Montreal pit-bull ban sparks conversations in Quinte

By Sophie Dudley, Jody Jakab and Casey Horn

BELLEVILLE – An on again-off again pit-bull ban in Montreal is stirring up a variety of opinions, and not just in Quebec but in Ontario as well.

The Montreal ban – a near mirror image of one that Ontario imposed in 2005 – went into effect Monday but was quickly suspended by a judge. But local dog-owners are still talking about it.

A regular visitor to the Quinte Dog Park in Belleville, Kelley McLeod, says: “It’s not the answer to ban breeds. Go after the people who make the dogs violent. And if they attack somebody they should be charged with attempted murder or murder, depending on the severity of the attack.”

Brock, a pit bull-wiener dog mix, visits the Quinte Dog Park on Tuesday. Photo by Sophie Dudley, QNet News

Brock interacts with other dogs at the park on Tuesday. Photo by Sophie Dudley, QNet News

Loyalist College grad Dylan O’Hagan says of the ban: “It’s garbage. The general public is misinformed. The breed of dog can be your companion for life without showing aggression. No breed is inherently bad. There is a problem with the ideology behind it.”

Longtime Belleville veterinarian Dr. Robert Burns says he has seen many pit bull-type dogs coming through his practice. “Stating all of any breed are a problem is where they are going to run into more and more problems legally, and things being overturned.”

Licensing all animals would probably be a better solution, he said.

“Responsible pet ownership is key, and owners have to understand that any sized dog can cause problems.”

A change.org petition to Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne to end the pit bull ban in Ontario has over 19,000 supporters.

Others on Twitter have their own opinions.

@DenisCoderre don’t let fear & prejudice win. Support training and accountability for dog owners. Stop #pitbullbanhttps://t.co/rnZG2G8WEL

— Dr. Goldwater-Adler (@GoldwaterAdler) 17 August 2016

#against a #pitbullban #ENDBSL pic.twitter.com/4MeGhtFJFL

— Ranette Thorpe (@RanetteT) 23 June 2016

Another Twitter user resorted to obscenity when he shared his opinion, saying “Literally it’s just a … pit bull, buy a new dog and let’s all just move on with our lives ok? #PitBullBan”

The ban in Montreal was suspended after the Montreal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals challenged it in court. Judge Louis J. Gouin said  the city needs to provide more specific guidelines for what a pit bull-type dog is.

The Ontario ban includes several breeds that fall into the category of a pit bull-type dog, and places limitations on owning, caring for and transferring the dogs.

Some people have even used comics to protest the new law in Montreal: