Ontario has had a Pit Bull ban since 2005. Specifically Pit Bull Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers and American Pit Bull Terriers are all banned. The legislation also says any dog "that has an appearance and physical characteristics that are substantially similar to those" four kinds of dogs are also banned.
https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ford-governme...-1.5653832
That last sentence is a problem. The idea of banning a dog for looking similar to a banned breed is subject to a lot of misuse. What constitutes similar is highly subjective. If you really know your dog breeds you see the differences. You don't mistake a bully for a pit bull. Someone who is out there trying to rid the area of banned breeds sees every dog as similar. This latest case where a Bully was held for 22 days as a pit bull has finally tested the law. The premier has stepped in and the dog has been released. The actual pit bull ban could be repealed soon.
The breed specific ban didn't protect people. All it did was harm dogs that had done nothing wrong. It gave people a false sense of safety around dogs. Dog bite incidents have still happened. Many dogs that are not pit bulls have been wrongly targeted. It would be a good thing if the ban was removed. There has been a push to make that happen. This time it is possible. There is an election coming up and things tend to get done in pre-election times.
This won't bring back dogs that were wrongly targeted, but it could save dogs in the future.
https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ford-governme...-1.5653832
That last sentence is a problem. The idea of banning a dog for looking similar to a banned breed is subject to a lot of misuse. What constitutes similar is highly subjective. If you really know your dog breeds you see the differences. You don't mistake a bully for a pit bull. Someone who is out there trying to rid the area of banned breeds sees every dog as similar. This latest case where a Bully was held for 22 days as a pit bull has finally tested the law. The premier has stepped in and the dog has been released. The actual pit bull ban could be repealed soon.
The breed specific ban didn't protect people. All it did was harm dogs that had done nothing wrong. It gave people a false sense of safety around dogs. Dog bite incidents have still happened. Many dogs that are not pit bulls have been wrongly targeted. It would be a good thing if the ban was removed. There has been a push to make that happen. This time it is possible. There is an election coming up and things tend to get done in pre-election times.
This won't bring back dogs that were wrongly targeted, but it could save dogs in the future.
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Catherine
