According to an analysis of Ottawa’s 311 service, the city received 485 reports for dog bites in 2021 up until the end of September. That is 50 more reports than the same period in 2020 and the highest count in at least six years when Open Ottawa data started specifying dog bite calls, according to the analysis.

Dog trainers and the city’s bylaw director say the reason for the increase is more adopted puppies during the COVID-19 pandemic and the quick transition from isolation to socialization.

“I think there’s a lot of very young dogs around that haven’t necessarily been provided exposure to normal non-COVID life,” says Heather Laundry, owner of Carolark in Stittsville.

Urban and suburban wards saw some of the highest counts and increases in dog bites from 2020. Rideau-Vanier and Rideau-Rockliffe wards had the most reports while Barrhaven and Somerset wards had the largest increases.

“When you’re walking down an urban sidewalk, everything coming in the opposite direction is headed right at you,” says Laundry. “It’s louder, there’s more traffic, (and) everything is closer together.”

In some cases, residents report an incident multiple times, which means each complaint does not represent an individual dog, according to Roger Chapman, director of bylaw and regulatory services for the City of Ottawa.

Pet behaviour expert Ingrid Van Overbeke says she mostly sees fear-based aggression from dogs in most cases.

“The dog bites because they have very high stress levels, and they have the feeling they need to go to the bite because that’s the only thing that’s helping them,” she says.

It’s been busier as a result for Van Overbeke and her one-person company, Pet Counsellor. Most of her appointments are for behavioural training.

“Once there is a bite, people panic a little bit,” Van Overbeke says. “Then they think, ‘Oh we really need help to work on this issue.’”

Van Overbeke says she’s seen more people adopting puppies and rescue dogs as a companion during the COVID-19 pandemic. So has Laundry who says she’s mostly busy running puppy training programs.

Dogs lacked those simpler moments during non-pandemic times where they could explore their curiosity with new people and environments at an easier pace.

“Two years ago, if I was going to the pet store to get pet food and I had time to do it, I would’ve taken a dog with me,” Laundry says. “We would’ve sniffed the store and then picked up our food and gone home.”

Ottawa bylaw investigates reports of dog bites to determine the severity, says Chapman. The usual scenario is to fine the owner and order the dog to wear a muzzle and leash when outside of the residence, he says.

In cases with more severe bites or repeat offences, bylaw officers may apply to the Ontario Court of Justice for the dog to be euthanized.

“The apparent increase in requests for service relating to dog bites could be attributed to increased pet adoption rates during the COVID pandemic,” Chapman said in an email, agreeing with the dog trainers.

The trainers say it’s important for owners to understand their dog’s body language and realize when they are uncomfortable in a social situation. There are many minor signs of discomfort that dog trainers recognize, including tension in the face, panting, and a tail wagging high and quickly.

“I see that a lot of dog owners don’t recognize these stress signals and then the dog escalates, goes higher and higher in stress level, and then at a certain point, you get that bite,” says Van Overbeke.

The list, officially known as the Ontario Public Sector Salary Disclosure, features public sector staff who earned at least $100,000 in annual salary. The Ottawa Catholic School Board saw 468 teachers on the list, more than a 25 per cent jump compared to the previous year.

The total number represents department heads, program co-ordinators, consultant teachers, and teachers with no other designation. The latter group had 300 representatives on the Sunshine List – an almost 50 per cent rise from 208 teachers in 2019.

A rise in teachers surpassing $100,000 salary is expected, says Lisa Schimmens, the superintendent of finance and administration at the board. Teachers receive yearly raises based on inflation, experience and qualifications.

Their base salary depends on where they fall in a pay grid. Teachers are placed into five different certifications – all depending on their post-secondary education and any additional courses taken. The higher the certification, the higher the salary.

Teachers earn an annual raise from their first year to their twelfth as they step up the pay grid. They stay in their spot after that unless they either earn a higher certification or get promoted to a higher teaching position. Teachers are guaranteed a spot on the Sunshine List once they reach the highest level of qualification and experience, according to a pay grid for the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association. The grid is for a different school board but the salaries are similar to those for Ottawa Catholic board teachers.

About two-thirds of teachers in the board have more than 11 years of experience, according to Michele Pierce, president of Ottawa Catholic Teachers.

Ontario’s Ministry of Education also adds a small increase every year to account for inflation. Services worth $100,000 when the Sunshine List launched in 1996 amount to $160,224 in 2021, according to the Bank of Canada’s inflation calculator.

Schimmens says the province should raise the benchmark salary of the list to match inflation as well.

“If they don’t change the base, likely more teachers will grow onto that list just if they’re getting pay increases,” says Schimmens, who’s worked at school boards for 26 years and remembers the launch of the Sunshine List.

“It should be looked at and adjusted,” Schimmens says. “While this is a tool for accountability and transparency, now it’s become so voluminous that you kind of lose the intent of the list.

“Many years ago when it originally began, it identified those larger earners on the list because at the time, more than $100,000 was a larger earner,” she says.

Even more teachers could have seen sunshine if not for four strike days in 2020, Schimmens says. Teachers lost about $1,000 on average to the strike, she says.

“That would actually drop some people off the list that were very close to that $100,000 mark,” she says.

Elementary and high-school teachers share the same salary grid under Ottawa Catholic Teachers. The public Ottawa-Carleton District School Board has two different grids because it must reach agreements with the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario and the Ontario Secondary Schools Teachers Federation.

Schimmens suggests elementary teachers make up the majority of those at the catholic board on the Sunshine List.

“You have proportionately way more elementary teachers than you do secondary,” she says, referring to the 10 grades in elementary school and four in high school.

Current student enrolment rates also play a role as future Sunshine Lists are released. Enrolment increases consistently every year, according to the board’s most recent budget. The board hires more teachers to keep up, says Schimmens.

“Because we’re growing, that list is going to grow naturally as well,” she says.