JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report
A dog in St. Lazare was been designated as “potentially dangerous” by the town council.
The designation, as outlined in provincial legislation, was approved April 14, with elected officials supporting a resolution outlining obligations imposed on the animal’s owner.
According to the resolution, the move was sparked by an incident in 2025. St. Lazare Mayor Geneviève Lachance confirmed the incident involved an attack, but refused to provide any other details.
Other members of council contacted by The 1019 Report also refused to provide further details, claiming the information is shielded by caucus confidentiality.
The municipal resolution refers to the dog’s name – Zoomer – and its owner’s address on Place du Soliste in the town’s Cedarbrook neighbourhood, but does not provide any description of the animal or its breed.
It does list the requirements the owner must adhere to, which include muzzling the animal and keeping it on a short leash when off the property; keeping it within a fenced area on the property with a locked gate when outdoors. The animal is also banned from dog parks and must be muzzled when children visit the residence.
The dog’s owners will also be required to take Zoomer to “dog training classes based on motivation and positive reinforcement” within the next six months.
At the April 14 meeting, city clerk Nathaly Rayneault said “a series of steps have been taken” to determine the dog’s danger potential, including being examined by a specialized veterinarian.
“When there’s a potentially dangerous dog, people report it to the municipality, and we’re required to have a vet analyze the (level of danger) of that dog,” Lachance said. “They give us their evaluation, and from that we make a decision on what to do with this dog.”
“It could go from simple measures to even having the dog put down, which is something we never want to have to do.”
Regulations involving dangerous dogs are outlined by provincial law. The Règlement d’application de la Loi visant à favoriser la protection des personnes par la mise en place d’un encadrement concernant les chiens, mandates all municipalities in the province to administer the law.
Local Journalism Initiative