Bylaw officers return to conducting checks for animal licences across London, Ont.

Long-time visitors to the Greenway Off Leash Dog Park are accustomed to seeing bylaw officers in the area.

"In uniform, usually,” said dog owner Bill Gosnell. “In a golf cart. Keeping an eye on things."

Bylaw officers with the London Animal Care Centre also visit residences where they believe there may be an unlicenced pet. Those visits may occur because they have a record of a pet living there, or because someone has given them information that there's a pet inside the residence.

The London Animal Care Centre (LACC) is a private operation contracted by the City of London to help monitor and manage animal populations. Director of Operations Kent Lattanzio said annual licencing fees support that effort.

Dog licences range from $27 to $57, with some exemptions and incentives. Lattanzio said the licence supports the centre’s operations.

“It’s great cost recovery for the animal welfare programs and services that are here in our community,” he said. “We have a very robust program.”

Lattanznio added that the licence also eases the effort to reunite pets who get lost with their owner.

"Our hope is to not really get involved in picking an animal up and impounding it into the shelter,” he said. “We try to get the pet owner together and they can get their pet back that way."

The London Animal Care Centre, located at 121 Pine Valley Dr. in London, Ont. (Gerry Dewan/CTV News London)

Gosnell meanwhile said most people are understanding of the job bylaw officers have to do, but not always.

"I've seem some unfortunate moments too when people act adversely to being queried about their dog licencing situation,” he said.

Esther Dixon visits the Stoney Creek Dog Park with her dog Angelina, and fully supports licencing. Whether it be for times when pet needs to be returned to its home, or identifying a dog involved in a biting incident, Dixon said the goal is to ensure there are no issues, like a possible rabies infection.

"You should have you dog tagged so that everybody knows that you have as much information as you can,” she said.

In online discussions, some people have expressed surprise that they’re being approached by officers about their pet’s licence.

Lattanzio said heightened awareness about the bylaw officers may be because there was a reduced presence during the COVID-19 pandemic, including fewer home visits. He said what people are seeing now is simply officers doing what they were doing pre-pandemic.

“It raises questions from pet owners and we're there to educate them with respect to the bylaw,” he explained.

Lattanzio said officers want to give owners every opportunity to get the licence for their pet, but he said the city has the option issue fines, which start at $100.