Shon
09-01-2004, 01:47 AM
The Canada Safety Council has slammed the idea of a ban on pit bulls in Ontario, saying it won't be effective in reducing dog attacks.
"Breed bans are a reactionary measure," council president Emile Therien said today. "Good animal control bylaws, well-enforced, are part of the solution."
Therien said the council opposes a breed-specific ban as a quick fix because it blurs the real issues: responsible owners, good breeders and municipal government action.
"Animal control has just not been a community priority," he said. "Let's face it, municipal governments have dropped the ball on it. We need to make it a priority like drunk driving is. Owners must be held accountable."
Aaron Campbell, who has raised pit bull terriers for a few years, also wants to see the onus placed on the owners, not the dogs.
"It is unfair to target a specific breed," he said. "The owners are to blame if their dog attacks someone, and they should be criminally prosecuted. Owners will be more cautious when they are faced with paying a $5,000 fine to the victim."
A ban would be largely ineffective in controlling the proliferation of aggressive animals on the street, Campbell said.
"Dog owners will just breed bigger, meaner dogs in place of the pit bulls," he said.
Susan Lavictoire of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association agrees.
"Dangerous dogs can exist in every breed and cross-breed," she said. "In fact, any dog can be raised to be aggressive."
Fresh concern about pit bulls was triggered on the weekend after two of the dogs attacked and seriously injured a 25-year-old Toronto man. Police needed 16 gunshots to kill the dogs.
Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant wants a solution to pit bull attacks by year's end, and said Tuesday he's started informal consultations to find out whether the animals should be banned.
While he agrees that dogs have traditionally been the responsibility of their owners, the rule may not apply to pit bulls.
"The question is whether or not pit bulls are inherently untrainable and uncontrollable by human beings," he said.
"If they are, we are asking too much of pit bull dog owners to be responsible for what amounts to an assault weapon on four legs."
Seeking new legislation is always an option, Bryant said, but for now he would like to see formal consultations on the problem.
Bryant said the province wants to hear from experts, citizens and municipalities to decide whether pit bulls should be banned or restricted.
He said municipal bans are ineffective because the dogs can be bred or sold in one community while its neighbour restricts them.
"We can't have a ban on pit bulls in Toronto if there's going to be a pit bull resort set up in Vaughan," Bryant said.
Ontario's Municipal Act gives municipalities the right to ban dog breeds. Pit bulls were banned years ago in Kitchener and Waterloo. Chatham-Kent is working on a bylaw to ban the dogs.
Winnipeg banned pit bulls in 1990, and they are not allowed in Clark's Harbour, N.S., as well as a number of communities in Quebec.
Vancouver has a vicious dog bylaw, which requires the dogs to be muzzled and kept on a leash.
Pit bulls are not a specific breed, but include Staffordshire terriers and American pit bull terriers. Some have been bred to become ultra-aggressive.
"Breed bans are a reactionary measure," council president Emile Therien said today. "Good animal control bylaws, well-enforced, are part of the solution."
Therien said the council opposes a breed-specific ban as a quick fix because it blurs the real issues: responsible owners, good breeders and municipal government action.
"Animal control has just not been a community priority," he said. "Let's face it, municipal governments have dropped the ball on it. We need to make it a priority like drunk driving is. Owners must be held accountable."
Aaron Campbell, who has raised pit bull terriers for a few years, also wants to see the onus placed on the owners, not the dogs.
"It is unfair to target a specific breed," he said. "The owners are to blame if their dog attacks someone, and they should be criminally prosecuted. Owners will be more cautious when they are faced with paying a $5,000 fine to the victim."
A ban would be largely ineffective in controlling the proliferation of aggressive animals on the street, Campbell said.
"Dog owners will just breed bigger, meaner dogs in place of the pit bulls," he said.
Susan Lavictoire of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association agrees.
"Dangerous dogs can exist in every breed and cross-breed," she said. "In fact, any dog can be raised to be aggressive."
Fresh concern about pit bulls was triggered on the weekend after two of the dogs attacked and seriously injured a 25-year-old Toronto man. Police needed 16 gunshots to kill the dogs.
Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant wants a solution to pit bull attacks by year's end, and said Tuesday he's started informal consultations to find out whether the animals should be banned.
While he agrees that dogs have traditionally been the responsibility of their owners, the rule may not apply to pit bulls.
"The question is whether or not pit bulls are inherently untrainable and uncontrollable by human beings," he said.
"If they are, we are asking too much of pit bull dog owners to be responsible for what amounts to an assault weapon on four legs."
Seeking new legislation is always an option, Bryant said, but for now he would like to see formal consultations on the problem.
Bryant said the province wants to hear from experts, citizens and municipalities to decide whether pit bulls should be banned or restricted.
He said municipal bans are ineffective because the dogs can be bred or sold in one community while its neighbour restricts them.
"We can't have a ban on pit bulls in Toronto if there's going to be a pit bull resort set up in Vaughan," Bryant said.
Ontario's Municipal Act gives municipalities the right to ban dog breeds. Pit bulls were banned years ago in Kitchener and Waterloo. Chatham-Kent is working on a bylaw to ban the dogs.
Winnipeg banned pit bulls in 1990, and they are not allowed in Clark's Harbour, N.S., as well as a number of communities in Quebec.
Vancouver has a vicious dog bylaw, which requires the dogs to be muzzled and kept on a leash.
Pit bulls are not a specific breed, but include Staffordshire terriers and American pit bull terriers. Some have been bred to become ultra-aggressive.