The Town of Golden has launched a survey asking residents to provide their input on responsible pet ownership, including on-leash and off-leash areas for dogs and backyard chickens and ducks, to help inform a new Responsible Pet and Animal Control Bylaw for Golden. The survey is available online at www.surveymonkey.com/r/TOGPetSurvey from now until 4 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 1, 2023.
“We want to hear from residents before we start the bylaw drafting process,” said Carrie White, Manager of Corporate Services. “That way we can incorporate the feedback early on to help shape the updated bylaw to reflect the needs of our community.”
The Town is committed to working with residents to make sure pets, their owners and neighbours are safe and can enjoy Golden and all it has to offer.
In addition to collecting feedback from the public, Town staff will look at research and examples from similar communities, and seek advice from legal experts, leaders in municipal animal control and the BC SPCA to develop an updated bylaw that is evidence-based and balanced. Topics that the Town plans to address within an updated bylaw include:
- Pets in parks.
- On-and-off-leash areas.
- Backyard hens/ducks.
- Updates to align with BC SPCA best practices.
- Revised definitions and procedures to effectively address designation and incidents with aggressive dogs.
The updated bylaw will also include an updated on-and-off-leash dog map for the community.
To learn more and take the survey, visit www.golden.ca/pets.
Following the online survey, residents will be able to provide additional feedback throughout the bylaw process. Stay tuned for more information once a draft bylaw has been prepared and presented to Council in early 2024.