Dangerous Dog Review Tribunal 2024 Annual Report

Tribunal hearings are conducted in accordance with the Statutory Powers Procedure Act and the Tribunal's rules of procedure. The Tribunal provides an independent review of appeals to Dangerous Dog Orders that are issued by Municipal Licensing and Standards (MLS) under the authority of Section 349-15 of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 349, Animals. The Tribunal has the authority to either confirm the dangerous dog designation or rescind the dangerous dog designation and exempt the owner from compliance with the requirements of a Dangerous Dog Order. In 2024, Municipal Licensing and Standards responded to 3,609 service requests related to a potentially dangerous act by a dog and issued 96 Dangerous Dog Orders. Of these Dangerous Dog Orders, five were appealed to the Tribunal, three of which were heard in 2024. The other two appeal cases were to be heard in 2025. In 2024, the Tribunal convened ten meetings, including two administrative meetings and eight hearing days. In the eight hearing days, 18 matters (appeals of Dangerous Dog Orders) were heard, 13 of which were for orders issued prior to 2024. 11 Dangerous Dog Orders were upheld, one was rescinded, two appeals were withdrawn, and two matters were deferred. Two requests for reconsideration were received in 2024, one resulted in a deferral to 2025 and the other resulted in the Dangerous Dog Order being rescinded. This report also responds to requests from City Council in April 2025 (2025.EC19.5) to include information on what factors the Tribunal uses to determine severity and the criteria used to appoint Tribunal members. This report was developed in consultation with Legal Services and the City Clerk's Office.