Owners of dangerous dogs that attack should be jailed
Woman charged after dog attack left child seriously injured in Toronto, March 25
Here we go again. What was a dog that should have been put down a long time ago doing in a park or anywhere else for that matter? Why was the owner sent home with a pat on the hand and a promise to muzzle the dog?
Is it just me or are others fed up with reading such stories in our newspapers: a murderer on parole with a promise of not carrying a gun, a drunk driver with several previous convictions? We have to start believing in our justice system again.
Owners of dangerous dogs that attack people should be put behind bars and their dogs should be put down, no ifs and buts. Just as perpetrators of violent crimes should be behind bars and drunk drivers who kill someone should also be behind bars and should never drive again.
We need to stop worrying about the rights of criminals and worry more about the safety of honest citizens. Again, is it just me?
Claude Gannon, Markham
Dog’s owner has no interest in safety of others
Dog that mauled boy in Toronto park had a history of violence, March 26
First, the headline should read “has” not “had.” Second, and highly important, is that after a previous attack the dog was ordered muzzled. Yet here it was with its owner in a park where children play without its muzzle!
The owner stated that she was “looking for the ball … the leash slipped off my wrist … it was just a second.” If she had obeyed what the law had issued, the child would not have suffered nor would have to carry the terror of the attack into the future.
The owner obviously has no interest in the safety of anyone, as her record in the courts show. Time to lay the law down hard.
Chris Andrews, Vaughan
Weren’t pit bull breeds banned?
I thought we had legislation in Ontario that banned the ownership of the pit bull breed? The reasons, of course, were that this was a dangerous breed, killing and maiming people and other dogs. I understand that if a family owned one, they could keep it, but no longer could this breed be owned in Ontario. Maybe this legislation should be fully enforced. The lack of followup on complaints and restrictions on dog owners when there is an attack/complaint is also at the core of this serious problem.
Sandy Forester, Bolton
We need to know the exact address of dangerous dogs
I have been corresponding with the city for weeks about pending legislation changes. I am horrified, particularly in light of the attack on the boy in Little Norway Park to discover the city approved numerous changes by a 21-0 council vote last week. To show how misguided are these proposals, one is a publicly accessible dangerous dog registry that gives the first three letters of the dog/owner postal code. This will warn no one and I’ve informed the city repeatedly about this fact. You must have the specific address. I live in M4K. There are over 32.000 people living in M4K, this proposed list methodology is useless. You may as well post a notice “There’s a dangerous dog in Toronto.”
David Blyth, Toronto
The city has failed in its responsibility to the public to protect and inform of dangerous dogs. This recently manifested itself in the horrific attack on the boy in Little Norway Park.
Council approved an online portal listing dog location by ward and possibly a picture. This offers absolutely no information as to where the animal is located. It provides zero protection to the public and is a complete waste of taxpayers’ money. You need the specific address.
Standardized warning signs were supposed to be in place seven years ago in 2017 and we’re still talking about them today. The required red dangerous dog tags are a joke. If you’re close enough to see and read the tag, you’re too close and are already in danger.
More public education will be a further waste of taxpayers’ money. You need enforcement. The dog that attacked the boy last week and the dogs that attacked the woman who made the deposition to city council were already designated dangerous dogs, but irresponsible owners permitted the attacks to occur.
If you really mean to solve this problem, tell us exactly where the dangerous dog resides — the address and apartment number (if applicable), approve the city of Toronto warning signs and install them at the dog’s residence and lastly, enforce the bylaws.
Debby Neill, Toronto
‘‘ What was a dog that should have been put down a long time ago doing in a park or anywhere else for that matter? Why was the owner sent home with a pat on the hand and a promise to muzzle the dog? CLAUDE GANNON, MARKHAM