Canadian province may ban pit bulls

Rochester, NY -- Legislators in Ontario, Canada, appear poised to adopt controversial legislation that would ban the possession, breeding and transfer of pit bulls within the province — even if the dog in question belongs to a visitor.

Violators would face stiff penalties, including a $10,000 fine (about $8,075 U.S.), six-month jail term or both. If their dog has attacked someone, they may also have to pay court-ordered restitution fees to the victim.

The dogs — if they are unleashed, unmuzzled, unsterilized or prone to attack — could suffer a worse fate: seizure, possible destruction or sale to a research facility.

The legislation has sparked fierce debate among Canadians, and has become cause for concern among some Rochesterians.

Supporters of the ban say that it will curb pit bull attacks, and that similar legislation in neighboring provinces has worked to that effect.

Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant, who proposed the ban last year after a man was viciously attacked by the two pit bulls he was walking, has said it would be inhumane not to enact it, if only because of the large number of unwanted pit bulls at dog pounds. Toronto Police Chief Julian Fantino, who endorsed the legislation, has said, "Pit bulls are the dogs of choice for criminals."

Those opposed say it amounts to an attack on civil liberties — especially since the dogs can be seized from private property without a warrant — and discrimination against pit bulls, a dog that technically belongs to no breed. Pit bulls, experts say, are mixed breeds, and cannot always be properly identified.

Opponents worry that the legislation's definition of "pit bull" — pit bull terrier, Staffordshire bull terrier, American Staffordshire bull terrier, American pit bull terrier or dogs that resemble the aforementioned — is too broad. Edmonton, Alberta, resident Tamara Robbins envisions law enforcement officials seizing "any short-haired dog over 25 pounds," even "an overweight pug."

"If it barks, if someone calls, they have the right to come and seize your dog," said Robbins, who owns two Staffordshire bull terriers.

Robbins doesn't live in the affected province, but said she may cancel a trip she'd planned to take this summer to Buffalo, Rochester and New York City by way of Ontario, because "our dogs go where we go on holiday, and we can't risk our dogs."

Similarly, Rochesterians will have to beware, if the ban is enacted, before traveling north of the border with their dogs. Brendan Crawley, spokesman for the Ontario ministry of the attorney general, said visitors with pit bulls would most likely be given a warning — and the opportunity to leave with the dog — before being sanctioned. He added that the government is contemplating an exemption for show dogs that come from outside the province, provided the owners "leave immediately after the show."

Alice Calabrese Smith, president of the Humane Society at Lollypop Farm, expressed concern about the proposed ban.

"Anytime legislators start talking about breed-specific legislation, we get a little bristly about it," she said. "While I understand certain breeds have certain tendencies to do things, not all dogs in a breed are like that. Pit bulls are associated with dog fighting and aggression, but I can show you a lot of pit bulls that are the nicest dogs."

LBECKER@DemocratandChronicle.com