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Prince Rupert family told their dog has to go

The City of Prince Rupert has torn a local family apart.
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Lily sits ready to play at Doug Kerr Field.

The City of Prince Rupert has torn a local family apart.

Dog owners Katherine and Ray Spong say Prince Rupert is a "pet-unfriendly town" after being forced to give up one of their four dogs after being denied the necessary permit from City Hall to keep the dog at home.

The City of Prince Rupert's dog control bylaw states "the number of dogs is limited to a maximum of three within any household". Anyone exceeding the maximum can apply for a kennel licence, provided their household is permitted to do so within the municipal zoning bylaw and Official Community Plan bylaw, and complies with any other municipal bylaw as required.

At the end of September, following a complaint, Prince Rupert’s city bylaw officer contacted the Spongs saying the city was going to levy fines or impound one of the dogs.

The couple was willing to pay for a kennel licence to keep all their dogs at home, but were denied that request.

Katherine said she believes the four dog maximum should be considered case-by-case, and believes the person that complained did so maliciously.

“The city has a duty to the citizens of course, but the bylaw is to protect the helpless too. However, when a complaint is malicious, the city must do its due diligence, use local resources to verify the situation and then work with the people involved ... maybe they just love dogs and have made the sacrifice to give a needy dog a new life in a loving home,” she said.

Katherine said her and her husband have the resources and knowledge to manage a four-member pack, and have no intentions of getting more pets.

The couple has been violating the bylaw since September 2011 when they took in a Karelian Bear Dog they named Lily. The Spongs found Lily abandoned in a remote location when she was five or six months old.

After consideration, the couple decided Lily was the most self-reliant of their pets.

“We moved Lily out of town immediately. All of our dogs area adopted and most are special needs. Lily is the dog we felt could handle the separation,” Katherine said.

“The City of Prince Rupert has ripped our family apart.”

Katherine said people who take on a dog or multiple dogs are usually caring and compassionate, with the exception of backyard breeders and puppy mills.

The couple said they have the resources and experience to manage four dog. Katherine said none of the Spongs’ dogs are vicious, and they have never ran at-large in the city or caused any trouble.

“They are happy, friendly, well-cared for, well-exercised and much loved house dogs,” she said.

“We don’t have kids so the pack is our family. Not everyone can do this, nor do they have the desire to. That’s okay too, but the point is it is work and you must be committed.”

Ray met with Prince Rupert Mayor Jack Mussallem last week, and said he was sympathetic toward the situation, but said there is nothing the Spongs can do. The couple is planning to live separately and continue their efforts to get their family all under one roof.

Katherine said the couple will be petitioning council to amend the current kennel licence policy.

The City of Prince Rupert’s Department of By-Law Enforcement did not immediately respond to requests for comment by the Northern View.