Yes. The ban is based on fear, not on the facts
> THE BIG DEBATE SHOULD ONTARIO LIFT ITS BAN ON PIT BULLS?
The bill brought in by the former Liberal government banning pit bulls is flawed in numerous ways.
Firstly, it’s descriptive, describing the dogs to be banned as having strong jaws, short hair, short ears, broad shoulders, etc. Pure-bred Staffordshire terriers or American pit bulls were the first to be killed, so the onus soon became on owners to prove that their dogs were not “pit bulls.”
Many mixed-breed dogs, more than 3,000, were killed simply because of the way they looked, not because of any aggressive action at, or any proof they were, “pit bulls.”
Secondly, no reputable veterinary association (like our own Canadian Veterinary Association) supports such legislation because it has never been based on fact. Any large dog, and many small ones, can cause significant damage with dog bites, and many breeds have been the subject of hysteria over the years.
There is absolutely no biological truth to “locking jaws” for example, even though it is often reported as such. Dobermans, German Shepherds, Rottweilers have all had their turn as media fodder for fear. All of them have been bred for security and law enforcement work at one time or another. Criminals who train and use dogs as weapons can and do easily switch breeds.
Thirdly, in no jurisdiction have breedspecific bans worked to curb dog bites or to increase safety around dogs. Of course, if you kill off a breed there are fewer bites from that breed, but bites overall don’t vary. Drill down on data that purports to say breed-specific bans work and it always reflects exactly that or is simply unscientific and poorly designed.
Fourthly, Ontario has succeeded only in frightening away owners like Mark Buehrle of the Blue Jays, who was forced to leave behind his beloved family pets. It’s also been proven to be racist. Not too many “pit bulls” from wealthy communities are seized, and far more from racialized and poor areas. After all, if you have to prove your dog “isn’t something,” it involves DNA tests, lawyers, money and time. Studies have shown racial profiling of the owners is reflected in the same profiling of their dogs.
Finally, any canine behaviourist or trainer will attest that problems in behaviour are due to, in large part, faulty training and incompetent owners. The Calgary model that targets criminal and negligent owners with large fines and possible jail time and also teaches school-aged children how to, or how not to, approach any dog, and has had far better results than Ontario’s approach. That shouldn’t be difficult to comprehend. It is actually based on science and sense.
Understandably, those who have been the victims of damaging dog bites, however infrequently they occur and from whatever breed, are traumatized. One can understand their fear, but fear doesn’t form good public policy. In this case, it causes many other families to be traumatized as their pets are killed unnecessarily. It also doesn’t protect other potential victims.
Science must be based on fact, not fear. Science shows that almost always the problem is at the other end of the leash. If we want safer dogs, we need safer owners.
There isn’t a day that goes that by my family doesn’t miss our own Vicky, our English bull terrier, who we could prove wasn’t a “pit bull.” She died just over a year ago. She met the breed-specific description though.
Chances are, since I was a white member of provincial parliament, I wouldn’t have been subject to her seizure. I didn’t have to prove what she was. What we did prove in our family was how loving and funny and fun she was. How she added to our lives and to our home. Like many loving and responsible dog owners, her death, unavoidable as it was, was excruciating.
I ask the readers to imagine their beloved dog taken and killed for no reason at all. Simply because of the way they look.
It is long past time, as the only jurisdiction left to include cruelty as animal law, to overturn this awful piece of policy. As the author of several bills to stop the slaughter of our dogs, I salute all the brave and sad activists who have dedicated their time to combating fear with love.