Animal Complaints

Clarington's Municipal Law Enforcement Officers investigate animal complaints and enforce animal-related municipal by-laws. Our staff is committed to educating the community about the by-laws and informing pet owners of their responsibilities.

To help serve you better and provide more efficient service, we’ve launched Service Clarington — a new online customer portal. File by-law complaints, report problems, and apply and pay for permits and licences in one convenient place. Get started by visiting service.clarington.net to create an account.

Aggressive dogs
Barking dogs
"Stoop and scoop" infractions
Stray animals

Aggressive dogs

If a dog bites you or someone you know, seek medical attention right away. Report the dog bite to the Durham Region Health Department and notify Clarington Animal Services through the Service Clarington portal. If you know the owners of the animal, you should inform them of the incident.

Be prepared to provide the following information when you report the bite:

Your name, address, home, and business phone numbers
The current location of the dog that bit you
Brief details of the incident, including names and numbers of witnesses
The location, date and time of the incident
The breed, size and colour of the dog
Where the dog lives and who the owner is
It may be helpful to take photos of the bite area. Photos may be used as evidence of the bite.

Once notified, Clarington Animal Services will investigate the incident, and we may place an order to restrain on the animal. If your dog has bitten someone, we encourage you to be as cooperative as possible.

Sharing your name, contact information and information about the dog will help Clarington Animal Services investigate.

Barking dogs

Clarington's noise by-law outlines rules surrounding persistent noise by a house pet such as barking, calling or whining. We recognize that many residents in our community work shifts and are entitled to a sound sleep. There are no "okay to bark" hours set aside during the day, contrary to what many people think.

What can I do about a barking dog in my neighbourhood?

If your neighbour is approachable, try speaking with them first to share your concerns.
If talking with your neighbour does not alleviate the barking, log in to the Service Clarington portal to file a complaint.

What happens if I file a complaint?

When filing a complaint, be prepared to provide your name, address, phone number as well as the dog owner's address. We cannot issue a warning unless you provide this information. Animal Services does not take anonymous calls, and all information provided is confidential.
An Animal Services Officer will issue a warning to the dog owner.
You may need to provide a detailed log for dates and times if the warning does not resolve the problem.
We may issue charges on the complainants' behalf when there is sufficient documentation.
According to the Responsible Pet Owners By-law: "Every person who contravenes any provision of the by-law is guilty of an offence, and upon conviction, is liable to a fine up to $5,000."