Visit By-Law 2014-46 Norfolk County’s Animal Control By-Law.
Who do you call if you have concerns about animal welfare or interactions with animals?
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1-833-9-ANIMAL (1-833-926-4625)
Call the PAWS number if you believe an animal is in distress or is being neglected.
This includes animals that are generally in a home, on a farm, kept in a commercial business such as a kennel or pet store, or any domestic pet if you suspect:
- they are injured, in pain, sick, suffering or
- they lack proper care including inadequate water, food, shelter, medical attention, care, space to move, etc.
The PAWS answering service will take your complaint and assign an Inspector to contact you for more detail. PAWS Inspectors work 7 days a week.
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Note: PAWS Inspectors will not deal with injured wild animals such as deer, raccoons, skunks, etc. Property owners should contact Hillside Kennels or another private contractor for that service. Please do not call the OPP.
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Norfolk County’s contracted Animal Control Service (based in Innerkip)
Anyone can call this number for:
- Animal bites or scratches. They will pick up any type of bite or scratch-related animal and then notify and bill the Health Unit directly for the call. Domestic animals will be picked up and quarantined for 10 days, wildlife will be euthanized.
- Injured, sick, aggressive dogs.
- Abandoned dogs. Left in a home, the owner died and left it behind, etc.
- Stray Dogs. Must be kept or restricted to a place such as a garage, fenced-in area, or home, or tied up so it can’t leave.
- If the dog is wandering, Hillside will not attend (unless it is sick, injured, or aggressive).
Hillside will not:
- Pick up stray cats
- Pick up wildlife on private property, unless the property owner pays for this service themselves; for example, nuisance raccoons wandering in a yard. A typical callout for this service is $150 (cash).
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911 (Emergency) or 1-888-310-1122 (non-Emergency)
Call this number 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
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519-426-5870 (Business hours Mon-Fri) or online
Norfolk By-Law will investigate:
- Dog bites, barking, not on a leash, operating an unlicensed kennel, no dog tag, failing to clean excrement, improper tethering, large numbers of dogs or cats, keeping prohibited animals.
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The HNHU deals with reports of rabies.
- If you are bitten or scratched by any animal please contact the Health Unit for more information on the next steps to determine if you have had a rabies exposure.
- Link: https://hnhu.org/health-topic/rabies/
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OMAFRA deals with compensation for wildlife damage to livestock.
- For farmers who are experiencing losses due to wildlife damage such as coyote kills, they may be eligible for compensation for their loss.
- The Norfolk County Clerk’s office manages the administration of the program
- Livestock owners who experience a kill should contact the County Clerk to report the details. The Clerk will then send an evaluator out to view the kill, take photos and prepare a report for the County who will then consult OMAFRA and arrange payment for the loss if the kill is verified.
- For more information contact the Norfolk County Clerk at 519-426-5870 (ext. 1228).
- Online
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Since wild animals are part of our urban landscape, residents are encouraged to learn about the wildlife near their homes so that sharing space with them is safe and enjoyable.
For everyone’s safety, including wildlife, please do not view, feed or interact with wild animals. Remember these 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
- Keep dogs on leash and away from wild animals
Those with wildlife concerns are encouraged to fill out Norfolk County’s online tool.
Report Animal Encounter
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