BURSTDealing with one dangerous dog took an $80,000 bite out of a Columbia Shuswap Regional District budget.
Chris Smit, CSRD’s senior bylaw enforcement officer, presented a report on the outcome of a court decision on Luna, a dog that after several incidents, was designated a dangerous dog and subsequently euthanized.
The first such case for the regional district, Luna was declared a dangerous dog because she had seriously injured people and was likely to do so again. Smit said it is important to note that “dangerous dog” is a specific designation established through the community charter and should not be confused with terms such as aggressive or vicious dog, which may be defined separately through local government bylaws.
Unlike many bylaw enforcement matters, the dangerous dog designation cannot be resolved solely through administrative action, he said.
“The only to mechanism available to seek the destruction of a dangerous dog is to make an application to court,” he said, noting that after dog control services in Area D expanded in 2022, complaints at the Salmon River Road property on the Silver Creek community trail continued to escalate despite education, warnings and enforcement directed at Luna’s owners.
Following a serious incident in 2024, Luna was seized on Oct. 10 and the CSRD filed a court application one week later.
Smit said the property posed a public safety risk with the need for a prompt and legally defendable response.
“Staff also documented inadequate containment surrounding the property,” he said of the dilapidated sagging fence that could not reliably contain several medium to large dogs. Two cyclists suffered serious injuries on June 19 and Oct. 3, and a pedestrian was bitten on June 21. “Together these incidents demonstrated escalating behaviour and supported the court application.”
Smit noted that community impact and public concern was substantial, with more than 70 residents attending a town hall meeting after the October attack where many expressed frustration with the process and described unreported encounters.
“This highlighted the importance of timely complaint reporting to support effective enforcement and public safety measures,” he said. “Staff cannot rely on incidents that have not been reported and investigated.”
Smit explained that the greater investigative challenge was in identifying Luna among four similar looking dogs in order to to make sure staff secured the right animal and had strong evidence to present in court.
“Staff resisted pressure to act before the evidence was sufficient, using witness interviews and photographs to ultimately identify Luna,” Smit said. “That diligence protected public safety and the integrity of the case.”
Smit described the extremely complex issues staff faced in coordinating with the RCMP, conducting interviews, receiving evidence from multiple sources, site inspections, legal advice and court preparation. The case involved seven incidents, which were dealt with at the same time, he said, with insufficient staff resources and intense public scrutiny.
Due to a lack of suitable local facilities, Luna was transferred to Revelstoke for ongoing care and monitoring for 450 days at an average cost of about $76 per day. Following a court order, she was humanely euthanized on Jan. 2, 2026 – 14 months after CSRD filed the dangerous dog application with the court.
In his decision, BC Judge George Leven placed his judgment directly on the shoulders of Luna’s owners.
“The responsibility for the decision I make today is, first and foremost, with Luna’s owners who have had ample time to reflect the proper attitude and make sure that she is safely kept, and that the community is safe,” he wrote. “This has simply not happened.”
Total expenses associated with Luna were just under $80,000 and included: extended impoundment for more than one year, ongoing specialized care associated with managing a dangerous dog, legal fees and animal behaviour consultant services, costs associated with prolonged court process delays and veterinary services. Approximately 400 hours of staff time are not included.
Smit said that key takeaways from the experience are that the process is lengthy, complex, expensive and resource-intensive, with costs increasing due to court delays.
“The experience will inform future policy and service delivery decisions,” he said.
Sicamous Mayor Colleen Anderson issued a reminder to all CSRD residents to take care of their pets, make sure they are properly contained and prevent them from interfering with people. Chair Natalya Melnychuk said the experience also points to the limits of what the CSRD is able to do as well as the time and costs involved.
Area E director Rhona Martin thanked Smit for staff’s management of the experience and took issue with the dangerous dog designation, which has only two options – euthanasia or release without conditions. She suggested perhaps there could be other possible options.
Electoral Area C director Marty Gibbons expressed concern that currently only Areas C, G and F have dog control bylaws and suggested serious discussions should be brought up once the new board is elected.
Both Melnychuk and Gibbons agreed it is important the residents of other electoral areas are aware that they are without dog control.
Area F director Jay Simpson suggested that in the absence of dog control bylaws, the RCMP would have to step up. But Smit said that in his experience, it is not a police mandate and they look at it as a local government issue. He added that RCMP does not have adequate or resources or training needed to deal with dangerous dogs.