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Animal Control By-Law

As per Norfolk County’s Animal Control By-Law 2014-46, Norfolk County By-Law will investigate the following:

  • Dog bites
  • Barking
  • Dogs not on a leash
  • Operating an unlicensed kennel
  • Dogs without a dog tag
  • Failing to clean excrement
  • Improper tethering
  • Having more than three dogs or five cats in a dwelling
  • Keeping prohibited animals

Residents may submit complaints online using the By-Law Complaint Form or call 519-426-5870 or 226-NORFOLK during business hours, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.


Animal control services

Hillside Kennels Animal Control provides the following animal control services to Norfolk County residents:

  • Pick up a dog or cat that has bitten or scratched a person. Hillside Kennels will pick up the animal and notify and bill the Health Unit directly. Domestic animals will be picked up and quarantined for 10 days. Wildlife will be euthanized.
  • Pick up an injured, sick, or aggressive dog.
  • Pick up an abandoned dog, including those left in a home due to the death of the owner.
  • Pick up stray dogs.

The animal must be restricted to a place such as a garage, fenced-in area, or home, or tied up so they cannot leave the area. If the animal is wandering, Hillside will not attend unless it is sick, injured, or aggressive.

Hillside will not:

  • Pick up stray cats.
  • Pick up wild animals (raccoons, snakes, ferrets, skunks, etc.) on private property.

Norfolk County does not provide services for sick or injured wild animals. Norfolk County residents may pay a fee to have Hillside pick up wild animals from their property:

  • The typical fee for this service for properties within Norfolk County is $150 (cash).
  • The wild animal must be kept or restricted to a place such as a garage, fenced-in area, or home so it cannot leave.
  • If the wild animal is wandering, Hillside will not attend.

Hillside will assist with lost pets and adoptions:

  • Contact Hillside to file a lost pet report.
  • Hillside will post found pets on their Facebook page.

Contact Hillside Kennels Animal Control

Call 519-469-3247 or 1-888-469-3247 or visit their social media page at Facebook.com/HillsideKennelsAnimalControl.


Animal welfare

Abuse and neglect of any animal is not tolerated in Ontario. If you think an animal is in distress or is being abused, contact PAWS (Provincial Animal Welfare Services). The PAWS answering service will take your complaint and assign an Inspector to contact you for more details.

PAWS provides services for animals:

  • In a home
  • On a farm
  • Kept in a commercial business such as a kennel or pet store
  • Any domestic pet

PAWS will assist these types of animals when they are:

  • In distress
  • Being neglected
  • Injured, in pain, sick, or suffering
  • Lacking proper care, including inadequate water, food, shelter, medical attention, care, space to move, etc.

PAWS will not:

  • Assist with injured wild animals such as deer, raccoons, skunks, etc. Contact Hillside Kennels or another private contractor for assistance with an injured wild animal on your property. Hillside Kennels will charge the private property owner a fee for this service. Please do not call the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) unless the animal is in danger or distress. Residents may also contact a wildlife rehabilitator.

Contact PAWS

Call 1-833-9-ANIMAL (1-833-926-4625) or visit Animal welfare | ontario.ca.


Animals in danger or distress

Contact the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) at 911 (emergency) or 1-888-310-1122 (non-emergency) when any life is in immediate danger or distress, such as:

  • An animal attack
  • An animal being kept in a very hot or cold vehicle

The OPP will not attend to dispatch a sick or injured animal on private property. If the animal is found on Norfolk County property, along a roadway, hit in an accident etc., then the OPP will attend and dispatch it.

Norfolk County does not provide services for sick or injured wild animals. Contact Hillside Kennels or another private contractor for assistance with an injured wild animal on your property. Hillside Kennels will charge the private property owner a fee for this service. Please do not call the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) unless the animal is in danger or distress. Residents may also contact a wildlife rehabilitator.


Dog tags

All dogs within Norfolk County are required to be licenced. Failure to do so will result in fines being issued to the owners of unlicensed and untagged dogs.

Read more about Dog Tags, including frequently asked questions. Norfolk County does not provide animal control services for cats.


Livestock loss due to wildlife attacks

Farmers who have experienced losses due to wildlife damage, such as coyote attacks, may be eligible for compensation provided by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA).

Livestock owners who experience a kill should contact the Norfolk County Bylaw Department to report the details. The By-law department will send an evaluator to view the damage, take photos and prepare a report for the County. If the damage is verified, Norfolk County will consult OMAFRA and arrange payment for the loss as per OMAFRA guidelines.

For more information, contact the Norfolk County By-law Supervisor at 519-426-5870 or 226-NORFOLK, extension 1342.

Read more about Ontario’s Wildlife Damage Compensation Program.


Rabies, bites, and scratches

Rabies is spread through the saliva of infected animals, including wildlife, pets, and livestock. If you have been bitten or scratched by an animal, immediately clean the affected area with soap and flush with clean water for at least 15 minutes and contact your doctor or visit the Emergency Room or Urgent Care Centre as soon as possible.

Report any potential rabies exposures to the Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit:

Read more on the Health Unit website.

To report a dog bite, contact Norfolk County By-Law at 519-426-5870 or 226-NORFOLK, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or the OPP after hours and on weekends at 1-888-310-1122. Seek medical attention if needed.


Wildlife interactions

Residents are encouraged to learn about the wildlife near their homes so that sharing space with them is safe and enjoyable. Safety tips:

  • Do not approach wild animals or their nesting areas and dens.
  • Do not touch wild animals, even if they appear tame, sick or injured.
  • Never feed wild animals or leave food of any kind outside, including pet food.
  • Keep dogs on leash and away from wild animals.

Norfolk County does not provide services for sick or injured wild animals. Contact Hillside Kennels or another private contractor for assistance with an injured wild animal on your property. Hillside Kennels will charge the private property owner a fee for this service. Please do not call the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) unless the animal is in danger or distress. Residents may also contact a wildlife rehabilitator.


Wildlife rehabilitators

Authorized wildlife rehabilitators provide advice on or temporarily rehabilitate wild animals that appear sick, injured, or orphaned.

Norfolk County does not provide services for sick or injured wild animals. Contact Hillside Kennels or another private contractor for assistance with an injured wild animal on your property. Hillside Kennels will charge the private property owner a fee for this service. Please do not call the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) unless the animal is in danger or distress. Residents may also contact a wildlife rehabilitator.