At-large dogs cost owner $5,500 in fines

A Thunder Bay man has been handed down a $4,500 fine for allowing a pair of German shepherd dogs to run at-large.

Forty-five-year-old Enzo Menei was also fined $1,000 in provincial offences court on Wednesday for failing to licence the animals, in violation of City of Thunder Bay bylaws.

“We take these matters very seriously,” said Ron Bourret, the city’s manager of licensing and enforcement said in a release issued by the municipality.

“Our animal services officers will issue warnings when our city’s bylaws are being disregarded. However, when those warnings aren’t heeded, we are fully prepared to take more aggressive actions to ensure the bylaws are followed and our citizens feel safe to walk our streets.”

According to the release the dogs were spotted running around loose near Menei’s Pacquette Road home on April 23.

A witness testified the dogs aggressively approached him and his dog, forcing them back into their home.

It was the second incidences the dogs had been seen running at large by the same witness. The first encounter was on Oct. 20, 2012 and resulted in multiple charges being laid.

On Sept. 8, 2012, Menei was charged with one count of failing to prevent a dog from running at large.