Montreal's animal inspectors dole out 900 tickets in 2 months

Two months after being put into service, Montreal's new animal control inspectors have issued more ticketsthan have previously been doled out inan entire year.

Laws requiring dogs to be on a leash and have a permit have been on the books for years, but they've rarely been enforced.

But since the city added more inspectors in July, they've issued 900 tickets.

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The minimum fine for a dog caught off leash is $100. Owners of dogs without proper tags are fined $250.

The city estimates there are about 144,000 dogs in Montreal, but only about 14 per cent of them are registered so it ramped up efforts to inform pet owners about the existing rules.

At a meeting at city hallWednesday afternoon, some borough officials were asking where the money from fineswould go, worried they would be losing out on the significant windfall the city is expecting.

City bureaucrats explained that the revenue from fines will be divided up among the boroughs.

All this comes as council prepares to vote on even stricter rules governing dangerous dogs next week.

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