Conservative proposes 'vicious dog' alternative to ban

Canada -- Ontario's opposition Conservatives proposed a dangerous-dog law of their own Monday in hopes of supplanting the controversial ban on pit bulls being spearheaded by Attorney General Michael Bryant.

Julia Munro, the Conservative member for the riding of York North, introduced a private member's bill that would, if passed, define a vicious dog in law and toughen penalties for their owners.

''I'm offering this bill to show that there is a positive alternative to the attorney general's bill,'' Munro told a news conference.

''Vicious dogs are a problem in our province, but a breed ban is not the way to solve the problem.''

Munro's bill would define a vicious dog as one that bites or otherwise injures a human being and subject their owners to jail terms of up to two years and fines of up to $60,000.

But as a private member's bill, it's unlikely to have much impact on the government's legislation, which is expected to pass third reading before the end of the week.

Munro, who breeds and shows dogs as a hobby, said Bryant's proposed breed ban - which includes maximum penalties of six months in jail and a $10,000 fine - is unworkable and unenforceable.

Munro's legislation has the support of the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association, just one of the many outspoken critics who have decried the government's proposed ban.

''This proposed legislation focuses on the deed rather than the breed,'' said association president Tim Zaharchuk, who described the government's proposed ban as ''breed profiling.''

The government bill singles out pit bull terriers, Staffordshire bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers and American pit bull terriers, along with any member of a class of dogs that appear ''substantially similar'' to the four banned breeds.

''The legislation not only mentions the specific breed, but anything that looks like it,'' Zaharchuk said.

''I don't know who gets to determine that; all these things are very, very fuzzy.''

Bryant said he's confident his legislation will ensure that Ontario residents are safe from an animal he once described as a ''dangerous weapon.''

He also recalled an incident Friday in Hamilton, where a 10-year-old boy was chased by one of a pair of escaped pit bulls before he was rescued by a cab driver and a police officer.

''We can't rely upon good luck and the heroism of police officers,'' Bryant said. ''We need to have laws in place to ensure that we, over time, protect people from the attacks of pit bulls.''