The City of Montreal is planning to pass a new animal control bylaw on Sept. 26 that would include banning pit bulls for new owners and stricter regulations for those who already have them.
While many are in favour of a bylaw outlawing dangerous dogs and delinquent owners, many dog owners are opposed to breed-specific legislation.
“I, 100 per cent, believe that my dog will end up dead in this situation,” said Amanda McKernan, who lives in Saint-Henri with her beloved pit bull, Crystal.
McKernan has spent much of the summer trying to train her dog to wear a muzzle.
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It’s one of the many new rules she’ll have to follow if she wants to keep her 10-year-old dog under the proposed legislation, expected to be adopted by Montreal’s city council on Monday.
“On Sept. 26, you can legally kill my dog with this bylaw if I don’t have, if I didn’t apply for the permit,” McKernan said.
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Under the proposed bylaw, dog owners will have until Dec. 31 to apply for a permit, which includes getting a criminal background check.
McKernan claims she has tried to call 311, the city’s information line, numerous times to get the permit, only to be told nobody knows.
“The bylaw is set to pass in a week and nobody even knows where to apply for this special permit,” McKernan said.
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The 26-year-old argued the bylaw unfairly targets dogs like hers and fears it will give arbitrary powers to animal control officers, leaving many owners with the short end of the stick.
“I think it’s madness, it’s an invasion of privacy, it goes against federal and provincial law,” she said.
McKernan said she’s ready to contest the bylaw if ever her dog is targeted.
The proposed bylaw came to light after a woman was killed by a dog in Montreal’s east end earlier this summer.
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Early reports claimed the dog was a boxer, but Montreal police believe it could be a pit bull and are awaiting DNA tests to confirm the breed.
Now, some high profile lawyers are gearing up for a court fight.
“It’s not only that this is wrong, that it’s calling for the killing of dogs that have done no wrong, but also that it’s just unscientific,” constitutional lawyer Julius Grey said.
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Grey is teaming up with other high-profile lawyers like Anne-France Goldwater to fight the proposed bylaw if it’s adopted.
“You can be certain that we’ll meet them in court,” Grey said.
“I hope it will not be passed. I hope people will come to their senses. I hope they read the veterinarian expertise that are very clear.”
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