When Montreal dog owners were on a tight leash
Canine patrol ensured that owners obeyed the rules in 1983
Cleaning up after one's dog was apparently a foreign concept to some Montreal pet owners in 1983.
And so the existence of a canine patrol that could issue tickets for leaving a mess was newsworthy enough that the story reached CBC's The National on Jan. 22 that year.
"Under bylaw 5560, it's illegal to let your dog run loose, or fail to scoop up after his indiscretions," said reporter Wendy Mesley as the camera showed an officer knocking on a door where a shepherd-type dog stood sentry.
It was also illegal to have more than two dogs in one dwelling, or to let your dog bother neighbours with its barking.
Bonanza for pet stores
Pet stores were among the beneficiaries of the bylaw.
"This goes over here," said a woman demonstrating a device that resembled a large clip attached to a plastic bag.
"Dog owners are snapping up this one-size-fits-all poop and scoop set," said Mesley.
The fine for not using such a tool, or any other method, for cleaning up after one's dog was $20. Some 2,000 such fines had been issued in the past year.
Before dog parks were a thing
Some owners had banded together to create what we now know as a dog park.
They had convinced Phyllis Lambert, a prominent member of Montreal's Bronfman family, to allow them to use a "deserted lot" for their dogs, which could be seen happily playing in the patchy snow.
With Lambert's signed permission, dog owners had no more worries of hassles from the dog patrol.
"They'd jump out of the bushes ... and start handing out tickets to owners who had their dogs off leashes," said Bev Robson.
The canine patrol speaks
But Gilles Caumartin, head of the five-member dog patrol, said his team wasn't out to get anybody.
"We're not that bad," said the uniformed officer. "We're going to talk to people, explain them the bylaw, and usually we haven't got any problem."
Even Robson admitted she didn't approve of owners failing to pick up after their pets.
"I find it just as contemptible as the next person," she said. "I don't want to know from, uh, poop on the street."