lezzpezz
August 26th, 2005, 02:08 PM
from todays' paper :( :(
Shelters hit with pit bull deluge
The dogs are being discarded in great numbers in the days leading up to a provincewide ban.
Free Press Reporter 2005-08-26
The phones are ringing off the hook at the London Humane Society -- but its cages are already full.
With Ontario's tough new ban on pit bull dogs taking effect Monday, many of the powerful animals -- now unwanted -- are showing up at shelters across the province.
And with London poised to follow the ban with a restrictive bylaw of its own to control remaining pit bulls, many fear the problem will grow.
Facing hefty added licensing fees and insurance costs, pit bull owners are trying to find places to unload their dogs.
Yesterday, there were 14 pit bulls in the humane society's care, including seven puppies, said Lorna Chamberlain, the agency's executive director.
It's unlikely any of the dogs will be adopted before the ban takes effect, she said.
A wave of highly-publicized pit bull attacks on adults, children and other dogs prompted Ontario to pass its ban, becoming the first major jurisdiction in North America to do so.
But Chamberlain said she doesn't believe the ban is the way to go.
Chamberlain is predicting "a period of chaos" will follow.
"It has caused a climate of fear and it's irrational fear," she said.
As of Monday, Ontario's move will require all pit bulls to be leashed and muzzled in public, and be sterilized. That includes any pit bulls born before a Nov. 27 cutoff date.
After Nov. 27, any new pit bull puppies must be be shipped out of Ontario, donated to research facilities, or destroyed.
Lois Jackson, the director responsible for dog rescue and adoptions at Animal Aide in St. Thomas, is concerned with how the dogs will be identified after the Nov. 27 deadline.
She said "in our experience," pit bull-terrier mixes make "very reliable" pets, but it's going to be tough to figure out exactly which dogs are covered by the new ban.
"It is going to make our lives miserable trying to identify mixes," she said.
The Ontario law covers all pit bull-type dogs, including Staffordshire bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers and American pit bull terriers, and any dog that resembles any of those breeds.
Jackson said animal pounds will have to identify the age and breed of suspect dogs.
Any pup with even a small amount of pit bull in it will need to be reported, she said.
"That is at least 80 per cent of the dogs we pull out of the pound," said Jackson. "I don't know if I can walk into that pound and face those dogs."
Chamberlain said she's unsure what she's required to do with any dogs already in her agency's care that can't find homes by Nov. 27.
"Humane societies really do not have a lot of information," she said. "There is a lot of confusion."
Shelters hit with pit bull deluge
The dogs are being discarded in great numbers in the days leading up to a provincewide ban.
Free Press Reporter 2005-08-26
The phones are ringing off the hook at the London Humane Society -- but its cages are already full.
With Ontario's tough new ban on pit bull dogs taking effect Monday, many of the powerful animals -- now unwanted -- are showing up at shelters across the province.
And with London poised to follow the ban with a restrictive bylaw of its own to control remaining pit bulls, many fear the problem will grow.
Facing hefty added licensing fees and insurance costs, pit bull owners are trying to find places to unload their dogs.
Yesterday, there were 14 pit bulls in the humane society's care, including seven puppies, said Lorna Chamberlain, the agency's executive director.
It's unlikely any of the dogs will be adopted before the ban takes effect, she said.
A wave of highly-publicized pit bull attacks on adults, children and other dogs prompted Ontario to pass its ban, becoming the first major jurisdiction in North America to do so.
But Chamberlain said she doesn't believe the ban is the way to go.
Chamberlain is predicting "a period of chaos" will follow.
"It has caused a climate of fear and it's irrational fear," she said.
As of Monday, Ontario's move will require all pit bulls to be leashed and muzzled in public, and be sterilized. That includes any pit bulls born before a Nov. 27 cutoff date.
After Nov. 27, any new pit bull puppies must be be shipped out of Ontario, donated to research facilities, or destroyed.
Lois Jackson, the director responsible for dog rescue and adoptions at Animal Aide in St. Thomas, is concerned with how the dogs will be identified after the Nov. 27 deadline.
She said "in our experience," pit bull-terrier mixes make "very reliable" pets, but it's going to be tough to figure out exactly which dogs are covered by the new ban.
"It is going to make our lives miserable trying to identify mixes," she said.
The Ontario law covers all pit bull-type dogs, including Staffordshire bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers and American pit bull terriers, and any dog that resembles any of those breeds.
Jackson said animal pounds will have to identify the age and breed of suspect dogs.
Any pup with even a small amount of pit bull in it will need to be reported, she said.
"That is at least 80 per cent of the dogs we pull out of the pound," said Jackson. "I don't know if I can walk into that pound and face those dogs."
Chamberlain said she's unsure what she's required to do with any dogs already in her agency's care that can't find homes by Nov. 27.
"Humane societies really do not have a lot of information," she said. "There is a lot of confusion."