Animal Care and Control By-law

We want to make sure that all pets in the Town of Caledon are properly kept and cared for. The goal of the Animal Care and Control By-law is to keep all pets and residents safe. The by-law regulates cats, dogs, livestock and prohibited animals in our community. It includes things like leash requirements, number of pets on a property and animal identification requirements.

Common regulations and reporting a concern

If you believe that someone is not following the Animal Care and Control By-law, you can file a complaint. Common regulations include:

  • Dogs should be prevented from persistently barking
  • Animals must be kept on a leash while on public property
  • You must pick up after your dog
  • You must make sure that your dog does not bite any person or other animal
  • No more than three dogs and five cats can be kept on a property

Get identification for your pet

If you want to improve your pet's chances of getting home quickly and safely if they go missing, make sure your pet has an ID tag and/or microchip with your contact information.

ID tags

Pick up an ID tag for your pet from Animal Services located at 12889 Coleraine Dr. in Bolton. ID tags only cost $15 and we can add a personal engraving.

Microchip

Talk with your vet about getting your dog or cat microchipped. Microchipping is a fast, painless and permanent method to identify a pet and the best way to ensure that your family pet is returned safely should it go missing. When scanned, the microchip provides a unique identification number that allows us to access your contact information. The average cost to microchip a pet is only $50.

Prohibited animals

You are not allowed to keep certain animals as pets in the Town. Learn about which animals are prohibited.

Mammals

Only the following mammals can be kept as pets:

  • Dogs
  • Cats
  • Ferrets
  • Domestic rabbits
  • Sugar Gliders
  • Rodents (that don't exceed 1,500 grams)

Reptiles

Reptiles are prohibited except for:

  • Non-venomous snakes that don't exceed 3 m in length
  • Non-venomous lizards that don't exceed 2 m in length

Birds

You can't keep the following birds as pets in the Town of Caledon:

  • Anseriformes
  • Galliformes
  • Struthioniformes
  • Raptors

Other animals

The following animals are prohibited as pets:

  • All poisonous reptiles, amphibians, insects and animals
  • All protected or endangered animals (native or non-native species)