After Montreal’s recent controversial decision to ban pit bulls and any pit bull type-breed in the city, one Cochrane veterinarian is voicing his concerns.
“Any large breed can be incredibly dangerous if they are bred that way, anyone can create a dog that is dangerous to society and banning a breed is not going to do anything,” said Dale Atkin, veterinarian at the Cochrane Veterinary Care Clinic.
“We do have a lot of pit bulls who come through the clinic and they are really nice dogs, they are the biggest suckiest dogs you can meet … people have this false impression that pit bulls are bred to be killers and that is just not true for 90 per cent of them.”
Montreal city council voted on Sept. 27 with a 37-23 vote in favour of the new bylaw that included a ban on new ownership of pit bulls and pit-bull type dogs and anyone who owns a dog of that breed to acquire a special permit beginning Oct. 3. The decision came almost four months after a brutal dog attack claimed the life of a Montreal woman.
“Montreal’s law has a number of problems with it, that in reality will just enhance the problem – it will lead to euthanizing a lot of healthy dogs and a lot of healthy animals will die,” Atkin said.
“Pit bull isn’t even a specific breed, there is no fixed definition to what qualifies as a pit bull.”
The Cochrane animal services bylaw officers reported 11 dog bites in Cochrane last year with the majority of bites from shepherd-crosses and no reported bites from any of the pit bull breeds – six of the bites were from large dogs and five reported bites were from smaller dogs.
After the announcement of the ban, the Cochrane & Area Humane Society stepped up saying it will offer assistance to the shelters.
“We're obviously disappointed that this is the decision they decided to make. We feel strongly that it is irresponsible owners that should be targeted, not specific breeds.” Jaimie Anton, the society’s fund development officer, explained in a press release.
“It's disappointing that these municipalities still do not understand dog behaviour better. There is also great difficulty in accurately determining breeds by appearances. We will offer our assistance to help the shelters. We’re willing to help out with behaviourally sound dogs, regardless of the breed.”
In response to the ban, the Montreal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals filed a lawsuit the day after the vote. The Humane Society International also obtained the registration from the owner of the dog that killed the women, which states his dog was not a pit bull but a boxer.
“(The ban) won’t be successful in the underlying goal of public safety – if you are trying to create a dog that looks cool or mean, people will just create them from other breeds,” Atkin said.
“The solution is public education and responsible dog ownership … people need to be able to identify behaviour before it becomes a problem – that is where education stands to make a difference.”
At press time, the Quebec Superior Court suspended the Montreal pit-bull ban on Monday until Wednesday when Justice Louis Gouin was set to make a ruling on Oct. 5.
FACTBOX
According to the new bylaw that has been passed by Montreal city council, pit bull is defined as:
Staffordshire bull terriers.
American pit bull terriers.
American Staffordshire terriers.
Any mix with these breeds.
Any dog that presents characteristics of one of those breeds.
