Pitted Against

In City Pulse24

Pitted Against

Clayton Ruby believes one Ontario law’s bark is worse than its bite. And he’s anxious to get it struck down.

The prominent attorney was front and centre in a Toronto courtroom Monday, presenting an open challenge to the province’s pit bull law.

The legislation was brought in by Attorney General Michael Bryant last year after a series of widely publicized attacks by the animals.But Ruby insists the rules are blatantly unfair and unconstitutional and he believes he can prove it to the satisfaction of any judge.

“The Attorney General says it is okay to ban an entire breed to protect the public,” he notes. “We think it is opposite. "

Bad dogs are made by bad people. Some really want angry, vicious dogs. And if you ban them from possessing pit bulls, they will move to Rottweilers or Shepherds or Huskies.

“This legislation can't work. It will not protect. There is no end to the list. This legislation cannot protect, and the Attorney General does not want to accept that.”

He also complains there are so many similar looking pets around, it’s hard for even the experts to tell what classifies as a pit bull and what falls into another category altogether.

Bryant’s response? The law is good, it’s fair and it’s the right thing to do.

“I'm confident we will pass constitutional scrutiny when the time comes,” he insists.

But it appears certain the rules are as divisive now as they were when they passed last year.

“Dogs, regardless of the breed that are good-natured, should not be muzzled, as it gives the public a very bad opinion,” maintains owner Anne Matthews.

“And when you're walking down the street and you have a muzzle on the dog, they'll cross the street.”

But for Louise Ellis, whose daughter was attacked by a pit bull last year, the ban is not only necessary, but a lifesaver.

“They don't understand what it's like to be attacked by one of these dogs, you know,” she complains. “A dog bite is one thing. A pit bull attack is another.”

The law forces current owners of pit bulls to muzzle their dogs in public, sterilize them, and won’t allow any more to be brought into the province. The penalty for this dog disobedience: huge fines and even jail time.

But the muzzle may not be coming off the animals anytime soon.

While Ruby finished his arguments in court on Monday, and the Crown gets its own shot when the session reconvenes in the morning, it’s expected the judge will reserve her decision. And it could be a while before we hear anything either way.