(MUNICIPALITY OF GREY HIGHLANDS, ON) – Grey County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is taking this opportunity to remind residents that domestic animals pose a real risk to the motoring public.
Each year Grey County OPP respond to complaints about animals, usually livestock, on area roads. In most cases the animals are captured and returned to their enclosures before a collision occurs however, on occasion, serious damage and/or injury occurs when a motorist collides with a domestic animal at large.
Animal owners are responsible for ensuring that their animals don’t run at large. Should the animal be involved in a collision, the owner of the animal may find themselves in a position of moral, civil and legal liability.
When horses, cattle, swine, sheep or goats are found running at large on a provincial highway, the owner may be charged under the Public Transportation and Highway Improvement Act . When the animals are found on roads (or elsewhere) under county or township jurisdiction, enforcement falls under the Pounds Act in which the owner is subject to a fine and is liable for damage and injuries committed by the animals.
These types of calls can be frustrating and time consuming for police, but leniency has been shown where the animals appear to have broken free unexpectedly. In some cases however, where shoddy fences or careless practices are the cause, the animal owners should expect to be charged accordingly.
On Tuesday, June 2, 2015, at approximately 5:24 p.m., Grey County OPP responded to a report of several horses running at large on Grey Rd. 12 and Sideroad 13A in the Municipality of Grey Highlands.
Upon arrival, police had found that the fencing on the property was inadequate, enabling the horses to get out of the pasture which created a safety issue for motorists as well as the horses. As a result, seven horses were captured and taken to Keady Livestock Market as this was not the first complaint received by police regarding the horses running at large.
As there are many pastures throughout Grey County containing various livestock and horses, motorists should always be mindful of the possibility of them getting loose.
Always scan the roadway ahead, use high beam lights at night whenever possible and, of course, slow down especially at night as some domestic animals are more difficult to see than wild animals due to their dark colouring and dull eyes.