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If the guy in this picture lived in Montreal, chances
are he's have to get rid of his dog, under
a bizarre and mean new city ordinance. |
UPDATE:
A judge on Monday temporarily suspended the loathsome Montreal pit bull band, pending an appeal by the SPCA.
It's unclear whether the law would be overturned. But the ordinance, which was to have begun Monday, is now not quite on yet.
The judge will decide Wednesday if the law's suspension should go on for the entire appeal.
We'll see.
PREVIOUS DISCUSSION
Back in June, a pit bull, or a dog that looked like a pit bull, mauled and killed a 55-year old Montreal woman.
This was obviously an enormous tragedy, and the owner of the dog that killed that woman must be held culpable for allowing a dangerous dog to do such a thing.
In response to this tragedy, the City Council and Mayor of Montreal have just done something that will create a tragedy of a different sort.
The new law could force the euthansia of thousands of perfectly safe, well behaved and loved dogs just because they are pit bulls or sort of, kinda look like pit bulls.
Owners of these dogs in Montreal must pass a criminal background check, pay hundreds of dollars in fees, muzzle the dogs and keep them on less than a four-foot leash anytime they are outdoors.
As the Montreal Gazette reports, the city of Montreal is yet to explain how it will determine what is a "pit bull type dog," how a person deemed to have this type of dog would appeal if the city rules against them, how it will enforce this ordinance, how residents with these dogs will prove they have no criminal record, what actually constitutes a criminal record.
Oh, and you have to take time off during a three hour window during the work week when thousands of other dog owners are trying to register their dogs. And if you don't register in a timely manner, you lose your dogs.
Sounds fair to me! Ugh.
Politicians always react to tragedy by "doing something, The horrified family of the woman called for all pit bulls to be banned, so the city acted. Of course, the City of Montreal is just making things much, much worse.
Most pit bulls, and dogs that look like that breed, are perfectly fine and safe. A few bad people train or neglect these dogs so that they can become dangerous and vicious. Shouldn't you go after these idiots instead of all dogs? o be i
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty To Animals does not euthanize animals, but it doesn't know what it's going to do with an influx of animals the city wants killed. The SPCA also said it would cancel its contract with the City of Montreal over the ban.
There are rescue organizations trying to ship some of these dogs to other parts of Canada, but still, its a huge task beyond the capabilities of existing animal rescue organization.
Veterinarians are fighting back, too.
The CBC reports that Quebec's Order of Veterinarians has told members that they have the right to refuse to euthanize healthy dogs, even if the owners violated Montreal's stupid law.
The Order of Veterinarians says "no municipal regulation or provincial legislation can obligate a veterinarian to carry out any veterinary act,"
Veterinarians
interviewed by the CBC say they have no qualms about euthanizing obviously dangerous dogs, but not wipe out several breeds of them because of municipal rules.
To me, this is like an instance where a white guy kills a woman, so you're going to register and possibly jail all white guys as a result, whether or not these white guys have violent tendencies or not.
Montreal is being stupid. I thought it was such a civilized city in my frequent visits up there. In this case, it's not.
Shame on Montreal.
