Quebec’s pit bull legislation is good policy

Focusing on bad owners not enough to dispel concerns, Mia Johnson says.

In coming to the defence of “furbabies,” columnist Fariha Naqvi-Mohamed (“Breedspecific bans on dogs are bad policy,” April 6) gives short shrift to the severity of the dangerous dog problem in Quebec and the disproportionate propensity of pit bulls to bite.

Awareness of these dangers prompted restrictions on the ownership of pit bulls in Montreal by the Coderre administration — quickly reversed by the new mayor, Valérie Plante, after November’s election — and the tabling of Bill 128, a framework of provincewide laws protecting people from dangerous dog attacks, which is currently before the National Assembly.

There are an estimated 164,000 cases of dog bites in Quebec every single year, and pit bulls are responsible for a disproportionate number of them.

The bottom line is that breed-specific legislation is a proactive response to community safety. First attacks by pit bulls almost always result in severe injury. In some cases, first bites have been fatal. Medical studies and expert opinions from doctors at hospitals and institutions across North America consistently conclude that attacks by pit bull-type dogs result in disproportionate damage. Children and the elderly are at greatest risk.

Bill 128 responds to the tremendous financial cost of dangerous dog attacks to Quebec taxpayers, including the cost of emergency responders, ambulances, hospitals, doctors and nurses, specialized surgeons, animal control services, municipal pounds and shelters, morticians, blood banks, coroners, public health officials, physical therapists, psychiatrists, social workers, courtrooms, judges, and local and provincial legislators.

Without regulations to prevent more breeding and importation, the situation in Quebec will only get worse. Pit bull-type dogs are abandoned by owners, dog fighters and breeders, and are over-represented in abuse cases where the pit bulls themselves are victims. Despite the best efforts of “no-kill” shelters and rescue groups, more than one million unwanted pit bulls are euthanized in the United States and Canada every year. For the sake of both the shelters and the animals, legislation like Bill 128, which will reduce the incentive to breed pit bulls, is badly needed.

Opponents of breed-specific legislation often claim it is difficult to identify pit bulls without DNA testing. Yet special interest groups have no problem identifying them. There are thousands of rescue groups currently listed on Petfinder offering pit bulls for sale, including more than 60 rescue groups in Quebec, who have no problem identifying them. There are some 1,790,000 pit bull videos online. There is probably no dog more photographed, filmed and over-represented in movies, books, lawsuits and television shows. And, when it comes to legal grounds, high courts in the United States have consistently ruled that laymen can reliably identify pit bulls.

Contrary to what Naqvi- Mohamed argues, public education about responsible dog ownership is not the best answer to the problem of dangerous dogs. There are 300 breeds of dogs that even when neglected and abused do not turn on people or kill other animals as a result. While certainly bad owners can be part of the problem, it is wrong to focus only on the owner, and not also on the breed. If animal organizations cannot or will not solve the issue, it is obvious why laws are needed.

Forty-two countries have restrictions and bans on dogs like pit bulls. In Canada, 660 cities and towns are covered by breed-specific legislation that bans or restricts pit bulltype dogs. With the passage of Bill 128 in Quebec, citizens — including the people of Montreal — will be better protected.

Mia Johnson is a founding member of National Pit Bull Victim Awareness, a network of more than 75 groups supporting victims of dog attacks in Canada and the United States. Based in Vancouver, B.C., she was one of two representatives for National Pit Bull Victim Awareness who made a submission to the hearings on Bill 128 at the National Assembly.