'Pandemic pet phenomenon' one explanation for surge in Edmonton dog attacks

The rise in pets purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic correlates with a dramatic annual increase in the number of dog attacks in the city, say local pet experts.

In a media release Friday, the City of Edmonton said it received 596 dog attack complaints between January and July, an increase of 18 per cent compared to last year, when it collected 507 such complaints. In 2021, the city fielded 359 of them.

John Wilson, the director of the city's Animal Care and Control Centre, says the marked jump in the number of reported dog attacks can likely be linked to what he calls a global "pandemic pets phenomenon."

"We've seen the number of pets surrendered (rise), we've seen more stray pets as a result with the pandemic pets phenomenon, but we've also seen a lot of animals that haven't been socialized appropriately or haven't been trained, a lot of new owners that may be inexperienced in caring for their animals," Wilson told CTV News Edmonton on Monday. "All of these things have contributed to a situation where we're seeing a rise in attacks. It's not completely surprising to us now."

Melissa Lulashnyk, owner of Nurtured Canine dog training, said she believes some new dog owners in recent times haven't spent enough time training their pets, leading to more attacks.

"Usually, I look for like eight out of 10 at least recall commands -- being able to come back when they're called like eight out of 10 times -- before I'm like, 'OK, I'll let you totally off the leash,'" the St. Albert-based Lulashnyk said, referencing on-leash work and the importance of obedience.

"It's quite a few months of work. I think people jump the gun too quickly to go to dog parks. Then there are dogs that are overtired, and they get into fights, and then that's kind of how it spirals."

The city, in its release, noted a case in which a provincial court judge fined a dog owner the maximum $10,000 because of multiple attacks for which his animal was responsible.

Charges against the owner had been laid under the city’s animal licensing and control bylaw, which is being renewed and for which the city is staging a virtual public event on Nov. 2, after repeated complaints and attacks, said the release.

Wilson said the city is looking to modernize the bylaw, which is more than 20 years old, to reflect what people want and need from companion animals.

"When we look to some of the changes in the legal landscape, there is a growing recognition in the sentience of animals, as reflected in changes to the Criminal Code of Canada, to things such as provincial legislation that now allows pets to be on patios or restaurants," Wilson said. "We're also seeing a change in that our people in Edmonton would like to see more opportunity to take their pets with them when they go places."

Not only has the use of pets changed over time, the animals have evolved, too, said Lulashnyk.

"I just find that dogs' behaviours and genetics are changing over the last like 20 years," she said. "I find that the dogs are a bit different now, and I think that different behaviours come up that weren't existing 10 years ago."

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Miriam Valdes-Carletti