Montreal passes pit bull ban

[Catherine]

The city of Montreal has just passed a pit bull ban. This is a reaction to a woman being killed in a brutal dog attack four months ago.
https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&...xWQp09gl3g

It is unfortunate that they have acted so quickly against one type of dog when the real problem is one type of owner.
A responsible owner would not have left the dog outside and certainly not outside without somehow tying it up. The dog already had a history of aggression.
Now because of that one owner many other pet owners will suffer and so will their dogs.

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&...DTewIxeO5A

Toronto passed a pit bull ban in 2005. It did reduce the number of dog bites by pit bulls. It hasn't reduced the number of dog bites, in fact they are on the rise.

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&...YaB2AcHaaQ

I don't know what can be done to stop dog bite incidents. What is clear is that breed bans are not the answer. I hope they can fight it in Montreal. I hope someday Toronto lifts the ban.

[Tobi]

Yes this is hardly fair. Any dog can be aggressive whether a pit bull or not. I have just been trying to talk to a lady elsewhere who is considering having her Shar Pei put to sleep for aggression problems. She loves that dog, but she has not been well managed over the years and has developed bad habits. I have implored her to find a good behaviourist in her area before having the dog put to sleep, as she is otherwise fit and well and the family love her.

It is sad that people will consider the ban and euthanasia options before they will explore how to rehabilitate a dog with aggression issues.

Pit bulls or not....all dogs need responsible handling.

I wonder what the implications of the ban will be. Will Pit Bull owners be forced to have their dogs euthanised? That is so terribly sad.

[Catherine]

A number of shelters in Alberta intend to take Montreal pit bull when the ban goes into effect.

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&...AIM0xEV6UQ

The Montreal bylaw seems very harsh. It does allow people to keep their pets under certain conditions. The shelter dogs however will have to be removed from the area.  Alberta is a long way to send them, but at least they will have a chance. Right now Toronto sends its pit bulls to Montreal. We will have to find another place to send them.

It is frustrating because it is clear from the statistics that breed specific bans don't work.

[Tobi]

Well at least with dedicated effort, those dogs will find some hope for their future, and be re-located. Let's hope those shelters are "no kill" shelters!

But they are still torn from their families, and their families from them. That is heartbreaking. Very few people will have the option to move home for the sake of their dog.

[Catherine]

This whole thing is such a reaction to one dog incident. It was tragic because the woman was killed. However the real problem was a careless owner. The dogs in question were known to be aggressive and he still left them alone outside. They should never have been able to get loose.

Picture the same thing with a gun that was left unlocked and  someone was killed by it, a child perhaps. Using the same thinking we would rush to ban all guns and make it against the law to own them. That never happens. If someone is killed by a gun, some pro-gun group will take over the situation and hold rallies and find reasons why guns are not a problem. Yet more people are killed by guns than dogs.

Smoking kills millions and yet it is not illegal to sell or possess tobacco products.

So why is there such a strong reaction against pit bulls.

Many dog bite incidents are the fault of the owners. Many are the fault of the people who do not know how to approach a dog.
A lot of incidents are the result of leaving a child alone with a dog, especially a large dog. Common sense should tell you not to leave a child alone with a dog, even if the child knows the dog. The child will not understand that this dog is not like their pet who knows them. Children get away with things with their own dog because the dog is protective of them. A strange  dog may just be protecting itself when it nips.

I think the shelters in Alberta are all good. Most of our shelters are no kill.  Certainly the ones who have offered to take pit bulls would be no kill. That is why they are making the offer. They do not want any pit bulls to die.