Animal Control and Licensing

The Town of Strathmore promotes and supports responsible dog ownership and their first priority is the health and safety of the general public.

Read the Responsible Animal Control Bylaw here. 


How to License your Pet

Animals over the age of six months are required to have a license. See the fees listed below. Fill out the information in the Animal License form and take it the Municipal Building where you can pay at the front service desk. Residents may also us the overnight drop box located at the front door of the municipal building. Include your form and payment in an envelope and your license tags will be mailed out to you.

Animal License Form

*Please note: No license fee is payable for Foster Animal Care (SECTION 4)

Access Bylaw 22-20, which contains charges and offenses relating to Animal Control.

 Dog License Annual Fee*

Spayed or neutered: $30.00/year

Intact: $55.00/year

Cat License Annual Fee*

Spayed or neutered: $20

Intact: $30

Other Animals Licensing Annual Fee*

Exotic Animal: $25.00/year

Urban Beekeeping: $30.00/year

Replacement License Tag Fee: $10.00

Dangerous Animal License: $250.00

Review of Dangerous Animal Declaration Fee: $150.00 + costs

Application Fee – Beekeeping: $50.00 (1 time)

Application Fee – Exotic Pet: $100.00 (1 time)

Impound/Animal Shelter Fee

Dogs: $50 per day

Cats: $50 per day

Other: cost +15% administration

Veterinary Fees: costs +15% administration

Euthanizing Fee: costs +15% administration


Animal Services Facility

Lost animals are kept at the Town of Strathmore in a holding facility. Animals with identification are held for ten days and animals with no identification are held for three days.

Town of Strathmore Animal Control is administered by Municipal Enforcement. They can be reached at: 403-361-2112.


Lost and Found Pets

The streets can be a rough place for a pet, and someone out there is likely worried sick about their family member. Thanks for stepping in to keep them safe. If the dog looks healthy and you feel safe, we ask that you do your best to try and help reunite the animal with its owner. Here are a few things you can do to help get them back home.

What You Can Do:
  1. Check for a Tag: If the dog has a tag with a license number, give Municipal Enforcement a call at 403-361-2112. They can check for the owner’s contact info and, if the owner’s given permission, they’ll share it with you. If not, they can make the call on your behalf.
  2. Take the Dog for a Walk: Sometimes, the simplest way to find the owner is by walking the dog around your neighborhood. Ask your neighbors if they recognize the dog. You can also hang up posters or drop off leaflets in mailboxes to spread the word.
  3. Use Online Tools: Post about the found dog on sites like Kijiji or Craigslist, and definitely get on social media. A quick post on Facebook pages like Strathmore, Alberta & Area Lost and Found Pets or Lost & Found Pets - Calgary and Surrounding Areas can get a lot of eyes on your message. Local community pages are also a great option!
  4. Visit the Municipal Building: During business hours (Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), you can bring the dog to the Strathmore Municipal Building. Ask at the front desk to speak with Municipal Enforcement, and they’ll help from there. You can call the Municipal Building at 403-934-3133.
  5. After-Hours Care: If it’s after hours or a weekend, you might need to consider keeping the dog safe until the Municipal Building opens again. If that’s not possible, the Strathmore RCMP can assist until Municipal Enforcement is available. Call the RCMP non-emergency line at 403-934-3535 or bring the dog to the Strathmore detachment located at 500 Westlake Rd.
Emergency Care:

If the dog seems to be in bad shape—things like heavy bleeding, difficulty breathing, broken bones, seizures, or if it’s unconscious—don’t wait. Contact the Animal Care Centre of Strathmore at 403-901-1800. They offer 24-hour emergency services and take in injured lost pets for the Town.

Thanks again for stepping up! With your help, this dog could be back home soon.


Barking Dogs

Do not let your dog bark for long periods of time. Remember to have food and water available if your pet is outside. It is important for your pet to have shelter from the elements in winter as well as summer.


Walking Your Pet

When walking your dog or cat you are required to use a restraining device. A restraining device means any leash or other restraining system capable of allowing the Owner to maintain adequate control of the attached Animal and preventing the Animal from chasing or biting other Animals or Persons, or if located on the property of the Owner, capable of retaining the animal within the boundaries of the Owner's property.


Animal Trapping

Animal traps are available at the Strathmore Municipal Building for cats and skunks. Traps are only available during the warmer months to prevent a trapped animal from being exposed to the cold for a long period of time. 

If you've trapped a skunk, please relocate the animal away from the Town on non-privately owned lands. If you've trapped a cat, please get in touch with an officer to arrange for drop-off, 403-361-2112. For more information about skunks, please refer to the "Wildlife Concerns" section of this page.

Both types of traps require payment of a deposit, which will be refunded once the trap has been returned in good working order.

  • Skunk trap $250.00 deposit fee
  • Cat trap $125.00 deposit fee

Dog Park

The Strathmore Dog Park is located at 99 Slater Rd., and is closed between the hours of 12am to 5am. Please pick up after your dog!

Rules:
  • No smoking
  • Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult
  • Pick up after your dog
  • Keep the gates closed at all times
  • Vicious dogs are not allowed in the park
  • You must know where your animal is at all times
  • Dogs must remain on leash upon entrance and exit from the park - no exceptions
  • Please ensure your pet does not harass livestock in the surrounding pasture
  • All pets must be vaccinated and have a valid dog license

Wildlife Concerns 

Strathmore is very lucky to have an abundance of wildlife which shares our living space. Here are some tips to help us respect our wildlife.

  • Do not feed wildlife. They become dependent on it, and learn habits that can harm them or cause conflicts with people.
  • Keep your distance when you spot wildlife. Giving them room reduces the chance of conflict.
  • Always keep your pets leashed and under control while in on-leash areas.
  • Pick up after your pet. Cleaning up waste helps keep your pet and wildlife healthy. It also reduces wildlife being attracted to the area by the food source.
  • Secure your property: remove any food, dispose of garbage and compost in bins, and put up barriers to keep animals from using your property as shelter.
Injured Wildlife
If you find a injured animal that cannot move around contact Alberta Fish and Wildlife at (403) 934-3422
Dead Animal
If you come across a dead animal on the road or in our parks please contact Operations at 403-361-2126 extension 1
Coyotes

Strathmore’s abundant natural areas and adjacency to productive agricultural and natural landscapes make for an incredibly live-able community, but us humans aren’t the only ones that feel that way.  Having healthy urban wildlife, including coyotes, is something we’re very lucky to have – they thrive here and that’s a good thing! Urban coyotes help control populations of other wildlife (especially rodents), from becoming problematic. As the top predator of our town’s wildlife, a good population of coyotes nearby means we have a variety of healthy wildlife in stable numbers. Biodiversity and nature play an important role in our town, and our goal is to ensure public safety, while giving wildlife space to raise their family. As coyote’s begin their denning season and we see more and more of them, it’s important to be aware and take precautions such as:

  • Enjoy all wildlife from a distance. Let them do their thing.
  • Keep pets on a leash, in your enclosed property, or inside your home, especially at night.
  • Throw all garbage in park containers and pick up after your pet.
  • Be mindful of where your children are- and don’t leave them unattended.
  • Never feed coyotes or leave pet food (including bird seed) outside.
  • For non-emergency situations and to report coyote sightings, please call municipal enforcement at 403-361-2112 or the RCMP at 403-934-3968
  • In an emergency situation where there is immediate danger, call 9-1-1.

https://www.alberta.ca/coyotes.aspx

Geese and Ducks
As you walk along our waterways you may have noticed that the Canadian Geese have returned.  Please remember that the wetland is their home - you are the guest. Give them lots of space as they are protecting their nests. Restrain Fido from chasing the birds. Stumbling across a nest is exciting for children, but please remind them not to touch the eggs or disturb the nests. Learn more at: https://www.aiwc.ca/blog/baby-fever/
Deer

 If left alone, deer pose minimal risk to the public. 

  • Reduce speed in areas frequented by deer especially in the early morning or twilight hours.
  • If deer are not trapped by fence, they are generally able to find an escape route.
  • If deer appears to be injured, yet are still mobile, their likelihood of survival is high.
  • If deer are injured and not mobile (for example they are laying down), call Alberta Fish and Wildlife at (403) 934-3422
  • Young deer may appear to be orphaned, but this is not the case please let them be. Often they are hidden, while the parents forage for food.​

https://www.alberta.ca/deer

 Skunks
 

Skunks are a very beneficial part of the urban eco-system, acting as a natural pest control in many ways as they hunt mice, voles, bees, wasps, grubs, beetles, and more.  They can, however, become a nuisance either because their territory comes into conflict with that of domestic pets - threatening pets and property with that famously pungent odour when they spray, or when they wreak havoc in the garden or flower bed as they search for food. 

 

Getting Rid of Skunks

To get rid of skunks from on, or around, your property, there are three ways that you can go about it.  Exclusion, Passive Deterrence or Trapping.

 

Exclusion

This involves installing physical barriers to prevent the skunks from gaining access to your property, or from gaining access to denning sites on, or near, your property. Fill in holes near your fence and foundation, and add fine mesh fencing to gaps where skunks may enter your yard, or underneath decks. 

 

Passive Deterrence

This method of pest control involves applying gentle pressure in a natural way to make your property less attractive to the skunks.  This can be done chemically by applying deterrents such as ammonia, or cider vinegar to denning sites, or the application of pheromone scents such as fox or coyote urine to key areas around the property. Passive deterrence can also be done by making physical changes to the environment to make it less attractive, or less habitable to the target wildlife. Examples of this would include, adding bright lights or noisemakers to the property, opening up side panels or cleaning up stored items or yard debris to expose denning sites, etc..

 

Trapping

Property owners may elect to trap the skunks on their property. Traps can be requested from the Town of Strathmore by calling 403-934-3133. When you have your trap, place it somewhere you know the skunk is frequenting in your yard. Cat food is a suitable bait. Use caution when trapping skunks in June, during this month a female skunk is likely to have babies. If you're able to wait until July, the babies are often big enough to care for themselves without their mother. Once you have trapped a skunk, you can either relocate or dispatch the animal. 

  • Relocation - This involves releasing a trapped animal in another location. Take the skunk at least 1km from the location they were trapped. Do not release trapped skunks within Town limits as they will just become a nuisance to someone else. Take them to a rural location that has shelter available such as trees, bushes or abandoned man-made structures. Be considerate and do not release skunks onto someone's rural property. 
  • Dispatch: The Agricultural Pests Act declares the skunk a nuisance and therefor skunks are not protected by law in Alberta. If you trap a skunk you can choose to dispatch of the animal in a humane manner. 

 

Rabies

Rabies isn't common in skunks in Alberta, but when dealing with wild animals it's important to be aware of the signs of infection.

  • Any skunk that is active in the daytime, unusually aggressive or approaches people and other animals without fear should be avoided.
  • In the later stages of rabies infections skunks may wander, be listless and docile, and have head or body tremors.

If you come across a skunk displaying these behaviours, do not try approach it, or try to trap it. Keep pets and children far from the animal and contact Alberta fish and wildlife, 403-297-6674. 

Traps are not available from October 1 through mid May. During the colder months if an animal becomes trapped they may die of the cold or become susceptible to frostbite. 

 

Resources:

Skunk Information Pamphlet

Alberta Wildlife Institute - Skunk rehabilitation and abandoned kits

Government of Alberta - Biology and Control

What to do if you get sprayed - Tip Sheet

 

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