The City of Portage la Prairie council granted an excess animal permit request at its Monday evening meeting to house five additional animals at a property on Seneca Street.

According to the City's by-law surrounding pet ownership, no person shall own, harbour, keep or have in his/her possession or control on his/her premises, more than three dogs, or three cats, or a combination of both over the age of six months, without obtaining an excess animal permit.

City Councillor Sharilyn Knox explains the parameters behind obtaining the permit.

"It's determined by the application, and then what happens is animal control goes in and does an inspection of the property for things like cleanliness and yard space," she explains. "Then, they make a recommendation, and it's brought to the council as to whether that permit will be approved or denied."

An animal control officer inspected the residence and found it to have plenty of space for all of the animals, and recommended the approval of the permit. Knox reminds Portage residents about the by-laws pertaining to pet ownership.

"Any homeowner in Portage la Prairie who has animals, your animal cannot be at large," says Knox. "What that means is when you have a dog for instance, outside of your property, your dog has to be on a leash. It also means if you have a cat, and your cat is an outdoor cat, if you're off your property, it needs to be on a leash. Otherwise, it needs to stay within the boundaries of your property. We often have issues with the by-law or with animal control where people are not doing these things."

At the recommendation of the administration, council decided to pass the permit allowing three dogs and five cats at the residence. Once these animals are deceased, additional documentation must be acquired for any animal coming into the home after the excess animal permit was issued. Knox reminds residents to use their due-diligence with animals when it comes to pet ownership.

"I encourage people to make sure that your pets are licensed. For one thing, if your pet does leave your property and happens to get picked up by animal control it's the fastest way that we can get that pet home to you," she explains. "We know that this has been a tough year, and we know that lots of people are adopting animals, and we think that's wonderful."

Anyone with any animal by-law questions is encouraged to visit the City of Portage's website.