MAYOR PLANTE’S ANIMAL WELFARE BYLAW IS REFRESHING

Bylaw puts stricter conditions on negligent dog owners, Anne-France Goldwater writes.

After years of populist rhetoric and haphazard legislating by former mayor Denis Coderre, Montreal has finally passed responsible animal welfare legislation this week that respects both animal and human rights. Montrealers are safer for it.

The bylaw adopted Tuesday does not target specific breeds, but it does impose stricter conditions on negligent owners of dangerous dogs, be they “pit bull type,” Rottweiler, chihuahua or others.

Though the scientific case is admittedly more challenging to make than Coderre’s sweeping ban, Mayor Valérie Plante’s legislation will, over time, reduce the likelihood of incidents like the recent attacks in Montreal North. Unfortunately, the new safety measures came too late for those six Montrealers who sustained injuries over the weekend.

Following successful systems adopted in cities like Calgary, this city is placing the emphasis on the safety and protection of residents and their dogs, education of the public, and safeguarding the welfare of animals.

By contrast, jurisdictions like Ottawa have found that they are unable to apply their provincial government’s long-standing pit bull ban.

As one of several participants at recent National Assembly hearings, the Coalition to Promote the Safety of People and Canines helped convince the Quebec government to reject breed-specific legislation (BSL) and we are convinced that, with time, jurisdictions like neighbouring Ontario will continue to rethink these regulations.

The number of dog bites in Ontario has not diminished since the ban was enacted in 2005 (486 dog bites in 2005, 767 bites in 2014), nor has the severity of bites or the duration of hospitalization for the most severe bites.

Responsible legislation starts with an understanding of animal behaviour based on science and reason.

Several studies, including one published a decade ago in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior that found golden retrievers and pit bulls to be similarly aggressive, demonstrate that the variability in the morphological appearance of different dogs, which we call “race,” has nothing to do with the factors that determine a dog ’s behaviour. Moreover, just as with humans, the actual behaviours a dog manifests are most commonly a function of the dog ’s upbringing and socialization with other dogs and humans.

In addition, although purebred dogs will look like their parents and grandparents, mixed-race dogs are more complicated. Mutts may look like a given breed, based on a handful of genes that determine appearance, but in fact may be predominantly another breed, based on an analysis of their entire genome.

“The dog ’s large morphological diversity is not a function of large genetic diversity … (this) is in stark contrast with what is seen in humans,” according to the coalition’s expert, Université de Montréal veterinary professor and geneticist Dr. William Silversides.

So, the neighbour’s pooch, which looks like what’s described loosely as a “pit bull type” dog, may in fact have principally poodle ancestry; and your cousin’s mutt may look like a Labrador, but be predominantly an American Staffordshire terrier.

In other words, there is no way to determine with reasonable certitude the “race” of a mixedbreed dog from its appearance. As a result, myriad legal challenges are a costly inevitability for jurisdictions who pass “pit bull” bans.

In Quebec, 98 per cent of dogs are of mixed race.

Countless pets would have been doomed to a premature death while a much smaller group of dogs, of all races and ages, that are in fact dangerous or potentially dangerous, would have been ignored.

The massive investments made in prosecuting law-abiding citizens for the possession of a prohibited race of dog means resources have not been directed toward prevention and education.

Young children and all new dog owners must acquire the skills needed to raise well-socialized dogs; at-risk dog owners who are deliberately recalcitrant or unable to practise basic dog safety should have their pets removed and sent to a new home.

Dogs are not born dangerous. We make them that way if we neglect and abuse them, or fail to establish appropriate boundaries when they are young.

It is refreshing to have a politician like Plante recognize the immense gift that our dogs have given us with their unconditional love and devotion.

We must reciprocate by assuming our duty to train and protect them.