The Montreal Pit Bull Ban Is Officially In Effect

pit-bull

Last Thursday, The Quebec Court of Appeals revoked the suspension on the proposed Pit Bull ban in Montreal. The ban would prevent people from buying or adopting Pit Bull Terriers of any type that are not already in their possession.  The law requires Pit Bull type dogs to be leashed and muzzled when outdoors, be supervised by someone over the age of 18, and for their owners to pay a $150 fee for a permit.

The law is officially in effect now, but permits will not be mandatory immediately.

The ban was drafted in September after a Pit Bull mauled a woman to death.  A Quebec man arrived at his house in Montreal to see a dog outside “wrestling with a large object”. Reports say he originally dismissed the tussle, thinking it was playful, until he saw human hair.

“It was hard to see, but I knew it was a woman’s body…I saw blood, and the dog was still attacking her”.

In the US and Canada, Pit Bulls are ranked number 1 in most fatal attacks on humans to date resulting in 233 deaths. In attacks that have caused injuries, 2,235 are attributed to the breed as well. Coming in second and far behind are Rottweilers, who have resulted in 81 human deaths and 495 attacks causing injuries.

“We’re happy with the decision,” Mayor Denis Coderre said in a statement, “it’s an important victory that proves the soundness of the regulation”.

The law was suspended on October 5th by a Superior Court Judge Louis Gouin after the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals challenged the ban in court.

The SPCA believed the measures were “too vague and arbitrary” and would lead to the abandonment or euthanization of many dogs. The organization said that it was disappointed with the verdict and “vowed to continue its efforts to fight the discriminatory and punitive provisions.”

ARE PIT BULLS REALLY MORE DANGEROUS THAN OTHER DOGS?

It’s hard to say just how many Pit Bulls there are in the US and Canada, but Dogsbite.org claim that Pit Bulls make up 5% of the dog population in the US and account for a third of all dog bite related fatalities.

However, the American Pitbull Foundation would argue that the problem is “with people, not Pit Bulls”. They state that statistics can be misleading, as you are “looking at a set of numbers without explanation”.

They state that Pit Bulls are “rated highly by the American Temperament Test Society”, and that the breed is routinely “mis-identified” on reports.

Where do you stand on the issue? Please comment below and share this news!


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