Muzzling rules put women at risk

Re: “City bylaw to forbid acquiring pit bulls” (Montreal Gazette, Aug. 18)

I am the owner of a registered, micro-chipped, neutered, well-trained and socialized American pit-bull terrier. I take my dog for a long walk each weekday morning and evening. In the winter, this means both are done in the dark.

A dog’s instinct is to protect its owner, and so I am reassured that my dog serves as a deterrent to unwanted approaches. Many residents, especially women, do not feel safe walking alone in the dark.

I come across the homeless, people who might have mental-health issues and groups of young men just hanging out. Women are frequently harassed and propositioned by men in passing cars.

In the Montreal Police Report of 2015, Anie Samson, chair of the commission de la securité publique, stated: “All citizens — each and every single one of us — have the right to feel safe, whenever we are on the island of Montreal.”

The report also lists 19,434 crimes against a person last year along with 56,932 crimes against property, which includes breaking and entering.

How many residents were bitten by a dog while it was out walking, on a leash, with its owner? Any such incidents should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

A muzzled dog is unable to defend its owner, and so potential assailants will no longer be deterred from approaching. Why should I put myself at risk?

The proposed panic policy is discriminatory and a waste of resources. The province and its cities should not turn a blind eye to the expertise being offered by Quebec’s vets and leading animal welfare behaviourists.

Montreal, after all, is supposed to be a smart city. Lauren Scott, St-Henri