Ontario considering ban on pit bulls

[Renard]

Aug. 31, 2004. 06:24 AM

Ontario ponders ban on pit bulls

Some like lethal `weapons': Bryant

Weekend attack triggers debate


RICHARD BRENNAN
QUEEN'S PARK BUREAU

The Ontario government is considering a province-wide ban on pit bull dogs, which are nothing less than four-legged "dangerous weapons," Attorney-General Michael Bryant says.

"If we are banning or otherwise restricting other dangerous weapons, why would we not include these animals as well and that's ... something that we are looking at," Bryant told the Star yesterday. "Some animals amount to nothing less than dangerous weapons."

Bryant was reacting to the vicious attack by pit bulls in Toronto on the weekend that left a 25-year-old man with extensive leg, back and arm injuries. Witnesses said if police had not fired up to 16 shots into the two dogs, the animals would likely have killed the man.

"We are very concerned about pit bulls, the proliferation of pit bulls and the danger that they may pose to Ontarians ... (and) we have not ruled a ban out. I have asked officials to look into that and I will also be looking for input from Ontarians as well," Bryant said. He said the province has an obligation to protect people from dangerous animals.

"Nobody has the right to bring a lion into a day-care centre. We have to ensure that any dangerous animals out there are properly kept away from the public."

"Municipalities already have that option and at this stage we're just looking into whether the province should also get involved," he said.

Under the Ontario Municipal Act, municipalities have the right to ban dog breeds. Kitchener has already done that. Its bylaw says anyone who has acquired a pit bull since April 7, 1997 and did not remove it from the city faces a fine of up to $5,000.

As an interim measure before a decision is made on a province-wide ban, Bryant encouraged other municipalities to consider similar bylaws.

Last December, a 23-year woman was savagely attacked by three pit bulls in Brantford and again police had to shoot the dogs dead.

"I have long been concerned about this issue. I have had constituents come into my office with concerns and complaints about pit bulls and their effect not only on a community, but with respect to other animals and the harm that they may cause to other animals," Bryant said.

Pit bulls are not a specific breed, but include Staffordshire terriers and American pit bull terriers. Some have been bred to become ultra-aggressive.

The Canada Safety Council estimates 460,000 Canadians are bitten by dogs each year.

So far, Saskatchewan is the only province to pass dangerous-dog legislation with penalties that include fines of up to $10,000 or six months in jail or both.

Bryant has asked Ontarians to e-mail him at michael.bryant@jus.gov.on.ca with their thoughts and to include "pit bull" in the memo field.

[Renard]

Hey- Who voted yes or no without qualifying it?

I'd like to hear some answers.

[shivers]

I love doggies. Pit bulls are sweetypies. If they aren't, it's because they were raised by jerks.

If you ban, what are you gonna do with the ones that already live there? Move 'em out or put 'em down?

[lonelymoon]

You Renard, technically you're in cyberspace here, not Quebec, so you won't be fined by the language gestapo if you post an avatar with ENGLISH and not bloody french.

[Kasca]

Eve, the pitbull who lives down the street, sits in her front yard and waits for me to open the door so she can rush past and jump on the couch to watch tv with my crew.; hilarity ensues. She is SO fast.

A big ole sweetie pie for sure, but imagine having to unclamp those jaws from around an ankle. ...

[mach1]

Winnipeg became the first Canadian city to ban pit bulls in 1990, a year after an attack left a young girl badly disfigured.

Since then, incidents involving pit bulls have fallen from about 25 a year to one or two.

-


25 a year?

Thats going from one every two weeks to one every year.

Just gotta love pit bulls I tell 'yuh

[Yusuf]

If you ban, what are you gonna do with the ones that already live there? Move 'em out or put 'em down?

The usual policy of such bans is to granfather the current pit bulls and ban the breeding and selling of pitbulls along with banning any further ownership.

[Yusuf]

I voted yes because I don't think that all the pitbulls in Ontario are worth the life of one human being.

[Ciarrai]

Yes and no. One of my friends bought a pit bull. It had to be put down after attacking and killing a dog in the park. So my friend then bought a 2nd Pit Bull. One night I walked into his house and sat on the couch. The dog came over to me and put his to front paws on my knees. Considering the dog was just staring at me I asked my friend to make his dog get down. My friend of course tried and the dog responded by almost biting my friend's head off ( I guess that is what you get for locking sparky in cage in a condo while you go to work). Sadly this same pit bull attacked my friend's sister and has scarred her face for life, and the pit bull was again put down.

My friend was fucked so I see the point about fucked up owners, but funny how I don't read about neglectful yellow lab owners who have their dog attack and try to kill the first 6 year old they see.

Also funny how when I see a pit bull in public, 95% of the time the dog is with an owner, who seems like some punk ass teenager that can't even hold a job let alone tame an evil fucking beast.

I say put em down, put them all fucking down. If you disagree, then tell me how you would feel if your grandma's pit bull just killed your child.

[kilroy]

banning pit bulls? now this really is getting close to the silliness level of registering baseball bats because they are dangerous weapons. fucking pansies.

[Ciarrai]

Come on Kilroy, are you saying that pit bulls have no instinct of their own, that they are just silly putty, sculpted by their idiot owners?

Like I said say that to me the next time somebody's pit bull, and or baseball bat, attack and kill somebody on their own with out an owner to say "sick em", or to swing like Barry Bonds standing close by.

[kilroy]

this is why there are leashes, ciarrai. if a dog attacks another person, the owner should be held accountable, but a ban is reactionary and stupid.

[Ciarrai]

I agree that the owner is at fault, but I don't think that the public should be made to trust others who own pit bulls. These are not isolated incidents. This breed has been known to kill for over a decade.

Fine you don't want to put them down, make their owners put up 20k bond saying my pit bull will never hurt anyone.

20k isn;t alot, but it will eliminate the illiterate shitheads from owning them and make the other middle class owners give due attention to training them properly. Butttttt then again it ain't a perfect world, I say kill the fucking retarded breeded mutts.

[kilroy]

like i said, this is how the incident is reminiscent of how gun control advocates use isolated incidents as evidence that guns should be banned, but of course ontarians dont have a constitutional amendment to fall back on. but guns have killed plenty more than pit bulls i imagine. still, i believe in small gov't and dont want the govt telling me how to live my life just because some people are plain fucking stupid. if you want me to believe that pit bull attacks really are a disturbing trend, you'll have to show me some statistics or point me toward some, otherwise all i have to go on is this one incident, which does make it an isolated incident.

and as far as that 20k bond, i dont agree with that. it's basically saying everyone has equal rights except poor people. if you make training school mandatory or enact leash laws, that's one thing, but the bond thing is not a good solution in my opinion.

[Yusuf]

like i said, this is how the incident is reminiscent of how gun control advocates use isolated incidents as evidence that guns should be banned, but of course ontarians dont have a constitutional amendment to fall back on. but guns have killed plenty more than pit bulls i imagine. still, i believe in small gov't and dont want the govt telling me how to live my life just because some people are plain fucking stupid. if you want me to believe that pit bull attacks really are a disturbing trend, you'll have to show me some statistics or point me toward some, otherwise all i have to go on is this one incident, which does make it an isolated incident.

and as far as that 20k bond, i dont agree with that. it's basically saying everyone has equal rights except poor people. if you make training school mandatory or enact leash laws, that's one thing, but the bond thing is not a good solution in my opinion.

DP says that 1/2 of all children are bitten by dogs and that 370, 000 people or something like that in America need medical attention due to bites. I will have to look through the book... skimmed it twice trying to find the fact...

Hypothetically, if a dog bit my kid, I would kill the dog.