Montreal Mayor Intends to Strengthen Pit Bull Ban Efforts
The ban on pit bull dogs in Montreal has been suspended, but Mayor Denis Coderre is redoubling his efforts to push the divisive act through.
“We will not yield to threats nor interest groups. We reconfirm our intention to ban pit bull type dogs from Montréal,” Corderre wrote on Oct. 6.
The mayor praised the city, the largest in Quebec, for setting high standards in respecting animals’ lives and well-being. However, citing “serious attacks against people by dogs, especially pit bulls and the sense of impunity that seems to prevail among many owners of dangerous dogs,” Corderre defended the ban.
Nana the Earless Pibble has taken to Facebook in support of Montreal pit bulls.
“My top priority will always be people and their safety. That is why we adopted a by-law concerning dangerous dogs and one in particular, the pit bull,” he wrote. “Pit bulls have been banned in numerous cities throughout Quebec, Ontario and around the world.”
The ban was met with worldwide protest when it went into effect on Monday, Oct. 3. Animal rights groups condemned Corderre’s actions, enough to prompt the Montreal SPCA to withdraw animal shelter service contracts with the city. Under the law, sheltered pit bulls would be euthanized and, if not permitted and muzzled in public, pet pit bulls could be taken from their families and euthanized as well.
“There is a huge problem with enforcement of breed-specific legislation because scientific studies have shown that it is impossible to identify breeds by simply looking at dogs, especially with mixed breeds, which are the vast majority of dogs people own,” SPCA lawyer Sophie Gaillard told the Montreal Gazette. “Even veterinarians and dog behaviour specialists can’t identify breeds that way, so to expect police officers and municipal inspectors to accomplish that task is just unrealistic.”
The CBC reported that a Quebec Superior Court judge suspended the ban on Wednesday, Oct. 5, pending a challenge by the SPCA. Adding to its hurdles, Judge Louis Gouin extended the suspension indefinitely, writing in his decision that, apart from being “written in haste,” the ban’s definition of a “pit bull-type dog” is excessively vague, and should be clarified given its ramifications.
“The challenge is to establish the limits of the very elastic definition of ‘pit bull-type dog’ and the court notes that, during the hearings, even the city has been unable to define those limits,”Judge Gouin wrote.
According to the CBC, Montreal lawyer René Cadieux indicated in court that the City of Montreal didn’t see much of a need to define pit bulls outside of instinct and inconsistent metaphor.
“If it walks like a duck, if it quacks like a duck, it’s got to be a duck,” Cadieux told the court. “It’s like pornography. You know it when you see it.”
Gaillard said the SPCA has asked to meet with Montreal city councillors on several occasions, according to the Montreal Gazette, but those requests have all been met with silence.
“This was an opportunity to really improve dangerous dog bylaws,” Gaillard told the Montreal Gazette, “and to look at what other means really work to reduce the risk of dog bites, and instead the city has gone ahead with this panic policy that will not be effective in terms of improving public safety.”
The SPCA faces a lengthy court battle and untold costs, but the fight for equal treatment of all breeds of dogs will continue in Montreal. To lend your support, follow this link or push the “Next” button to sign a petition urging Montreal Mayor Corderre, the city council, and the Premier of Quebec to forget the ban.
