City's top dogcatcher has soft spot for pets

By Valerie Berenyi, Calgary HeraldApril 7, 2010

You can tell a lot about a person by the way he handles a dog.

I got a glimpse of Bill Bruce interacting with a rescued dog at the City of Calgary's Animal Shelter Centre in southeast Calgary, where he is director of bylaw and animal services.

Leonard, a lovely boy, was a stray who had spent three weeks at the shelter.

No one came to claim the three-year-old mutt and he didn't react well to being kennelled in the shelter, so staff kept him with them in the office area.

Bruce was firm and gentle with Leonard -- and clearly crazy about animals.

"I've always been a dog person," says Bruce, pleased that Leonard was going home that day to his new adoptive family.

"Bylaw Bill" has seen many less-than-happy moments in his 10 years of working in animal and bylaw services.

He got his own dog Amy after she was found in a trash bin behind a convenience store.

The Shih Tzu/terrier puppy had been thrown away. When no one claimed the little ball of fur, Bruce brought her home to his wife and son.

The "absolute worst" situation he's seen was a few years ago when Animal Services was called in to deal with a cat owner who had "99 cats and one very neurotic little dog," he says.

"Cat urine, cat feces, ammonia so thick you couldn't breathe. Your feet stuck to the floor when you walked inside. It was vile. Every cat in there had upper respiratory disease, feline leukemia, chlamydia."

There were dead and cannibalized cats in the basement. Feces filled corners and cupboards. Because the animals were so sick and emaciated, 98 of them had to be euthanized.

The owner, a middle-aged woman, had begun breeding white Turkish angora cats. Strays from the neighbourhood had joined the colony, and "it just got out of control," says Bruce.

People, not their pets, are the problem, maintains Bruce, who's been with the city since 1981 after being recruited from his native Ontario. The son of a police officer, he grew up with a German shepherd.

In Calgary, Bruce worked in traffic operations for 19 years before joining animal and bylaw services in 2000.

Under his direction, animal services has developed a stellar reputation. He's spoken in communities in the U.S. and the U.K. about the city's high rate of licensing (94 per cent for dogs), low euthanasia rate and the steep drop in dog bites (down from 621 bites in 1985 to 145 in 2008).

"What Calgary has done differently is create a model of responsible pet ownership," Bruce says.

There's no ban on breeds, no limits on the number of pets. But owners have to get licences; spay or neuter pets; provide care, grooming, socialization and exercise; and supervise pets to prevent them from becoming a nuisance.

"Our job as responsible pet owners is understand our dog's personality and to position them for success. If you have a dog that's very nervous in crowds, please don't take that dog to the market."

Bruce says he has learned a lot about training dogs from Nikeae Michalchuk, the city's animal behaviouralist.

"We believe in a process with dogs just as you would with children, really. You reward good behaviours and correct negative behaviours. You don't punish.

"I don't train with treats, I don't clicker train. My dog is very well trained and she does it because she wants to. I believe in my heart that what your dog wants is your attention. You are the pack leader because you control the resources. So your dog wants your approval."

There's no jumping from Amy when he comes home. She sits quietly on the doormat and is rewarded with a pat or positive talk for her good behaviour.

Bruce would love other pets, but says his job keeps him too busy.

"But once I retire, there will be more dogs."

Now 55, Bruce is planning to retire next March.

He wants to devote more time to volunteering and to his many interests. The avid outdoorsman enjoys nature and landscape photography, camping and fly-fishing.

He would like to spend more time in the kitchen.

And then there's his love of music. Bruce noodles on the acoustic guitar.

But after 10 years of learning what causes feuds between neighbours -- snow, ice, weeds and noise, followed by dogs at large and barking dogs -- you won't find Bruce "amping up" after 9 p.m.

Being a good neighbour is simple, he says: "It's a blend of respect and tolerance."

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