Pit bull ban 'sad day' for dog owners
Pit bull ban 'sad day' for dog owners
In the words of the esteemed lawyer Clayton Ruby, Oct. 24 was a "sad day" indeed for all dog owners and non-dog owners alike in Ontario.
The Ontario Court of Appeal overturned a move to repeal Ontario's Bill 132, which bans pit bulls in the province. Under the ban, "restricted" pit bulls are those who were born (and living in Ontario) before Nov. 27, 2005. These dogs can be kept by their owners but must be sterilized and muzzled and leashed at all times when in public.
All other dogs of this type must be euthanized, sent out of province or sent to animal testing facilities. It also states that officers (police, municipal bylaw enforcement and animal control) can enter the premises of an owner, without a warrant, and remove the dog if the laws are not being met. Fines include up to $10,000, jail time and/or extermination of the animal.
Due to lack of education, media hype and bias, pit bulls have become the most misunderstood breed in history. I believe a great deal of clarification on both pit bulls and this legislation is necessary in light of the fact that the majority of the general public could not identify a pit bull.
In fact, when this ban was proposed by the attorney general (Michael Bryant) in 2004, he could not identify this breed amongst 26 other breeds. The vast majority, more than 75 per cent, of experts including veterinarians, behaviorists and animal support workers were opposed to this ban.
The term pit bull is often given to three different breeds of dogs: the American pit bull terrier, Staffordshire bull terrier and American Staffordshire terrier.
Bill 132, however, applies to these three breeds as well as any dog that has traits which are "substantially similar" to these breeds. This could therefore apply to boxers, mastiffs, ridge-backs, bull dogs, cane corsos, Rottweilers and numerous other breeds and mixed-breeds that have some similar traits. A stocky mixed breed dog, a Labrador retriever and bulldog combination for example, would fit into this category. A Lab with a short statue and definition of muscle tone would also fit the stereotype.
Furthermore, the burden of proof has now been reversed, leaving it in the hands of the owner, not the court, to prove that their dog is not a pit bull.
The media are largely to blame for the misconceptions surrounding these wonderful dogs. Tales of attacks on humans, by 150-pound pit bulls with locking jaws, circulate throughout the papers on a regular basis. The reality is that the average American Pit Bull Terrier is 65 lbs and there is no physiological structure in any dog's jaw that would allow it to lock.
The fighting history of pit bulls is largely what supports the hype around these dogs. There is, however, a huge difference between animal and human aggression. They were bred to fight other dogs and therefore should and can be socialized and trained with other animals. Aggression towards humans was actually bred out of fighting dogs. Any dog that could not be pulled out of a fight by a human or bathed by the opponents owner (to ensure no poison was placed on the dog's fur) was a bad fighting dog.accurate dog bite statistics. Generally, the larger the population of a dog breed, the more bites there will be by that breed.
Dog bite reports, however, do not even list pit bulls in the top five breeds that bite, yet according to the National Canine Research Council "a fatal dog attack by a non-pit bull is much The reality is that there are no accurate dog bite statistics. Generally, the larger the population of a dog breed, the more bites there will be by that breed.
Dog bite reports, however, do not even list pit bulls in the top five breeds that bite, yet according to the National Canine Research Council "a fatal dog attack by a non-pit bull is much less newsworthy than a non-fatal attack by a pit bull."
It has been estimated that less than one per cent of dog attacks are by pit bulls, and over 90 per cent of these are by unaltered males, however, over 90 per cent of media coverage on dog attacks are about pit bulls. Ignorance is fed by media horror stories in spite of the fact that in dog temperament tests, these three breeds scored an average of 83 per cent, six per cent higher than the overall average of all breeds of 77 per cent.
Breed specific legislation does not result in fewer dog attacks. It is discriminatory, punishes good dogs and their owners, and does nothing to deal with the problem of dogs that have proven to be dangerous. The same people continue to raise, abuse, neglect and own dogs.
The city of Winnipeg noticed a sharp increase in attacks after they put a ban in place, as did the Netherlands who recently reversed their 15-year ban because it was ineffective. The city of Peterborough reported an increase in dog attacks recently.
All dog owners need to be responsible for all dogs. There needs to be stricter punishment for bad dog owners, and more restrictions on ownership, such as mandatory sterilization for non-breeders and training. This bill is very costly and the money would be more effective if it was spent on education, dog bite prevention and dangerous dog controls which do not deal with breed specifics. We should be safe from dog attacks by any breed.
For more information on BSL and pit bulls go to the Owen Sound Animal Shelter website and check out the Hush, Silence the Rumours Campaign ( www.bmts.com/~osas/osas.html).
Other information can be found at the sites below:
www.advocatesfortheunderdog.com/main.html
www.bannedaid.com/www. nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/research.asp
www.goodpooch.com/Media-Briefs/blackpaper/blackpaper.htm
www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1188327
www.atts.org/stats4.html
www.defend-a-bull.com/ontariopitbullban.html
www.torontohumanesociety.com/
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