Yarmouth town councillor sends out mass email responding to draft dog bylaw

I got one of the mass emails sent out today by Esther Dares - Councillor in the town of Yarmouth.

I know it was a mass email because I noticed the exact same text posted on a couple people's status updates on Facebook.

I can appreciate that all the town Councillors were inundated with correspondence from every caring and responsible dog owner in Nova Scotia and across Canada - so I never expected a personal response - and was happy to get any kind of answer back - but I am horrified and actually terrified by the response that I did get from her, which I'll explain below.

Here is the email she sent back to me -

Hi Joan

This is a model bylaw from the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities.

It is merely a discussion paper. There is so much in here that I cannot support (I have 3 Golden Retrievers) and it will change dramatically before I can ever support even the first reading. (By law, we are required 2 readings to approve a bylaw change) Our council did not approve this. It is just a draft that we put on the table from our union to get people talking.
We will have a public meeting May 9 to receive public input. We did not approve it because it simply is not acceptable in its present state.

Thank you for taking the time to write.

Esther Dares

So, what it is about that letter that scares me the most?

The line where Ms Dares says

"This is a model bylaw from the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities"

What that is saying that - the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities want there to be province wide -

- BSL
- 2 dog limit
- ability to shoot dogs on sight
- no provisions for breeders (like I had in my proposed bylaw)
- onerous requirements for owners of fierce and dangerous breeds like
- the $500,000 liability insurance
- signage on your house
- enclosed area for your dog when it's outside and on your property

This is what the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities would like PROVINCE WIDE according to Esther Dares when she says that the proposed dog bylaw for Yarmouth is a "model bylaw" from Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities - and I don't know about you - but this scares me more than just about anything I've ever read in my life since I've become a dog owner.

What is happening in Yarmouth is a test case I think as far as the Union on Nova Scotia Municipalities is concerned is what I believe - if this bylaw passes there - it will be a go-ahead for that organization to move forward with their "model bylaw" for the rest of the province in every other municipality - so if it passes in Yarmouth - kiss your chosen breed of dog good-bye - and that breed doesn't even have to be a bully breed - because today it's a pit bull type dog or a rottweiller - and tomorrow it's a german shepherd and a bernese mountain dog.

The fight has begun - where it will end - no one knows.