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The Citizen, 2015-02-26, Page 9THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2015. PAGE 9. Bob Trick, animal control officer, credits Morris-Turnberry’s new animal control bylaw, controversially passed in 2013, with eliminating the need for him to bring charges against any pet owners last year. In making his annual report to council at its Feb. 17 meeting, Trick said he received 57 complaints in 2014, down from 70 the previous year. Because of the stiff fines in the new bylaw, people are more willing to work out problems instead of getting a ticket. “I’m not a ticket person,” he said. “When I explain the fines to people they co-operate.” During the year he caught 17 dogs running loose, Trick said. More unusually he had to deal with chickens and turkeys running at large in an urban area that eventually found their way home. One horse was found running loose and was held for eight days before the owner came to claim it. While this story ended happily, there is a problem with the pound act that allows the municipality to sell an unclaimed horse to recover its expenses, he said. Livestock going through a registered auction sale must have a guarantee it hasn’t received medication in the previous 30 days, but the animal hasn’t been in the municipality’s possession for that long. In another municipality he was able to get around this through a private sale after advertising the horse on the municipality’s website. Several offers were received, he said. Two new kennels were set up in the municipality in 2014 and already there is a new state-of-the-art breeding kennel opened in 2015. “I was impressed with it,” Trick said. “We had a few discussions before he built it.” Originally the owner was concerned about the standards expected but in the end, he exceeded those standards by 30 per cent. While things were quieter on the domestic animal front in 2014, wildlife continues to be a problem. Trick dealt with 18 sick raccoons between May and September. Some of these were infected with roundworms that can easily infect humans if they come into close contact. Often ill raccoons are very tame and will walk right up to humans. If you find a dead raccoon be careful about touching it, he advised, because you can get a round wormegg under your fingernail which can end up infecting you. Previously he sent the bodies of sick raccoons to the provincial government lab, but the lab stopped doing that work in 2014. However, part way through the year the University of Guelph took up the job. An unusual call in 2014 was from someone who encountered a King snake, a species more regularly seen in the Kitchener-Waterloo area, Trick said. It’s native to Ontario and a protected species that can’t be destroyed. More seriously, in the municipalities that Trick serves, he had 10 cases of large cat attacks in 2014. In some cases horses have been attacked and you can see the claw marks of a cougar, lynx or bobcat on their backs, he said. Trick said he wished someone could get photos of the actual cats because when he reports the incidents to the Ministry of Natural Resources, officials are highly skeptical. Bears have also been reported in the area in the last seven or eight years. This situation became more of a concern in 2012 when mother bears with cubs were reported. Councillor John Smuck questioned Trick as to whether monthly patrols of the urban hamlets were really necessary or whether they could be ended to save money. Trick said that people have become familiar with his truck and if they don’t see it they may relax and try to get away with things. In some of the other municipalities he patrols once a week, he said. He said he might try to reduce the expense by working some of these patrols in with other calls. Mayor Paul Gowing thanked Trick for his work and said that there seem to be fewer complaints about animals because of his efforts. Asked by Gowing how long he had been doing animal control work, Trick said 25 years. The biggest change in that time, he said, was “When I started this job dogs and cats were dogs and cats. Now they’re family members.” Animal control bylaw results in no charges says Trick Donation Following a pancake breakfast on Family Day, the Blyth Business Improvement Area was able to donate funds to the North Huron Food Share. Having raised approximately $350, the BIA, after covering its own costs, was able to donate $155 to the food bank. Shown are, from left: Blyth BIA Community Improvement Co-ordinator Ashleigh Scott, BIA Chair Peter Gusso, Chairman of the North Huron Food Share Board of Directors Doug Trentor and North Huron Township Recreation and Marketing Assistant Denise Lockie. (Denny Scott photo) On behalf of Easter Seals Ontario, K2 Wind Power and the North Huron Trail Groomers, we wish to express our thanks to the following sponsors. Together, we are helping kids BE KIDS. 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