The sad news about Montreal...

Well we saw some pretty horrible news in the world of dogs this week.  The city of Montreal just instituted a new law banning people from owning "pit bulls" - or really any dog that even resembles one.  It's an archaic, ridiculous piece of legislation, based on unfounded, misleading studies and stereotypes about the behavior of particular breeds.  Those poor pit bulls presently sitting in shelters, will be put to death and owners of pit bulls will be required to have them muzzled at all times.  And what makes the law even MORE scary is that the list of banned breeds can be easily expanded.

Perhaps Montreal should be looking at the animal control laws in Calgary - where instead of banning breeds - the municipality went to a "responsible owner model".  Owners are required to license their dogs and there are strict fines if a dog is found not licensed.  Owners must have dogs identified by tags or microchips, they are encouraged to spay or neuter their pets and are encouraged to train their dogs.  The city says if people follow the rules, they can have as MANY pets as they want.  90% of the dogs in the city are licensed and the fees from licensing go back into public education about responsible ownership. Since the programs began, the incidence of dog attacks has decreased markedly.

It's sad to know that such legislation as breed banning can easily be introduced.  Given the HUGE number of dog owners in the world - I'm not sure why people don't band together more to protest such movements.  It's kind of sad that some people who don't own pit bulls - or pit bull type dogs think that this doesn't affect them.  But the reality?  It's a slippery slope - and one can never tell what breeds could be added to the list.  Imagine a world with ONLY pocket sized toothless dogs...

Some people are saying they will boycott visiting Montreal.  Some people say they will extend that boycott to the entire province of Quebec.  Good thing my human got Elroy before all of this started!    Some crazy politician in Quebec would have been banning Jaws for sure.  

So say a little prayer for those dogs who are victims of canine profiling.  Let's hope that many of them can find homes in other provinces ......  And be grateful if you live in a place where breeds are NOT banned.  But don't be complacent - dog clubs and owners need to be PRO-active instead of reactive.  Because if you are having to be REactive, it may be too late...