The City of Victoria says it is following up with Animal Control Services after a video was shared on social media yesterday showing a shocking interaction between a Fernwood resident and animal control officers.
Animal Control Services is a private company, however they provide service for the City of Victoria, Esquimalt and Oak Bay.
“We have heard the community’s concern regarding the interaction between Animal Control and the resident this past week,” said the city in an emailed statement. “The city will be following up with our service provider.”
The video in question was posted by an Instagram user on behalf of an 81-year-old man identified as Colin.
According to the post, Colin was walking his dog, Sydney, at Craigdarroch Castle. Sydney was off leash because Colin did not see any signs saying it was not allowed.
“After meeting Sydney yesterday, I would also like to note that she is a very obedient and friendly dog, with other dogs and humans,” the poster added.
It was then that three animal control officers approached Colin and told him that his dog had to be on a leash at the castle.
The post says that Colin put the dog on its leash and tried to continue on with their walk. The post claims that instead of allowing them to continue, the officers demanded his full name, address and dog license information in order to issue a written warning.
“Colin expressed that he was uncomfortable sharing his personal information with the officers,” the post continues.
Then, the interaction allegedly escalated.
“At this point, the officers followed Colin in their van, while he was on foot, until they arrived outside my home, which is about a fifteen minute walk from the castle. They exited the vehicle, surrounding Colin, and one of them tried to repeatedly pull the leash out of Colin’s hands, stating that he intended to take Sydney to the pound.”
The video shared online does show one of the officers trying to take the leash away from the dog owner.
The officer then tells the person filming that the dog owner is on the phone with the police, and that they’re coming to “sort this out.”
Another officer can be heard off camera explaining the situation to the filmer. He says the “reason this is happening” is because the man had his dog off leash at Craigdarroch Castle, and the dog had no license. The officer also claims that the man spat in his face.
“He’s probably scared he’s going to lose his dog,” the filmer responds.
At one point, the man asks, “why are you doing this?” and the officer responds saying that the dog has no license, and claims the man was being “uncooperative.”
The video ends with the man going to the other side of the street away from the officers to wait for police to arrive.
A VicPD spokesperson confirmed that their officers responded to the incident on Feb. 6 at 3:30 pm on Joan Crescent.
Police said that the report indicated that Animal Control attempted to stop a man after committing a bylaw infraction, but he was not being cooperative so a VicPD officer was called in to assist.
“Our responding officer was able to speak with the man to deescalate the situation and it was resolved without further incident,” the VicPD said.
However, the individual who filmed and posted the video says that Colin gave his information when the police officer arrived, “and Victoria Animal Control went against their word, fining him over $100.”
“I am calling on Victoria Animal Control to drop the fine and take accountability for their actions,” the post reads.
On the animal control website, they claim that “any person found in care and control of a dog is required to identify themselves” as well as provide information about the dog.
The company also says that a dog can be immediately impounded if the dog is not “firmly held on leash,” or is not wearing a current year license tag on its collar. It is also stated that impounded dogs are released upon full payment of impound fees.
