All pet owners in Three Rivers now required to register their cats and dogs

The eastern P.E.I. town of Three Rivers has a new bylaw to help control companion animals, replacing bylaws that applied only to certain areas of the amalgamated town.

The bylaw requires all dogs and cats to be registered. Previous bylaws pre-dated amalgamation, applying onlyto Montague, Lower Montague and Georgetown, and not Brudenell, Cardigan, Lorne Valley orValleyfield.

"All we're asking is a one-time fee of $25, which is very reasonable," said town CAO John Jamieson.

"Certainly [it's] not a money maker by any stretch, but it does put some rigour around the bylaw and allows us to understand the population of companion animals that we have."

Kennel operations will also have to be registered, with an annual fee of $25.

The bylaw allows the town to deal with complaints in areas where there were no rules in place previously.It came into force in early July, and Jamieson said it has already been used to deal with a number of complaints.

While there is a schedule of fines attached to the bylaw, it has not yet been necessary to levy any. So far, said Jamieson, bylaw officers have been able to talk through any problems.

In some cases, owners have been told they need to register their pets.

While rules are clearly laid out in the bylaw, Jamieson said in essence the bylaw is meant to simply ensure responsible animal ownership.

The province is currently working on a new Dog Owners Act, but there is no timeline yet for when it might be introduced.

The Three Rivers bylaw can easily be amended if required to meet the specifications of the new Dog Act, said Jamieson.