(h/t to Ian for this story)
From The Record Dog owner pleads case to save pet’s life:
Jack Simpson walked into City Hall on Monday morning to plead for his dog’s life.
Last month Simpson’s dog Charlie was designated as a banned animal by the Kitchener Waterloo Humane Society. A designated dog must be destroyed.
Simpson appeared before the city’s Dog Designation Appeal Committee, saying his Charlie never bothered anyone.
...
But mainly because of the size of the dog’s head Carroll [humane society officer] designated Charlie a Pit Bull-like animal that was banned and would have to be destroyed.
Luckily for Charlie, Simpson was able to convince the Committee to give him back his dog.
Kitchener Waterloo was the first jurisdiction in Ontario to bring in a Pit Bull ban leading the way for an all Ontario ban.
From Canadian Kennel Club, Public Hearings into Ontario's Proposed Bill 132:
Dr Gary Goeree of the Animal Hospital of Kitchener-Waterloo gave a powerful presentation. Heavily involved in the Kitchener-Waterloo By Law application, he provided an overview of the process followed to enact the By Law. Council banned "pit bulls" in 1997 as a result of one veterinarian bringing to Council the following: - "Pit Bulls" are the leading cause of bites, chemically they have a different brain from other dogs, they have a 2000psi jaw pressure and are number 1 in dog bite fatalities. Research thereafter proved that ?pitbull? ranked well down the bite scale, immediately behind Poodles; a board certified neurologist confirms that there is no study and has never been a study noting any thought of a chemical difference in the brain of a "pitbull" vis-à-vis any other dog; no study has proven the 2000 psi thought this has been media generated; regarding dog bite fatalities, fatalities tend to be in proportion to the breeds numbers in any country and for a time the "pit bull" comprising four breeds as denoted in the US was #1 but then the focus moved to other breeds. In 1997 there was no good evidence that "pit bulls" were more dangerous than other dogs. When asking the Kitchener paper why they reported only "pitbull" bites, the editor responded, "They make news". Dr Goeree notes that Kitchener-Waterloo's By Law is not a success story. It is an experiment that was a mistake and is not based on fact. It is not and experiment that should be repeated Province-wide. When asked about the Calgary By Law, Dr Goeree responded, In January this year I presented to Kitchener Council the methods to toughen up dangerous dog legislation. Waterloo bite statistics have not dropped since BSL was invoked.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
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13 comments:
I'm from KW and have worked/volunteered for their Humane Society. They don't put dogs down very often for the BSL in the city (not that I know of any way), they often try to get the dogs adopted out of the city (this was before the province wide ban).
I remember a time when some moron had adopted a Pit from THS and brought their newly adopted dog home to Kitchener, the person wen to register the dog and the dog was sent back to THS. Shame on the THS and that person for not knowing the laws here. Ignorance is not an excuse.
My mom's friend have a runty mastiff mix (60lbs or so) that looks very pit/boxer-like, I have told them to always watch their backs when walking their dog cuz one false move could get their dog destroyed.
It sucks that this is the reality in Ontario now, it was hard enough living in a pit0hating city, now the whole province is against them.
KW wanted to kill the dog because of the size of his head? A dog that has never done anything wrong?
Can we dispense with the pinhead politicians instead?
I work at TAS and we do check which area they live....As shelter workers there should be a master list of ban areas
james
Thanks for the h/t
I don`t quite understand why a dog that could be adopted out by THS wouldn`t be allowed to live in Kitchener?
Are dogs that they call pit bulls not allowed in Kitchener at all even if they`re muzzled?
Ian, it's very hard to understand the THS at the best of times.
According to the anti-Pit Bull law, no Pit Bulls under a certain age are allowed in the province (ie. Pit Bulls that were here before the ban are allowed to stay but no new ones, either imported or born here are allowed). Charlie was obviously underage.
The KW ban states that pits can be granfathered in but the law was passed back in 1997, and most of the grandfathered pits here are dead from old age.
No pit bulls are allowed in Kitchener unless they have been here before 1997, even if they are muzzled and in compliance with the provincial by-law.
I guess they`re not coming to their senses then.
Wonder what kind of precedent at law that sets and what Clayton Ruby would make of it....
I was just wondering something.
If dog(s) are declared not to be pit bulls in a certain area,are they safe to go anywhere in Ontario or could the Owner get in trouble in another area?
ie Could the Sarnia dogs live in Kitchener or could they get charged again?
Fred..have a read...very heartwarming....I think everyone might enjoy it http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1930475_1968031,00.html
Joanne.
Ian, it sounds to me like just because one jurisdiction okays a dog, it doesn't mean that other jurisdictions have to follow suit.
Joanne, those photos are fabulous. Thanks. I'll post a link.
The provincial "pit bull" ban can be overridden by a more restrictive municipal prohibition. So if a dog is grandfathered under the provincial legislation, it may still be prohibited in a municipality with more restrictive legislation.
See section 11 in the Ontario Dog Owners' Liability Act.
Municipal by-laws
11. Despite section 14 of the Municipal Act, 2001 and section 11 of the City of Toronto Act, 2006, if there is a conflict between a provision of this Act or of a regulation under this or any other Act relating to pit bulls and a provision of a by-law passed by a municipality relating to pit bulls, the provision that is the most restrictive in relation to controls or bans on pit bulls prevails.
http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/statutes/english/elaws_statutes_90d16_e.htm
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