Dog laws & rules in Hong Kong and Canada

No one may keep a dog over five months old without a licence from the Director of AFCD. A licence is only granted if the dog has been vaccinated against rabies within the previous three years, and every vaccinated dog must carry a microchip. In practice the microchip, the jab and the licence are done together in one visit of about 15 minutes, and the licence is issued on the spot.

Where: AFCD Animal Management Centres and dog inoculation centres, authorised private veterinary clinics, and SPCA centres. Keeping an unlicensed dog is an offence with a fine of up to HK$10,000 (level 3). From June 2026 AFCD has been running random checks, scanning dogs for a microchip.

Is there an owner licence test?

No. There is no owner licence test in Hong Kong; the licence is for the dog, not the owner. Nothing in the Rabies Regulation, on AFCD's site or in any Legislative Council reply describes an examination, certificate or licence that a person must pass before keeping a dog.

Three things that do exist and sometimes get mistaken for one:

• The Large Dog Exemption Examination — a voluntary AFCD test of a dog's temperament and of the walker's control over it (a 160 m off-leash circuit with strangers, a recall and another dog). A dog that passes gets a medal and certificate and, per AFCD, may be off-leash in public if it stays within a distance the walker can readily bring it under control and the medal is on its collar. The exemption is described on AFCD's site; we could not find it spelled out in Cap. 167D itself, so treat it as AFCD practice and confirm with them.
• AFCD dog obedience training courses, run from time to time and booked through pets.gov.hk.
• AFCD's own six-question "Before getting a dog" self-check — the official version of the self-check on this site.

Large dogs (20 kg and over)

A "large dog" is any dog weighing 20 kg or more that is not a fighting dog or a known dangerous dog. In a public place a large dog must be securely held on a leash of no more than 2 metres by a person, or tied to a fixed object on a leash of no more than 1.5 metres in a way that is safe for people, animals and the dog. There is no muzzle requirement for a large dog.

"Public place" includes the common parts of any building, development or estate with more than one flat — lobbies, corridors, lifts, podium gardens. The 2 m rule does not apply in country parks and special areas, or while the dog is swimming at sea, though the dog must still be under control there. Breaking the rule carries a fine of up to HK$25,000 (level 4) and 3 months' imprisonment.

Getting around with a dog

MTR: By-law 28 bans animals on railway premises except a guide dog with a blind person, unless the Corporation allows otherwise. The one standing exception is Light Rail, where a monthly Cat/Dog Carrying Pass (HK$99) lets you travel with a pet fully enclosed in a carrier on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. Franchised buses likewise carry only guide dogs.

Country parks: dogs are allowed as long as they are kept under control, and the 2 m large-dog leash rule does not apply there — but AFCD asks that you keep the dog within sight and be able to control it by command, gesture or leash. In the LCSD's Inclusive Parks for Pets, dogs must be on a leash and under proper control.

Fighting dogs — the four listed types

Schedule 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Regulation lists four types and any cross involving them. The names below are as written in the legislation:

• Any dog of the type known as the Pit Bull Terrier
• Any dog of the type known as the Japanese Tosa
• Any dog of the type known as the Dogo Argentino
• Any dog of the type known as the Fila Braziliero (the statute's spelling; usually written Fila Brasileiro)
• Any cross involving any of the above

For these dogs it is an offence to:

• Import one into Hong Kong — fine up to HK$50,000 (level 5) and 6 months' imprisonment.
• Keep one unless it has been neutered, with a veterinary certificate to prove it — same penalty.
• Breed one, or breed from one — same penalty.
• Take one into a public place without both a secure muzzle and a leash of no more than 1.5 m held by a person — fine up to HK$25,000 (level 4) and 6 months.
• Fail to fit the identification the Director specifies: a collar at least 1.5 cm wide with a bright yellow background and at least four red diagonal stripes, and a microchip.

AFCD restated these arrangements in September 2026. If you are thinking about a dog of one of these types, or an unknown cross that might be, talk to AFCD before you commit.

Known dangerous dogs

Any dog, of any breed or size, can be classified as a "known dangerous dog" by a magistrate's order. The grounds are that, without provocation, the dog has killed or seriously injured a person or a domestic animal (in a public place or not), or that it has a history of repeatedly attacking people or putting them in fear of attack.

Once classified, the dog must be neutered within 90 days, must wear a muzzle and be on a leash of no more than 1.5 m in any public place, and must carry the specified identification. Breaching an order is punishable by a fine of up to HK$25,000 (level 4) and 3 months' imprisonment.

Public rental housing (Housing Authority). Keeping a dog inside a PRH flat without the Housing Authority's prior written consent is prohibited. The HA says it will in general not approve dog-keeping; conditional approval may be considered in special situations — guide dogs for tenants with visual or hearing disabilities, and companion dogs for tenants who need one for mental-health support with documentation from a medical practitioner or psychologist. Small dogs that were already in a flat before 1 August 2003 were allowed to stay under a one-off "Temporary Permission Rule" until the dog's natural death.

Under the Marking Scheme for Estate Management Enforcement, keeping an animal in a flat without written consent scores 5 penalty points; a household that reaches 16 points within two years faces a notice to quit. In April 2025 the Government told the Legislative Council it has no plan to relax the policy to let all PRH tenants register newly acquired dogs.

Private estates and buildings. There is no territory-wide law about keeping dogs in private flats. What applies is your building's Deed of Mutual Covenant and house rules, and your tenancy agreement if you rent. Some estates prohibit dogs, some cap size or number, many say nothing. Read the DMC and ask the management office before you commit — and keep the 2 m large-dog rule in mind, because the lobby and the lift count as public places.

The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance (Cap. 169) makes it an offence to cruelly beat, kick, ill-treat, torture, infuriate or terrify an animal, to cause unnecessary suffering by doing or failing to do something, to fail to supply sufficient food and fresh water, to fight or bait an animal, or to keep an animal in a way that may cause it needless or avoidable suffering. The maximum penalty is a fine of HK$200,000 and 3 years' imprisonment.

The Government has been reviewing the Ordinance — a positive duty of care and higher penalties have been discussed — but as of September 2026 no amendment has been enacted; the last change was in 2018.

A dog may not be brought into Hong Kong — imported or in transit — without a Special Permit obtained in advance from AFCD (HK$432 for a single animal). AFCD groups countries by rabies risk. Canada is in Group II, so a dog from Canada may be exempted from quarantine if it fully meets the permit conditions: at least 5 months old, continuously resident in Canada for 180 days or since birth, microchipped, and vaccinated against rabies between 30 days and one year before export. Dogs from other places may face quarantine; check AFCD's page for the country you are coming from.

Cruelty: section 445.1 of the Criminal Code makes it an offence to wilfully cause — or as owner wilfully permit — unnecessary pain, suffering or injury to an animal. On indictment the maximum is five years' imprisonment; on summary conviction, a fine of up to $10,000 and/or up to two years less a day.

Bringing a dog into Canada: a personal pet dog (one that will live with you and is not for resale, adoption, breeding or show) needs a valid rabies vaccination certificate — the dog must have been at least 3 months old when vaccinated — and must look healthy and be transported humanely. Since 28 September 2022, commercial dogs from countries at high risk for dog rabies cannot enter Canada at all. Going the other way, the US CDC has applied its own rules to every dog entering the United States since 1 August 2024, and your dog still needs its Canadian paperwork to come home.

Ontario

Ontario Court of Justice order under DOLA s. 4 — control measures or destruction

British Columbia

Animal control officer may seize; Provincial Court order to destroy (Community Charter s. 49)

Alberta

Complaint to a justice under the Dangerous Dogs Act — order to keep properly or destroy

Quebec

Municipality may declare a dog "potentially dangerous" after a vet assessment; euthanasia order after a death or serious injury

Manitoba

Municipal by-law; cruelty under The Animal Care Act

Saskatchewan

Complaint heard by a Provincial Court judge or JP; up to $10,000, 6 months, destruction order (The Municipalities Act)

Nova Scotia

Municipal by-law; warrant to seize a fierce or dangerous dog (MGA s. 176)

New Brunswick

Municipal by-law under the Local Governance Act

Newfoundland and Labrador

Complaint to a Provincial Court judge (AHPA ss. 35–36)

Prince Edward Island

Provincial Court judge may declare a dog dangerous and order measures

Yukon

Under the Animal Protection and Control Act and regulations

Northwest Territories

Complaint to a justice of the peace; destruction order possible (Dog Act s. 21)

Nunavut

Complaint to a justice of the peace; destruction order possible (Dog Act s. 10)

Ontario is the only province with a breed ban. Under the Dog Owners' Liability Act (DOLA), "pit bull" includes a pit bull terrier, a Staffordshire bull terrier, an American Staffordshire terrier, an American pit bull terrier, and any dog whose appearance and physical characteristics are substantially similar to those. No one may own, breed, transfer, import into Ontario, or train for fighting a pit bull, or let one stray.

Dogs that were already owned in Ontario when the 2005 amendment came into force, or born in Ontario within 90 days after it, are "restricted pit bulls" and may be kept. A restricted pit bull must be sterilised and, whenever it is off its owner's property, muzzled and on a leash of no more than 1.8 m (O. Reg. 157/05).

For any dog, a proceeding can be brought in the Ontario Court of Justice if it has bitten or attacked a person or domestic animal, behaved in a way that poses a menace, or the owner failed to take reasonable precautions. If the court agrees on the balance of probabilities, it may order the dog destroyed or order control measures — confinement, leash, muzzle, warning signs. Offences under the Act carry a fine of up to $10,000 and/or six months' imprisonment ($60,000 for a corporation), and the owner is strictly liable in civil law for damage from a bite or attack.

Welfare: the Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act, 2019 prohibits causing or permitting an animal to be in distress and sets standards of care. Licensing is municipal — in Toronto every dog must be registered and tagged (Municipal Code Ch. 349; $25 a year if sterilised, $60 if not, half price for owners 65+), and off your property a dog must be on a leash of no more than 2 m except in designated park areas.

BC's provincial rule is section 49 of the Community Charter (and the matching s. 324.1 of the Vancouver Charter). A "dangerous dog" is one that has killed or seriously injured a person, or a domestic animal while off its owner's property, or that an animal control officer has reasonable grounds to believe is likely to kill or seriously injure a person. The definition is entirely about behaviour; the provincial statute names no breed. An animal control officer may seize a dog they reasonably believe is dangerous and may apply to the Provincial Court for an order that it be destroyed.

Everything else is municipal: the Community Charter gives councils the power to regulate, prohibit and impose requirements in relation to animals, so leash rules, licence fees and any local breed rule are in your city's by-law. In Vancouver every dog over 3 months needs a licence ($68 a year; $222 for a dog designated aggressive; $10 late penalty). Cruelty is covered by the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, which the BC SPCA enforces.

Alberta's Dangerous Dogs Act is three sections long. A justice may hear a complaint that a dog has bitten or tried to bite a person and direct that it be destroyed, or hear a complaint that a dog is dangerous and not kept under proper control and order it to be kept properly or destroyed. It contains no breed provisions. The Municipal Government Act lets councils pass by-laws on wild and domestic animals, which is where licensing, leashes and any local dangerous-dog rules live. The Animal Protection Act prohibits causing or permitting an animal to be in distress.

Calgary's current Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw is 47M2021, in force since 1 January 2022 (it replaced 23M2006). Every dog needs a licence from 3 months old — $44–45 a year if spayed or neutered, $70–71 if not.

Quebec is the other province with province-wide dog rules, but it chose the opposite route to Ontario: when Bill 128 was adopted in 2018 the Government dropped the provisions targeting breed or type of dog, citing the lack of scientific consensus, and Montreal now states that no breed or type — pit bull included — is banned. The Act to promote the protection of persons by establishing a framework with regard to dogs (P-38.002) and its regulation, in force since 3 March 2020, apply everywhere and are enforced by each municipality.

The rules: register your dog with your municipality within 30 days of getting it, of moving there, or of the dog turning 3 months, and pay the annual fee the municipality sets. In public a dog must be under the control of someone capable of controlling it and on a leash of no more than 1.85 m (except in a dog run); a dog of 20 kg or more must also wear a halter or harness attached to the leash.

A municipality with reasonable grounds to think a dog is a risk may require a veterinary examination and, on the vet's report, declare the dog "potentially dangerous" — it must tell the owner first and hear them. A declared dog must wear a basket muzzle in public and be on a leash of no more than 1.25 m. Where a dog has bitten or attacked someone and caused death or serious injury, the municipality must order it euthanised. Fines run from $250 to $10,000 for an individual depending on the breach, doubled where a declared dog is involved. Welfare is covered by the Animal Welfare and Safety Act (B-3.1), which recognises animals as sentient beings.

• Prince Edward Island repealed its Dog Act on 1 November 2025. The new Dog Owners Act requires a licence from 6 months, forbids dogs at large and lets a Provincial Court judge declare a dog dangerous — but its licence and at-large parts apply only outside municipalities, which keep their own by-laws.
• Yukon's Animal Protection and Control Act came into force on 5 April 2024, repealing the old Dog Act, Pounds Act and Animal Protection Act together.
• Winnipeg still prohibits bringing an American Pit Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier or American Staffordshire Terrier into the city under its Responsible Pet Ownership By-law — a municipal rule; Manitoba's provincial law has no breed ban but expressly allows by-laws that differentiate by breed.
• Nova Scotia and New Brunswick likewise let municipalities define "fierce or dangerous" dogs by breed; whether any of them have done so is a question for the municipality.