Legislation to Protect Guide Dogs and Other Service Animals Takes Effect Today

Legislation the first of its kind in Canada

Legislation that protects guide dogs and other service animals such as search-and-rescue dogs comes into effect today after receiving royal assent at the close of the legislative session today, said Sharon Blady, the MLA for Kirkfield Park. The legislation, the first of its kind in Canada, makes it an offence to interfere with service animals or to allow other animals to do so without consent.

Blady said the need for such legislation came to light in 2005 when a guide dog belonging to a woman with a vision impairment was attacked by another dog in Winnipeg. As a result, the traumatized guide dog could no longer perform his duties, and the owner had to take the dog to New York for costly retraining.

Existing animal protection laws, including the Criminal Code, provide penalties for injuring or killing animals, but say nothing about interfering with the ability of service animals to do the work for which they were trained. The new legislation fills this gap, raising the profile of service animals by giving them a different status than family pets or wild animals. It provides for fines of up to $5,000 for a first offence, and allows judges to order the offender to pay compensation to the owner.

"Now the real, educational work begins,” said Blady. “My hope in introducing this law is that the public will become more aware that interfering with a service animal without the owner’s consent can compromise its ability to perform its duties."

"People, however well intentioned, often find it hard to resist the temptation to pet or talk to my guide dog without asking me first,” said Vic Pereira, who is living with vision loss. “This can distract her from the work she has been trained to perform, drawing her away from what she is supposed to do, leaving us both vulnerable to all sorts of risks. I depend on my dog to guide me everywhere safely."

The law has been endorsed by a number of organizations of and for people with disabilities, individuals with vision impairments, and law enforcement and fire/paramedic agencies. “There’s been a real need for this type of legislation to protect service animals,” said David Bessason, head of the Winnipeg Police Service’s Canine Unit. "I commend the legislature for recognizing the importance of these animals and their work."