Montreal Gazette

FAQ about city’s new pit bull ban

- RENÉ BRUEMMER rbruemmer@postmedia.com twitter.com/renebruemm­er

Montreal’s city council voted to adopt a new bylaw Tuesday that bans the acquisitio­n of pit-bull-type dogs starting next Monday and imposes strict regulation­s on owners of the estimated 7,000 pitbull-type dogs in the city.

Why did the city create a new animal-control bylaw?

In early June, 55-year-old Christiane Vadnais was killed by a neighbour’s dog in Pointe-aux-Trembles. Police and the owner of the dog named Lucifer said at the time it was a pit bull, but that has not been confirmed. Results of DNA tests have not been released.

Mayor Denis Coderre said the city needs stricter rules to ensure citizens’ safety and sense of security. Statistics show pit-bull-type dogs make up 4.6 per cent of the city’s dog population, but were implicated in 32 per cent of all bites reported to police in 2015, Coderre said. More than 40 countries and 900 U.S. cities have adopted similar bans resulting in fewer serious bites, Coderre’s party said.

Opposition councillor­s say there’s a global move against breed bans because they’ve proven ineffectiv­e. They say the bylaw is a knee-jerk response that will do more harm than good. Montreal should focus on regulating bad owners and dangerous dogs instead, they say.

What does the bylaw call for? For all pets:

All owners of dogs and cats must obtain a licence ($25 for a sterilized non-pit-bull-type dog, $10 for a cat) or face fines starting at $300. At present, 20 per cent of Montreal dogs are licensed. For a list of where to buy licences, go to ville.montreal.qc.ca/animaux/ressources. All dog and cat owners must have their pets sterilized and microchipp­ed (affixed with a microchip with personal informatio­n so a lost animal can be returned) by Dec. 31, 2019. Residents can have a maximum of four pets per home, including two dogs, which can be increased to three with a special permit ($50).

For pit-bull-type dogs: As of Oct. 3 it is illegal to acquire a pit-bull-type dog. Potential owners have until then to adopt or buy one. Current owners of pit-bull-type dogs must obtain a special permit by Dec. 31; if they don’t the dog is forbidden on Montreal territory and could be euthanized. Any dogs deemed dangerous can also be euthanized. By March 1, owners must supply documentat­ion proving the dog has its special permit ($150), is sterilized, microchipp­ed and vaccinated; owners can only have one dog. Owners will have to submit proof they have no criminal record. As of Oct. 3, pit-bull-type dogs will have to be muzzled at all times outside of their homes and kept on a 1.25-metre leash. For informatio­n on how to obtain a license for a pitbull type dog, go to ville.montreal. qc.ca/animals/permit/

What is a pit-bull-type dog?

According to the city bylaw, they are American Staffordsh­ire terriers, Staffordsh­ire bull terriers and American pit bull terriers, any mixed breed dogs that have a part of those breeds, or any dog with similar physical characteri­stics.

How do I find out if my dog is considered a pit-bull-type?

Councillor Anie Samson said the dog can be easily identified visually; often they have large heads and wide necks. The SPCA says it’s virtually impossible to identify “pitbull-type dogs” definitive­ly, and even its veterinari­ans can’t do it.

Who will decide if dog is considered a pit-bull-type breed?

City spokespeop­le on Wednesday suggested citizens call Montreal’s help line at 311 to ask, but citizens who have done so said the operators didn’t have the informatio­n.

City spokespeop­le were unable to provide additional informatio­n Wednesday.

Can I fight the classifica­tion of my dog as a pit-bull-type if I think it’s incorrect?

Spokespeop­le for the city of Montreal were unable to provide the informatio­n Wednesday.

How do I get a certificat­e proving I have no criminal record?

City officials Wednesday said probably at the police department, but were not certain. The Montreal police force said Wednesday they were not aware how citizens will get their background checks.

Will the SPCA euthanize pit-bull-type dogs starting Monday?

The SPCA says it’s against its mandate to kill healthy, behavioura­lly sound dogs, so it won’t. But it does not have the funds to ship hundreds of dogs abroad. Rescue organizati­ons have already transporte­d dozens of pit bulls to places like New Brunswick and Saskatchew­an. (The Montreal SPCA estimates one third of the 2,000 dogs it receives each year are of the city’s pit-bull-type category) The new bylaw could force it to terminate dog services for the 10 boroughs it serves. The SPCA filed an injunction in court Wednesday to suspend elements of the bylaw.

How will the city enforce the law?

It’s promising to hire the equivalent of eight full-time inspectors. At present, boroughs like Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (population 165,000), Ahuntsic-Cartiervil­le, Plateau-Mont-Royal and Rosemont-La-Petite Patrie hire a canine inspector for half of every week. The city has promised to hire more with revenues from dog licensing. Several councillor­s said the ban is unenforcea­ble because of a lack of funds and inspectors.

 ?? JOHN KENNEY/FILES ?? Patrice Robert of the SPCA, spends time with pit bull Angel, this summer. The city is promising to hire the equivalent of eight full-time inspectors to enforce its new regulation­s governing the breed.
JOHN KENNEY/FILES Patrice Robert of the SPCA, spends time with pit bull Angel, this summer. The city is promising to hire the equivalent of eight full-time inspectors to enforce its new regulation­s governing the breed.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Canada