Dogs taken from Regina property, neighbours want pigeons removed

John Dubois has photos and videos of problems he says he has had with his neighbour dating back years.

But his biggest concern is the animals living on the property.

Dubois claims his neighbour, Gordon Loucks, has around 150 pigeons and at one point had nearly two dozen cats and dogs.

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“The smell was just rancid,” he said. “Every time he opened his window, his doors or walked by it was so bad. So, the conditions got poor.”

John Dubois, Tiffany Kleppe and her daughter have all run into problems with their neighbour. (980 CJME)

According to the Regina Humane Society (RHS), the number of pets a person may have in Regina is not restricted.

On Nov. 1, Animal Protective Services and the Regina Police Service (RPS) visited the home.

RPS could confirm that is had been called to the property at least once since Dec. 4, but the visit did not result in any charges. It could not comment further on a reason for the call saying it would be a breach of privacy.

According to Dubois, multiple dogs were taken away.

Video from John Dubois:

“They took all the dogs out of the property,” he said. “Now they’re gone, and we’re happy. It’s quiet, it’s peaceful.”

RHS sent out a news release the evening of Oct. 31, stating they received an “unprecedented number of puppies needing homes.”

However, it would not confirm if these animals were from the home of Loucks.

“While RHS Animal Protection Officers are involved in this investigation, as it is still open we are not able to comment on it,” RHS said in an email.

Dubois claims that around 10 kennels full of dogs and puppies were taken from his neighbour’s property. (John Dubois/Submitted)

Prior to this, Dubois and other neighbours say they dealt with constant barking and whines from dogs inside the home.

Tiffany Kleppe lives in the same home as Dubois but in a separate unit.

She’s been there for 12 years and said things are only getting worse.

“There was always animals, but they were outside,” Kleppe explained. “These dogs were never outside. So in the amount of time he’s had this house, the amount of animals that started to pile up in there.

“I want to say it was about 20 to 30 in that house alone. And numerous types of dogs — big dogs, little dogs, wiener dogs, whatever, and cats. There’s an animal hoarding issue.”

Now that the dogs are off the property, Dubois and Kleppe hope something can be done about the pigeons.

“The City (of Regina) hasn’t done anything. He claims the birds are feral,” Dubois said.

The pigeons live on Dubois’ neighbour’s roof and in a bird coop in his backyard. (John Dubois/submitted)

980 CJME made contact with Loucks but he would not provide comment for this story. However, Loucks said he felt he was being targeted by his neighbours.

According to the city, “as per The Domestic Pigeon Control Bylaw 7640, no person shall keep more than a total of 90 pigeons, racing pigeons or show pigeons and of that number no more than 50 of such pigeons shall be over the age of 1 month.”

The city would not reveal whether it had received compaints about the address nor would it confirm whether Loucks was in breach of any bylaw.

The City said it issues notices of non-compliance when it has determined that a property owner is in violation of the bylaw but would not confirm details of specific complaints about a property due to confidentiality reasons.

To read the full bylaw click here.

In 2017, the City of Regina asked Loucks to remove his pigeons. At the time, he claimed all the pigeons weren’t his.

Kleppe said the smell and droppings from the pigeons are awful.

“There’s pigeon poop all over the roof of my house,” she said. “It’s all over our cars. It’s on my fence right here. And the smell of the pigeons when it rains or when it’s warm out is horrific.”

The home where Dubois and Kleppe live uses an HVAC system that brings the air outside in, and Kleppe says that has to be turned off because the smell comes into the house.

Pigeons at the back of Loucks’ property. Kleppe said she has seen multiple dead pigeons in the area over the years. (John Dubois/submitted)

She often thinks about moving away but knows that won’t solve the problem.

Dubois is vocal about the problem because he wants to help everyone involved, including the multiple neighbours who have complained and all the animals.

RHS is under a contract with the City of Regina to provide animal impound and enforcement of the city’s animal bylaws pertaining to companion animals. It deals with issues like animals at large, dangerous animals and defecation complaints.

RHS is the provincial government-appointed agency that provides enforcement of the Animal Protection Act of Saskatchewan within the City of Regina.  This legislation deals with issues such as animal abuse and cruelty.

Read more:

• Saskatoon animal rescue ordered to pay $27,500 for defamatory Facebook posts
• Holiday miracle: Lost dog Bella found in Saskatoon after 5 days in the cold
• WATCH: Aggressive pack of dogs has Allan mayor ‘panicking’