Pit-Bull ban in TO
 

Anyone interested in protesting the proposed Pit-Bull ban and Pit-BullX can write Michael Bryant at [email]michael.bryant@jus.gov.on.ca[/email]
and include"pit-bull"in the memo field.
He is the person suggesting the ban and I am certain a lot of people will support him in e-mails,anyone against the ban need to make their voices heard.
We all know BSL is not the answer,higher fines and jail-terms for the owners and bad breeders would make more sense.
Unfortunately it takes a person being attacked before it makes head-lines in the media and therefor an impossible law to enforce.
So,they ban pit-bulls,where do they go from there,GSD,Dobermans,Dalmatians,Rotties....how about banning some people from the streets of Toronto?

I emailed them. This is what my email says:

Hello Michael,

I am disgusted with your idea of banning Pit-bulls. Pit-bulls aren't the problem, it is PEOPLE! These dogs were bred to never, never, EVER, bit a human. It is not the Pit-bull's fault that it gets a bad rap, it is bad breeders and bull fighters. Sorry, but banning this breed is wrong. Have you ever notice that any dog who attacks that is shorthaird is called a Pit-bull? Even if the dog is a Boxer, Great Dane, Mastif, Lab, Retriever, or a breed not even heard of, it is called a Pit-bull by the press. What does the press know? Are the people who run newspapers, write articals, or take pictures dog experts? I hardly think so. I doubt they would know very many dog breeds. Maybe the common ones, like Poodles or Retrievers. Yet they use the power they have to make headlines that scream "PIT-BULL ATTACKS MAN!" or "PIT-BULL KILLS CHILD!" or the famous "TWO PIT-BULLS ATTACK OWNER!" And how would the press know that this is right? They don't. Way, way more times the dog is NOT a Pit-bull or anything that is half like a Pit-bull. Explain how that happens. Pit-bulls are one of the most loving dogs. Some do pet therapy and are awesome at it, they make wonderful search and rescue dogs, they are terrific pets because of their mellow personality. And what do they get in return for saving lives, loving children, bringing seniors happieness and bringing people who don't talk to talk again? They get to be banned, hated, lied about by newspapers, all sorts of horrible things.

To think that you support this is nasty.

I don't think it is nessisary or right.

I hope you will consider the truths in this email and do not go through with the ban in Toronto.

Thank you

[B]I sent the following letter:[/B]

Dear Mr. Bryant,

I understand you are considering proposing Breed Specific Legislation for consideration in the Toronto area. I note this consideration comes close on the heels of the recent attack involving a man walking his dog being attacked by several Pit Bulls near Church Street.

Before you pursue BSL as an avenue, I would implore you to please consider harsher punishment upon individuals who house and bring up animals specifically to be used as weapons. Studies on dog bites in cities where BSL has been introduced have not proved to reduce the incidents of dog bites, the only thing that has changed is that the breed in question is no longer the one biting. Obviously, because they have been removed or restrained from society.

Dog bites are indeed a serious issue to any Municipality. The reality is, every dog has the potential to bite. The only thing that prevents a dog from biting is proper care and training. Dogs learn by positive reinforcement and repitition. If you deprive a dog from positive influences, and support that with repetative incidents of negative actions, any dog is capable of not only biting, but killing. Statistics have shown that even a Dachshund has killed a human, an infant.

This is not to say that people should not own dogs. Dogs, including Pit Bulls, have proven to be a very positive part of society. Some have worked in professions such as rescue, law enforcement, assisting the elderly and disabled, and most importantly, they provide companionship.

The true problem is the irresponsible and/or cruel owner. Where there are people who will purchase guns and knives for the purpose of killing another human being, there are people who purchase dogs for this very same purpose. These people want to terrorize others for selfish reasons. Irresponsible owners are selfish in that they may feel they are purchasing a dog for companionship, but deprive that dog from proper socialization, training and upbringing that it needs in order to be a good canine citizine. Through this ignorance, again a dog can become aggressive in nature.

I would like to refer you to a document called, "An Enlightened Approach to Companion Animal Control for Canadian Municipalities", written by the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, which has been published at [url]http://www.cfhs.ca/Programs/Legislation/bylaws1.htm[/url]. This document proposes municipal legislation for effective control and reduction of dog bites. The approach it takes is one where instead of penalizing animals which quite often are upstanding members of society capable of many good deeds, it suggests severe punishment of individuals who are unwilling or incapable of properly training and housing dogs.

I am sure that you would agree, that if an individual was to face a fine of $10,000.00 for a mere dog bite incident, that people would think twice before buying an animal they don't have the time or inclination to train. In addition to this, criminals who wish to keep dogs as weapons may think twice before doing so. This is not to say that weapons are never concealed, but a dog is much harder to hide than a gun.

If you were to investigate reports where dog bites and injuries have taken place, you will most commonly discover that:

a) The dog was kept under relatively cruel situations, (chained in yards, enclosed dark areas, or in penned outdoor areas with little human contact); and/or
b) Lived in relatively good conditions, but left alone a great deal of time with very little or no training whatsoever; and/or
c) Was trained specifically for the purpose of fighting other dogs, or other people through severe mistreatment;

If we start today by banning one breed, that breed will be replaced tomorrow by a different breed. The problem will not end when every breed of dog has been inevitably eliminated. Until people are properly, and severely punished for how they raise animals, this problem will not go away.

Please reconsider your position on BSL, and please consider eliminating the problem at it's root. It starts with bad ownership. Stricter laws on the human offenders through fines and/or jail time, and stronger enforcement in terms of controlling who can buy, and most importantly sell dogs, is required.

Thank you for taking the time to review my comments.

Nice work ladies! I hate talking about this issue right now, it's been so in-my-face for the last couple of days. I am glared at and whispered about constantly while waiting for the elevator, walking, etc. It's sadly enough very emotionally draining, but I would never trade one single moment of it. Fortunately, if they do push this BSL they will be tackling the largest city in this country and as most know, people of T.O. are hard bums and will not take this lying down.

Does anyone here know anything about writing Press pieces? I think we need to start educating the masses on the true problems.

The media only cares about selling newspapers, and unfortunately Pit Bulls are a hot topic because of the human desire to read about gorey, terrifying content. After all, a dachshund attack would seem more comedic than frightening, and doesn't have anywhere near the impact.

There has to be a way we can get a newspaper to publish an article that properly educates society about the true nature of all dog attacks. The Globe and Mail has nationwide audience...

Anyone know any contacts?

Also, what about organizing a public protest at City Hall? Every Pit owner could rally on a specified date?

[QUOTE=Babs]Globe and Mail has nationwide audience...[/QUOTE]
Unfortunately I find that the Globe and Mail and the National Post are very biased and one sided, for them to cover a postive spin on Pit Bulls might go against everything that they believe in...The Star, The Sun and CP24 - they are ALWAYS willing to explore a little more, but would it be taken seriously? CP24 did a piece last night about positive pit bulls and talked with a man that had two. They were running and playing - VERY friendly dogs, but the polls still show a 2800 to 1600 vote for YES to banning pit bulls...

Point me to the poll! I have lots of friends on line and may be able to get those no numbers a little higher.

We actually missed it! They only had it running yesterday from like 10 to 4 or something. There were ALOT of responses to their story and they showed a very neutral story - that I was very surprised and happy about.

Anyone living in the Toronto area, PLEASE, print these out and paste them up all over town. Bulletin boards, lamp-posts, pet stores, on people's cars, at work... everywhere.

The media has their newspapers to get the fear spread, and the only way we can fight it is with positive press. If the media wants to work against us, we need to be our own media.

I would like to also make a poster campaign for "Please Don't Kill My Best Friend!". If anyone has any pit bull pictures with young children, and would not mind providing them for this cause, please provide me the highest res image you've got!

Here's the images. Download the PDF file above each picture to get the printable verson.

[B]Poster Version 1[/B]

[URL=http://www.babayaaga.com/images/bslposter_to_1.pdf]http://www.babayaaga.com/images/bslposter_to_1.pdf[/URL]
[IMG]http://www.babayaaga.com/images/bslposter_to_1.jpg[/IMG]


[B]Poster Version 2[/B]

[URL=http://www.babayaaga.com/images/bslposter_to_2.pdf]http://www.babayaaga.com/images/bslposter_to_2.pdf[/URL]
[IMG]http://www.babayaaga.com/images/bslposter_to_2.jpg[/IMG]

[QUOTE=chico2]
So,they ban pit-bulls,where do they go from there,GSD,Dobermans,Dalmatians,Rotties....how about banning some people from the streets of Toronto?[/QUOTE]

Ya exactly....I know of a hell of a lot more people than animals that pose a threat to society....I mean at least an animal CAN be trained!!!!!

funny but humans can be far more vicious and evil than any dog, i have known to be very vicious in my time, well why not ban me?? i seriously think banning me would be a far better action than these dogs.
STUPID HUMAN EGO

proposed breed specific legislation
 

Not only can you email michael bryant but email your city councillors you can aquire all there contact info from the city of toronto home page, these are the people who discuss municiple bylaws in our city and they definatley need to be aware of the pros and cons to a breed ban, if there are any pros that is. I think a protest should be organized or something for that matter, interviews with media from responsible owners who can educate the public help from city by law officers to find ways to enforce, any avenue is a avenue worth searching if it will affect the life of our furry friends. now lets all get out there and make some noise on this issue :D

Proudpittyowner,I found in talking to people a disturbing trend,most were for a pit ban,people who have only heard bad stories.
There is young man on my street,he dresses completely in black,has a black pittie with a giant studded color.The dog is beautiful and incredibly obedient,but just the sight of them makes people afraid.
Premier McGuinty was on the news tonight and he said he's ready to listen to all sides,the good and the bad and would probably make a ban for ALL of Ontario,if at all.
He also said,there was not going to be a masskilling of Pits,but he would require all pit-owners to have them registered with the police and if in public to wear a muzzle.Also if a pit attacks there would be a 10.000 fine.
Something needs to be done about BAD pitowners,usually a criminal element,who do not LOVE their animals,but uses them as a dangerous weapon.
But how would they go about finding these unfortunate dogs :confused:

Emailing officials won't hurt, but it might not make a loud enough voice either.

These men that sit on City Council have this privilage by the voting public. They are not only going to do what is in the best interests of public safety, but they are going to do it in a way that the public feels is safest.

The problem is, right now the public has been misled by the Media.

Media makes money by selling papers. Dog attack stories sell papers, and specifically if they are said to be Pit Bulls. Originally this probably started as an honest mistake, since it is extremely difficult to properly identify dog breeds when their breeding history isn't available. Vets make mistakes, SPCA's make mistakes, the Police make mistakes and most commonly, the Media makes mistakes when trying to classify a dog's breed.

Eventually, it has both made sense, and been financially profitable from a news perspective to identify ALL attacking short-haired dogs to be "Pit Bulls" or "Pit Bull Crosses". What has ensued is massive, ignorant hysteria.

There was a thread a while ago back that tested people's ability to identify a Pit Bull, and it was very telling. Check it out for yourself. Can you tell which one of these is a Pit Bull?

[URL=http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html]http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html[/URL]

If Toronto is successful passing this breed ban, it won't be long before the rest of the province, and probably country follows suit. Ontario is looking at passing provincial BSL in fact.

Toronto is a highly influencial city in Canada. If this ban passes, and as more and more cities and provinces follow suit, one breed, and several mistakenly identified dogs will be subjected to a massive holocaust, but the bite statistics won't go down.

In a few years, it will be a different breed in the spotlight... then another... and another... eventually all dogs will be outlawed.

It's up to every one of us to start giving the public the truth. We need to not only speak out against it between ourselves... we are all on the same page! But we are the minority, because we are educated and know the truth. It's time to do our part.

If every one of us was to print off 12 posters and put them up, and tell at least one friend to do the same thing, and to tell their friend, this campaign will spread fast... and hopefully diffuse the ticking time bomb in time.

muzzled in public, that is not fair and downright cruel if you ask me, if a dog was attacked it would never be able to defend itself. and it is the responsible owners that will be hit by these changes, not the creeps abusing the animals, so sad.

QUOTE'There is young man on my street,he dresses completely in black,has a black pittie with a giant studded color.The dog is beautiful and incredibly obedient,but just the sight of them makes people afraid'.

now that is really sad, we still live in a world where you will be judged not by your heart but by your dress sense or how you are presented, i sadly thought we were becoming an open minded world and a bit more tolerant and accepting of different ppl, sadly i am totally wrong..how can any animal have a chance in this world, if we cannot accept different ppl and diff personalities i dont hold out much hope for animals.... :o

Here's a really interesting [URL=http://www.goodpooch.com/MediaBriefs/GPcanineprimer.htm]link[/URL]
to check out, mabey even send it to the media,
and city councilors.

Just remember, your letters must be fact based and non-emotional. Don't call people names or question their intelligence. The link that Babs enclosed in her letter is an excellent link with lots of ideas for non-breed specific legislation. The dogs that attacked the gentleman walking them this weekend were NOT licensed properly and had NOT been vaccinated. These laws need better enforcement. If the laws that were on the books could be enforced, new laws would not be needed.

And don't forget the expense of enforcing these new laws.

Things to think about.

great posters
 

what a great idea i have already downloaded and iam off to my campus tommorow to print off a tonne of them, i will be hitting the downtown streets with these ASAP, i hope this campaign reaches atleast a few :)

Premier McGuinty's portrait of a pitbull:
1.They are bread to be vicious.
2.They never let go,can feel no pain.
3.They have tho most powerful jaws of any dog.
4.Do we really need these dogs in our society?
This is exactly what he said on the 6 o'clock news,but he also admitted to not knowing enough and welcomed opinions.

i am TOTALLY for NOT KILLING these poor doggies... but if you think about it, pit bulls where created by in world war 2 ... they were created to KILL people. that is there nature. if you argue this, why did that 15 year old pit bull kill a baby a while back in toronto... it just one day just attacked the baby and bit his head. they have a nature to kill... that is my understanding of pit bulls. please do not think that i am a " bad" person for thinking this and do not take it personal, its just my views on it, as of now that is. and people ARE the ones to blame cause many people breed them for " pit bull fighting" and gambling..

I'm disgusted at what I've heard this uninformed and uneducated individuals in politics say about the breed.

The only positive thing I heard the last couple of days was on City TV
Pam Seatle met with some owners and their pbt's in a park today and was obviously enjoying herself. Not to mention she's obviously preggos :D and not afraid to be around the dogs.

She indicated in her story the logistics of how difficult it is to actually 'prove' it was a pitbull that did the attacks and she made a great saying even better by broadcasting it like she did 'punish the deed not the breed'

I was very happy with her story.

Not so happy with Mr McGuinty (the little twerp reminds me of Norman Bates lol) and also not happy with the Toronto Mayor David Miller who thought banning in Toronto wasn't good enough. He'd like to see it go province wide.

Everyone gets on the band wagon when they don't really know what they're talking about, such a shame. To even have the animal control of Kitchener/Waterloo indicate how 'happy' he is with the ban in Kitchener.
Another twerp.

Luba,I saw that too and it was very well done..but the politicians will not go against the masses and apparently there are more people for a ban than against.
I does not matter that the majority of pits are excellent companions and family-dogs,the ill will against pits will remain.
The mere name"Pit-Bulls"is unfair and sends shivers down most peoples spines,since Pit-Bulls is not a breed,but could include any fighting dog,it's time to call the pits what they are.
I admit,I have very little knowledge about specific breeds of dogs,but no dogs should be banned because of owners stupidity.
One good thing about City-Tv,they will always have an unbiased opinion,sometimes controversial,they do not worry about politics but says it like it is.

[QUOTE=rexdoggieowner]i am TOTALLY for NOT KILLING these poor doggies... but if you think about it, pit bulls where created by in world war 2 ... they were created to KILL people. that is there nature. if you argue this, why did that 15 year old pit bull kill a baby a while back in toronto... it just one day just attacked the baby and bit his head. they have a nature to kill... that is my understanding of pit bulls. please do not think that i am a " bad" person for thinking this and do not take it personal, its just my views on it, as of now that is. and people ARE the ones to blame cause many people breed them for " pit bull fighting" and gambling..[/QUOTE]

I think you need to do more research. I have never read anything about the "breed" being developed as killer dogs during WW2. These dogs have been around for hundreds of years and were used as fighting dogs. They are to be dog aggressive but NEVER and I do mean NEVER bite a person. The owner had to be able to handle the dog under any circumstances. Any dog that was aggressive towards humans was destroyed as quickly as a dog that wouldn't fight.

As for why a pit bull killed a baby a while back in Toronto, since I do not know which case you are talking about, I can't say. I do know that most dogs that bite fall into 2 catagories.

1. It has an unaddressed health issue causing pain. Since these dogs are bred to fight, the dog would have to be in a LOT of pain for this to be the reason.

2. The dog is untrained, unsocialized, unvetted, unregistered.

You will also find that in several cases, the dog's owners had been ticketed before, or were wanted by police for unrelated things. One such case that comes to mind is the young boy that was killed this spring and the mailman tried to intervene. The attack happened in the back yard and the boy's father was in the house. He screamed at the mailman for taking a swing at his dogs - while his son lay dying in his yard! A subsequent search of the man's house revealed several pounds of illegal drugs and several automatic weapons - unregistered, of course.

i dont want to sound harsh, but i am trying to keep informative and dispell several myths through this argument. do not take it personally, i am not attacking you etc but please consider the following-

QUOTE 'i am TOTALLY for NOT KILLING these poor doggies... but if you think about it, pit bulls where created by in world war 2 ... they were created to KILL people. that is there nature. if you argue this, why did that 15 year old pit bull kill a baby a while back in toronto... it just one day just attacked the baby and bit his head. they have a nature to kill... that is my understanding of pit bulls. '

of course, i did not see it before, it is totally the dogs fault, forget the parents they are just the friggin victims. actually no dog should be left unattended with a child full stop. in australia (NSW dont know other states) you can not leave a child under the age of 12 unsupervised with a dog, its in the companion animals act. but obviously you dont have these laws.

Quote'if you argue this, why did that 15 year old pit bull kill a baby a while back in toronto... "
because some dogs can be nasty and some idiots leave a baby unsupervised, and it is generally the fault of that dogs owner. there is never a bad dog, just a bad owner. and if pits were such 'killers' why are they a common dog used in rescue and therapy?? why would they be used to save lives if they were killers, why would they go into hospitals and do marvelous things whilst showing no signs of agression or that 'killer instinct' when they are being company to old and frail ppl?.

you said the dog was 15yo, well even i know children should be watched very carefully around old dogs, old dogs are frail and can have physical probs, not only illness but blindness, and hearing loss, these factors may contribute to a reason why that happened.

Quote'dont think that i am a " bad" person for thinking this and do not take it personal, its just my views on it, as of now that is'.

well it is important to have an opinion and i dont think you bad for sharing it, just very misinformed. i did not take what you said personally but i found it to be totally unfounded, not based on fact and a form of scare mongering which is how this reputation started in the first place, perhaps you should get to know a pit or pit owner and actually form an opinion on a live dog and owner.
perhaps you should pm lucky rescue, she can give you a mile of founded and experienced facts of this breed based on her s and others personal experiences.

ps i had my face torn open by poodles as a small child, those dogs were vicious and took to me fast, well perhaps they are just bred to kill as well, maybe you are saying any dog kills therfore it is bred that way?? i have heard of poodles attacking many times, is this an indication of their killer instincts??
food for thought

You know, this inspires an angle.

If the polititians themselves concede that Pit Bull is not a recognized breed in Canada...

And since we know how hard it is to identify dog breeds, particularly mixes...

Let them prove our dogs are anything else but!

Pit Bull? No, I own a boxer cross! =p. The SPCA may call it a Pit Bull, but I have 2 Vets who say otherwise.

So until you can prove me wrong, you can't take away my pet. It's not affected.

Imagine if every Pit Bull owner responded this way to a ban, and imagine the costs of proving every owner wrong in court.

Rex,

Pit Bulls were around a few decades before WW2. Petey in "The Little Rascals" was a Pit.

The WW2 dog you're thinking about was Stubby, and was further a recognized War Hero, earning several medals and recieving honours at the White House. Stubby's face became a mascot for USA War Advertisements.

I DO NOT agree with a breed ban - I do however agree that the Pit bull breeds can be dangerous in the hands of an inexperienced or cruel owner. For this reason I think that all pit bulls (and any large dog) should be licensed and the owners educated as to how to properly train and socialize these dogs so that they can remain good canine citizens. I also think that any dog who attacks unprovoked should be PTS. This is not a requirement in Ontario now - I don't see how the government can condone PTS a wonderful family pet because he's a pit bull and allow the owner of another dog who HAS bit a person to keep his dog as long as he wears a muzzle in public... that's ridiculous!

All laws that are put into place need to affect all dogs equally. Not just large dogs. The dog mostly likely to bite on my street right now is the darn chi mix that lives across the street.

I think the part that gets me most about this whole thing is that everyone is trying to regulate the dogs! It is the dog owner that needs to be looked at. A vast majority of dogs that have bitten are unneutered males, unregistered, unvaccinated, unsocialized and untrained! Well, the dog can't neuter himself, take himself to the police department for his take, get himself to the vet for his shots, socialize himself at the park or take himself to classes for training! People are responsible. Make the punishment tougher for people who let their dogs run loose and attack someone or something. Owners of dogs that kill other animals off of their property should be charged with criminal animal cruelty with mandatory jailtime. Owners of dogs that attack people should be charged with attempted murder. Dogs that kill people, owners should be charged with murder. Oh, if your dog wanders into my yard and my dog kills it, guess what YOU get to go to jail for criminal animal cruelty.

MAKE PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE!

The " killer" dogs were not used by the USA, but of the German army.

Thanks for giving me more info on this breed. It just seems to me that you hear more of pit bull fighting and attacks then anyother breed, especially on the news. That is why people are usually scared of them. Yes, i believe that there are bad owners, not bad dogs.. some people get pit bulls to be aggressive and protective, those are the bad owners cause they teach and breed the dogs to be aggressive.

Not everyone can know so much about breeds, and do not take the time to do so, so they just follow the media and the news to inform them about such cases. and if all they see on tv is pit bull attacks, what else are they suppose to think about that breed ?!

i never heard of many poddle attacks.

"Oh, if your dog wanders into my yard and my dog kills it, guess what YOU get to go to jail for criminal animal cruelty." what if the dog ran away ?!

"Make the punishment tougher for people who let their dogs run loose and attack someone or something." I agree to that-- depending on the circumstances of course.

"Petey in "The Little Rascals" was a Pit "-- wasn't that film made after WW2 ?!


"because some dogs can be nasty and some idiots leave a baby unsupervised, and it is generally the fault of that dogs owner."-- okay, do not agree with that at all... if you have an older pit bull that you have had for 15 years, don't you trust it ?! would you watch your dog EVERY SECOND ?!, say if you went to the kitchen for one minute, you trained this dog every good and he never showed signs of agressiveness..just that one day.. and the kid was like 2 years old to my belief..