Service dog owner gets 'grilling' from city

Another Thunder Bay resident isexpressing concern about the kinds of questions asked by city staffwhen a dog complaint is filed.

Tessa Soderberg said her service dog was aggressively approached by another dog that was tied off in a front yard by a leash long enough to let the dog cross the sidewalk.

WhenSoderberg phoned Animal Services, she said staff started questioning her about her own pet.

"I was the one getting the grilling," she said.

"They wanted to know if my dog was licenced [and if] my dog [was] neutered or spayed [and if] my dog [was] on a leash. My dog is not the offender."

'Really insulting'

The supervisor of animal services for the city of Thunder Bay said it's not standard practice for staff to ask so many questions about a complainant's dog.

"If there was information required that wasn't necessary, that particular person could contact me directly and we could discuss those issues and I would certainly look into it," Jody Kondrat said

Soderberg said she answered the city's questions anyway so staff would receive her complaint.

"I just found that ... really insulting," she continued. "It seemed like they were more concerned about my compliance rather than the animal that was being the problem."

Soderberg said she doesn't know if the city followed up on her complaint and she hasnt been contacted since. She said she has seen the aggressive dog again and noted it was no longer able to get to the sidewalk while tied to its leash.