{"title":"Lake Cowichan rules for aggressive and dangerous dogs","question":"What are the rules for aggressive or dangerous dogs in Lake Cowichan?","slug":"dangerous-dogs","place":{"path":"ca/bc/lake-cowichan","name":"Lake Cowichan","region":{"code":"bc","name":"British Columbia"},"country":{"code":"ca","name":"Canada"}},"category":{"slug":"pets-and-wildlife","name":"Pets, animals and wildlife"},"owner":"municipal","owner_label":"Municipal","owner_body":{"name":"Town of Lake Cowichan","url":"https://www.lakecowichan.ca"},"short_answer":"In Lake Cowichan, the Animal Control Officer can classify a dog as a \"vicious dog\" after it attacks or threatens a person or animal. The owner must keep it confined at home and muzzled in public. Failing to do either is a $150 ticket.","aliases":["vicious dog lake cowichan","dangerous dog lake cowichan","dog bite lake cowichan","report aggressive dog lake cowichan"],"cost":"Vicious dog not confined: $150 ticket. Not muzzled: $150 ticket. No separate licence fee found.","how_long":"Not applicable.","where":[{"type":"phone","label":"Town Hall (bylaw and animal control; leave a message)","value":"250-749-6681"},{"type":"email","label":"Bylaw (non-urgent)","value":"bylaw@lakecowichan.ca"}],"documents":[],"forms":[{"title":"Animal Control Bylaw No. 1019-2019 (PDF), Town of Lake Cowichan","url":"https://www.lakecowichan.ca/dl/1019-2019%20Animal%20Control.pdf"},{"title":"Animal Control, Town of Lake Cowichan","url":"https://www.lakecowichan.ca/animal.php"}],"related":[{"slug":"dog-licence","title":"Lake Cowichan dog licences: fees and how to get one","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lake-cowichan/dog-licence/"},{"slug":"dog-leash-rules","title":"Lake Cowichan dog leash rules and off-leash areas","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lake-cowichan/dog-leash-rules/"},{"slug":"how-many-pets","title":"How many dogs or cats you can keep in Lake Cowichan","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lake-cowichan/how-many-pets/"}],"nearby":[{"place":"ca/bc/ladysmith","name":"Ladysmith","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/ladysmith/dangerous-dogs/"},{"place":"ca/bc/duncan","name":"Duncan","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/duncan/dangerous-dogs/"},{"place":"ca/bc/north-cowichan","name":"North Cowichan","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/north-cowichan/dangerous-dogs/"},{"place":"ca/bc/nanaimo","name":"Nanaimo","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/nanaimo/dangerous-dogs/"},{"place":"ca/bc/lantzville","name":"Lantzville","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lantzville/dangerous-dogs/"},{"place":"ca/bc/north-saanich","name":"North Saanich","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/north-saanich/dangerous-dogs/"}],"topic":{"title":"Dangerous dog rules in British Columbia, by municipality","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/dangerous-dogs/"},"facts":{"how_declared":{"label":"How a dog is declared dangerous or aggressive","value":"A 'vicious dog' has attacked, bitten or injured a person, or shown a tendency to; or has bitten, killed or injured a domestic animal; or aggressively pursued or harassed a person or domestic animal. The Animal Control Officer classifies it in their opinion after considering the facts, and tells the owner in writing. Only the Court can find the declaration incorrect.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.lakecowichan.ca/dl/1019-2019%20Animal%20Control.pdf","title":"Animal Control Bylaw No. 1019-2019 (PDF), Town of Lake Cowichan","section":"s. 2.1","quotes":["VICIOUS DOG shall mean","a dog that has attacked, bitten or caused injury to a person or has"]},{"url":"https://www.lakecowichan.ca/dl/1019-2019%20Animal%20Control.pdf","title":"Animal Control Bylaw No. 1019-2019 (PDF), Town of Lake Cowichan","section":"s. 9.1","quotes":["The classification of a dog as a Vicious Dog will be done by the","Animal Control Officer if after careful consideration of the facts, in"]},{"url":"https://www.lakecowichan.ca/dl/1019-2019%20Animal%20Control.pdf","title":"Animal Control Bylaw No. 1019-2019 (PDF), Town of Lake Cowichan","section":"s. 9.2","quotes":["Once a dog has been declared vicious the only way in which this"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"owner_rules":{"label":"Rules for owners","value":"On the owner's premises, keep the dog securely confined indoors or in an enclosed pen that keeps young children out and the dog in. Off the premises (street, public place), the dog must be muzzled.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.lakecowichan.ca/dl/1019-2019%20Animal%20Control.pdf","title":"Animal Control Bylaw No. 1019-2019 (PDF), Town of Lake Cowichan","section":"s. 9.3, s. 9.4","quotes":["securely confined either indoors or in an enclosed pen or other","unless the dog is muzzled to prevent it from biting another animal or human."]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"fee":{"label":"Licence fee","value":null,"status":"none","note":"No separate licence fee for a vicious dog appears in the bylaw's fee schedule.","sources":[{"url":"https://www.lakecowichan.ca/dl/1019-2019%20Animal%20Control.pdf","title":"Animal Control Bylaw No. 1019-2019 (PDF), Town of Lake Cowichan"}]},"report":{"label":"How to report","value":"Call the Town office at 749-6681 and leave a message with your name, phone number and a brief description. Non-urgent issues can be emailed to bylaw@lakecowichan.ca.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.lakecowichan.ca/animal.php","title":"Animal Control, Town of Lake Cowichan","section":"Animal Control page","quotes":["To report an animal control incident or problem, please call the Town office 749-6681","bylaw@lakecowichan.ca"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"fine":{"label":"Fine","value":"$150 for a vicious dog not securely confined; $150 for a vicious dog not securely muzzled.","short":"$150","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.lakecowichan.ca/dl/1019-2019%20Animal%20Control.pdf","title":"Animal Control Bylaw No. 1019-2019 (PDF), Town of Lake Cowichan","section":"Schedule A","quotes":["Vicious dog not securely confined","150.00","Vicious dog not securely muzzled"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"bylaw":{"label":"Bylaw","value":"Town of Lake Cowichan Animal Control Bylaw No. 1019-2019, s. 9 (Vicious Dogs).","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.lakecowichan.ca/dl/1019-2019%20Animal%20Control.pdf","title":"Animal Control Bylaw No. 1019-2019 (PDF), Town of Lake Cowichan","section":"s. 1","quotes":["This bylaw may be cited for all purposes as “Town of Lake Cowichan Animal"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}}},"facts_summary":{"total":6,"stated":5,"matched":5,"none":1,"unknown":0},"body_markdown":"## How it works\n\nThe [Animal Control Bylaw No. 1019-2019](<https://www.lakecowichan.ca/dl/1019-2019%20Animal%20Control.pdf>) (s. 9) calls an aggressive dog a \"vicious dog\". A dog is vicious if it has attacked, bitten or injured a person, or shown a tendency to; has bitten, killed or injured a domestic animal; or has aggressively pursued or harassed a person or domestic animal. The Animal Control Officer decides this, in their opinion, after considering the facts, and tells the owner in writing. Only the Court can find the declaration incorrect.\n\n## Steps\n\n1. To report a dog, call Town Hall at 250-749-6681 and leave your name, phone number and a brief description.\n2. For a non-urgent issue, email bylaw@lakecowichan.ca.\n\n## Good to know\n\n- At home, a vicious dog must be kept securely confined indoors or in an enclosed pen that keeps young children out and the dog in.\n- Off the owner's premises, in a street or public place, it must be muzzled.\n- Each failure is a $150 ticket.\n- The Provincial Court may order a dangerous dog destroyed (s. 9.6).\n- No separate licence fee for a vicious dog was found in the bylaw's fee schedule.","sources":[{"url":"https://www.lakecowichan.ca/dl/1019-2019%20Animal%20Control.pdf","title":"Animal Control Bylaw No. 1019-2019 (PDF), Town of Lake Cowichan","accessed":"2026-11-08"},{"url":"https://www.lakecowichan.ca/animal.php","title":"Animal Control, Town of Lake Cowichan","accessed":"2026-11-08"}],"sources_read":"2026-11-08","review":{"status":"machine_checked","badge":"Checked against official text","label":"Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 5 of 6 facts was matched to the official text; 1 is recorded as not set."},"urls":{"html":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lake-cowichan/dangerous-dogs/","markdown":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lake-cowichan/dangerous-dogs.md","json":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lake-cowichan/dangerous-dogs.json"}}