Animal control regulatory services

The City’s animal control by-law is in place to ensure the safety and regulation of animals in the City of Brantford. For details regarding specific by-laws please visit our by-law search page and enter the keywords, animal control.

Animal complaints

To register a complaint, report a dog bite, or if you have questions or concerns about the City’s animal services, please contact the City’s By-law Enforcement Department at 519-759-4150. 

Pet keeping

No person is permitted to keep more than three dogs that are over the age of three months, or more than three cats over the age of two months at any premises or in/around any household. 

Rabies immunization

The Ontario Rabies Immunization Regulation 567 under the Health Protection and Promotion Act states that:

Every owner or person having the care or custody of a cat, dog or ferret three months of age or over shall ensure that the cat, dog or ferret is immunized against rabies. O. Reg. 497/17, s. 1.”

Cats, dogs, and ferrets in the City of Brantford must be immunized against rabies.

Prohibited animals

It is against the City’s by-law to keep an animal or animals of any of the following classes anywhere within the city of Brantford:

  • (a) all marsupials (such as kangaroos and opossums);
  • (b) all non-human primates (such as gorillas and monkeys); (c) all felids, except the domestic cat;
  • (d) all canids, except the domestic dog;
  • (e) all viverrids (such as mongooses, civets, and genets);
  • (f) all mustelids (such as skunks, weasels, otters and badgers); (g) all ursides (bears);
  • (h) all artiodactylus ungulates, except domestic goats, sheep, pigs and cattle;
  • (i) all procyonids (such as raccoons, coatis and cacomistles);
  • (j) all hyenas;
  • (k) all pinnipeds (such as seals, fur seals, and walruses);
  • (l) all snakes of the families pythonidae and boidae;
  • (m) all venomous reptiles;
  • (n) all ratite birds (such as ostriches, rheas, cassowaries);
  • (o) all diurnal and nocturnal raptors (such as eagles, hawks, and owls);
  • (p) all edentates (such as anteaters, sloths and armadillos);
  • (q) all bats;
  • (r) all crocodilians (such as alligators and crocodiles);
  • (s) all arachnids (such as tarantulas); and
  • (t) all prohibited dogs. By-law 93-2005, 24 May, 2005.