People opposed to Longueuil’s dangerous dog ban took to the city’s streets to voice their opposition to the bylaw Tuesday afternoon.
Some protesters who gathered in front of Longueuil City Hall brought their dogs, while others wore T-shirts that read “Education = Safety Without Discrimination.”
Longueuil’s pit bull ban has been in place since July, but those at the protest said they were not about to give up their fight to try to get the bylaw overturned.
READ MORE: Protest planned against Montreal’s ‘dangerous dog’ law proposal
“We will be here tonight. We will be here next month for the next meeting and next month,” said Scarlett MacKenzie, the protest organizer.
“We will be here on November 2017, for the election and things will change.”
The rules, which are very similar to the ones the City of Montreal wants to put in place, include keeping dogs on a leash and muzzle.
Pit bulls aren’t allowed in dog parks and they must be micro-chipped and sterilized.
READ MORE: Quebec government proposes province-wide restrictions on ‘dangerous’ dog breeds
“We’ve seen other places in the world that have BSL (breed-specific legislation) that bites have actually gone up,” MacKenzie said.
“It creates more criminal activity because people who have dogs that are banned just hide them. So, instead of fixing the problem, it makes it worse.”
“We want to advocate for education, bite prevention programs and equal application of the law.”
Presaeillia Shaw told Global News she drove two hours to get to the protest.
“If we can ban pit bulls, we should ban criminals too,” she said as she held her nine-month old American bully, Perla.
“Why do we feed them and put a roof over their heads and we want to kill the dogs?”
This is the second protest regarding pit bull legislation to be held this week.
READ MORE: Rally held outside Montreal City Hall to protest upcoming dog legislation
On Monday, a group of about two dozen dog owners rallied in front of Montreal City Hall.
Montreal’s pit bull ban could come into effect Sept. 26.
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