Skip to Content
Close Alert Banner

RMWB Logo RMWB Logo

  • Contact Pulse
  • Participate
  • Business, Planning and Development
    • Business Services and Support
    • Development and Planning
    • Downtown Fort McMurray
    • Flood Mitigation
    • Maps
    • Permits and Resources
    • Procurement
    • Public Notices
    • Safety Codes Permits
    • Signage Regulations
    • Waterfront Park Revitalization
  • Bylaw and Animal Services
    • Animal Services
    • Backyard Hens
    • Bylaws
    • Community Standards
    • Parking
    • Report an Issue
    • Vehicle for Hire
  • Community Services and Social Support
    • Equity and Inclusion
    • Grants and Funding
    • Responding to Homelessness
    • Seniors' Services and Programs
    • Social Support Services
    • Victim Services
    • Volunteer with Emergency Social Services
  • Employment
    • Current Opportunities
    • Firefighter and Paramedic Recruitment
    • Human Resources
  • Events and Involvement
    • Canada Day
    • Combative Sports
    • Community Events
    • Event Permits
    • MACOY
    • Participate Wood Buffalo
    • WinterPLAY
    • Wood Buffalo Volunteers
  • Financial Services
    • Accounts Payable
    • Assessments
    • Asset Management
    • Change of Address Form
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Natural Resource Extraction Support Tax Incentive Bylaw
    • Non-Profit Organization Tax Exemptions
    • Paying Property Taxes
    • Property Tax Sale
    • School Support
    • Tax Rates
    • Tax Refund Requests
  • Fire, Police and Emergency Services
    • 9-1-1
    • Alerts
    • Emergency Medical Services
    • Emergency Preparedness
    • Hazards
    • Fire Codes and Permits
    • Fire Departments
    • Fire Prevention and Safety
    • FireSmart
    • Royal Canadian Mounted Police
    • Vulnerable Persons Registry
  • Garbage, Recycling, and Disposal
    • Garbage and Recycling Calendar
    • What Goes Where?
    • Curbside Collection Bins
    • Recycling Depots
    • Rural Waste Collection
    • Seasonal Programs
    • Soil Disposal
    • Bear-Resistant Bins Program
    • RMWB Landfill
  • Indigenous and Rural Communities
    • Anzac
    • Conklin
    • Draper
    • Fort Chipewyan
    • Fort Fitzgerald
    • Fort McKay
    • Fort McMurray
    • Gregoire Lake Estates
    • Janvier
    • Saprae Creek Estates
    • Rural Bus Schedules and Fees
  • Mayor, Council and Administration
    • Accountability and Transparency
    • Boards and Committees
    • Bylaws
    • Council
    • Elections
    • Mayor
    • Plans, Reports and Studies
    • Policies
    • Public Notices
  • Parks, Recreation and Heritage
    • Parks and Facilities Map
    • BearSmart
    • Cemeteries
    • Communities in Bloom
    • Community Cleanup
    • Community Gardens
    • Community Rinks
    • Culture, Heritage & Public Art
    • Facility Rentals
    • Flag and Lighting Requests
    • Off-Highway Vehicles
    • Parks, Trails and Green Spaces
    • Trees
    • Urban Wildlife
  • Roads and Construction
    • Capital Projects
    • Construction Map
    • Construction Projects
    • Draper Slope Stability Reports
    • Parking
    • Route Haul Permits
    • Snow Clearing and Disposal
    • Street Sweeping
    • Winter Roads
    • Contractor Training
  • Transit
    • Bike and Ride
    • Fares and Passes
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Low-Income Fare Transit Program (LIFT)
    • Rural Bus Schedules and Fees
    • Safety and Etiquette
    • School Transit Service
    • Specialized Transit
    • Statutory Holidays Schedule
    • Transit News and Alerts
  • Truth and Reconciliation
    • Act
    • Calls to Action
    • Learn
  • Utilities and Water
    • Billing
    • Change of Address Form
    • Commercial Services
    • Fat, Oil and Grease
    • Open or Close a Utility Account
    • Responsible Sewer Use
    • Rural Water & Sewer Service
    • Sewer Backups
    • Utility Changes
    • Water Conservation
    • Water Delivery, Bulk Water & Septic Pickup
    • Water Metering
    • Water Outages and Maintenance
HomeBylaw and Animal ServicesAnimal ServicesResponsible Pet Ownership
  • Open new window to share this page via Facebook Facebook
  • Open new window to share this page via Twitter Twitter
  • Open new window to share this page via LinkedIn Pinterest
  • Open new window to share this page via LinkedIn LinkedIn
  • Email this page Email

Responsible Pet Ownership

Top three things you can do as a responsible pet owner:

  1. License your pet 
  2. Keep your pet on a leash when not on your property or in off-leash areas
  3. Pick up and dispose your pet waste properly

Get a pet license online

Good neighbours are responsible pet owners! Many pets live and enjoy northern life in Wood Buffalo; with the beautiful Birchwood Trails, spacious off-leash parks, and a variety of pet stores, animal support organizations, and veterinary clinics, the amenities for our four-legged friends are abundant.

The RMWB also advocates for the safety and well- being of all animals. Bylaw Services plays an integral role in ensuring pet owners have emergency support services, safe off-leash parks, and the ability to reunite with lost pets. Non-pet owners are provided with professional dispute resolution support to promote community safety and responsible pet ownership.

You have the purr-fect opportunity to do your part by being knowledgeable pet owners. After all, pets are neighbours too.

 

Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw No. 19/025

pet license icon
Licensing your pet
dog icon
Pets at large
walking dog icon
Pets in public
hen icon
Backyard hens
icon
Livestock
deer icon
Wildlife

Licensing your pet

In the RMWB, it is a pet owner’s lawful duty to register pets within 1 day of becoming a pet owner or taking up residency within the Municipality. There are many benefits to licensing your pets: should your pet ever get lost, a registered pet is easily identifiable and returned to its owners as quickly as possible.

Having the most accurate pet population documented can help identify the needs for our region in terms of recreational pet services, health services, and emergency response services.

Licensing your pet is extremely affordable! For only $25 annually, all neutered pets (cats and dogs) can be official RMWB residents. If your pet is not neutered, the fee is $60. Pet owners over the age of 60 years can register their furry companions at no cost!

Register your pet online

Pets at large

Occasionally pets can escape the safety of their permitted property and become "at large." By having your pets licensed and wearing an issued license tag, pets are easily identified and can be returned home.

If you see a pet at large, do not approach it unless it comes to you and appears to have a soft, relaxed, and happy demeanor. Contact PULSE to report the animal so it can be returned home safe and sound as quickly as possible.

If your pet has escaped and is now lost, it could be with Bylaw Services. The RMWB Animal Control In-Care Gallery displays photos and descriptions of cats and dogs that have been found in the community.

Pets in public 

Even the most adorable pets have their moments. Be responsible for your pets and prevent pet safety issues. No animal can attack, threaten, harass, chase, bite or injure any person or other animal.

While we see our own pets as family, some people do not enjoy or are frightened of animals. Being mindful of this, as well as the fact that animals can be unpredictable in undesirable or uncomfortable situations, it is necessary to follow certain precautions with your pets when in public.

Pets must be on a leash at all times when outside their owner’s or guardian’s property, unless at an allocated off-leash park.

If any animal defecates on a property that is not the owner’s property, the owner must remove the waste immediately.

How to dispose of pet waste

Pet waste should never go in your recycling bin! It contaminates other materials in curbside collection trucks and poses serious health and safety risks to the staff who sort recyclables by hand.  

To dispose of pet waste properly, you have a few options:    

  • Use a Green Cone composter at home.

  • Bag it and take it to the municipal landfill.

  • Double bag it and place it in your black bin (household garbage).  

  • Take part in the seasonal Pet Waste Drop-Off event when available. 

Backyard hens 

In 2021, RMWB passed the Backyard Hen Bylaw supporting a Backyard Hen Pilot Project within the region. The pilot project is limited to a maximum of 50 properties across the Municipality for a 24-month period beginning May 1, 2021. Learn more about the project at rmwb.ca/hens.

Livestock

Livestock, fowl or fur-bearing animals (other than domestic pets), are not permitted in any residential districts. However, horses, donkeys, goats, llamas, alpacas, and other similar animals may be kept as pets or for personal enjoyment on lots of greater than 0.809 hectares in the residential districts of Saprae Creek, Conklin, Janvier and Anzac; and a maximum of three horses is permitted on any single lot where the Development Authority is satisfied that the animals are confined.

Wildlife

We live in the north, and with that comes wildlife. Any animal in the region can pose a threat if they are surprised or if the encounter is not handled properly. For information about preventing and managing human encounters with bears, cougars, coyotes, wolves and other wildlife, visit Government of Alberta: Living with wildlife.

Sighting can be reported to our local Fish and Wildlife Office at 780-743-7200 or the 24/7 Report a Poacher line at 1-800-642-3800.

Subscribe to page updates
Bylaw and Animal Services
  • Animal Services
    Toggle Section Animal Services Menu
    • Responsible Pet Ownership
  • Backyard Hens
    Toggle Section Backyard Hens Menu
    • Hen License Application
    • Neighbour Notification Letter
  • Bylaws
  • Community Standards
    Toggle Section Community Standards Menu
    • Cannabis Regulations
    • Maintaining Your Property
    • Property and Land Development/Home Improvements
    • Services and Utilities
    • Transportation
    • Public and Private Places
    • Responsible Pet Ownership
  • Parking
  • Report an Issue
  • Vehicle for Hire
    Toggle Section Vehicle for Hire Menu
    • Operators

Contact us

Services
  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
  • L
  • M
  • N
  • O
  • P
  • Q
  • R
  • S
  • T
  • U
  • V
  • W
  • X
  • Y
  • Z

Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo footer logo

Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo
9909 Franklin Avenue
Fort McMurray Alberta T9H 2K4

Phone: 780-743-7000
Toll free: 1-800-973-9663

Subscribe to News

Stay up to date on RMWB news,
programs and operations
by subscribing to our news categories.

Subscribe

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn

Website Resources

  • Access to Information and Privacy
  • Logo Request Form
  • Sitemap
  • Social Media
  • Website Feedback

Copyright © .

By GHD Digital

Close Old Browser Notification
Browser Compatibility Notification
It appears you are trying to access this site using an outdated browser. As a result, parts of the site may not function properly for you. We recommend updating your browser to its most recent version at your earliest convenience.