, so what we teach is how to protect ourselves in case we are in front of a dog that can look dangerous or suspicious of biting," said Hetu.
With the assistance of Albert, a Dutch sheepdog, the children were taught that if they ever come face to face with a potentially dangerous dog to stay still, and should it attack to drop to the ground and protect their neck.
City spokesperson Philippe Sabourin said there are rules in place to make sure dog owners are responsible, but to make sure everyone is safe all citizens must do their part.
"We will make many efforts to make sure citizens get the information on how to behave with dogs, especially owners - they have responsibility. They should keep the dog on leash. We will reinforce and apply our bylaw," Sabourin said. "We know it's not everyone who is going to follow, so we also have to address the information to the kids in order to help them to protect themselves, if they ever meet an aggressive dog."
Dog owners caught violating current animal control bylaws can be fined up to $700.
About 3,000 kids are expected to take part in the program, which is touring summer day camps, with hopes of expanding the class next year.