Dog bites are becoming an issue in the Rideau-Vanier ward of Ottawa according to the City of Ottawa’s 311 database.

There have been 69 reported 311 calls for dog bites within the Rideau-Vanier ward, which covers most of the ByWard Market and the western part of Vanier. This is the highest total for any ward within the city, edging out Alta Vista who sits in second with 63 calls.

Any owner of a dog who has bitten or attacked someone could face charges under Ottawa By-Law.

That is the situation that Scott Wilson, who had recently moved to Ottawa, found himself in when his Labrador Retriever bit a person who was walking by his Cathcart Street home just north of the ByWard Market.. According to Wilson, a man had approached and greeted his dog who was chained up in his front yard before getting bitten on accident.

“She’s a playful dog and loves attention. I think she just got too excited and accidentally bit down on his hand,” said Wilson.

The bite cut open the man’s hand and as Wilson described “needed nothing more than a Band-Aid.” Unfortunately, it went further than that and Wilson was eventually disciplined for the incident.

To avoid a possible court date, Wilson and the city came to an initial agreement that forced him to use a muzzle on his dog whenever he took it out in public but later the charge was dropped.

“It was overkill, and quite frankly it was embarrassing. He’s a gentle dog and there really was no need for it,” said Wilson on having to use a muzzle.

Wilson’s case was just another statistic added to the alarming amount of 311 calls across the city. Since 2016, there have been 898 calls about dog bites and 369 of those calls have been made in 2017 to this point.

The least number of calls concerning dog bites were Osgoode with 20 and Stittsville with 16. The two wards combined makes up just 52 per cent of the total number of calls that have been reported in the past two years.

Wilson says he can see why the Rideau-Vanier ward has a problem with frequent dog bites. He explained how often he sees dogs unattended on the porches of homes with no leash to contain them at all.

“Add in a high volume area where people often walk instead of drive and you have a problem on your hands,” said Wilson

In terms of discipline, Wilson was let off easy as the city’s by-laws get much stricter based on the severity of the bite.

According to the Ontario Dog Owner’s Liability Act if a dog were to attack a person the owner may have to pay a fine to help their recovery from any injuries. Other resolutions may involve posting signs warning of a vicious dog or even building a fence around the property to contain the dog.

Ottawa’s Animal Care and Control By-Law states that in cases of serious attacks or bites, a dog may be seized and “destroyed” or in other words put down.