In the Canadien city of Montreal, City legislators just signed the death warrants for thousands of dogs.
On Tuesday afternoon at a council meeting, legislators voted to pass new breed-specific legislation that will effectively outlaw any dogs that may resemble or look like a pit bull. However, owners that meet a strict set of conditions will be able to keep their dog.
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The vote was passed in 37 to 23 favor of a banning pit bull-type dogs such as American pit bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, and Staffordshire bull terriers.
Mayor Denis Coderre told reporters after the vote, “I have a responsibility as the mayor of Montreal to protect the citizens.”
Alanna Devine of the Montreal SPCA told The Dodo, “For dogs that don’t have an ‘owner’ on the day of the passing of the legislation, the way the legislation is drafted, the dogs have to be euthanized.”
However, there is already legislation in Montreal that states that any dog considered a pit bull cannot be adopted from the animal shelters in the city. “Based on the way legislation is drafted, they can’t be adopted,” Devine explained.
On a yearly basis, the Montreal SPCA takes in around 2,000 dogs in its shelters. Nearly 7000, or about a third of them would qualify as pit bulls according to the city’s standards.
One woman named Carolynn Williams has been part of the efforts to organize a pit bull exodus from Montreal. She stated, “It absolutely makes no sense whatsoever.” Williams continued, “It’s a proven fact that it doesn’t work. They’re just going to force people to hold them illegally which will create more problems.”
Just as many of the city council members were not on board with the decision, the Quebec Order of Veterinarians do not agree with the new legislation. They have lodged a formal complaint against the ban and have stated that the veterinarians have the right to choose whether or not to euthanize a dog.
Veterinarian at a local hospital, Karen Joy Goldenberg explained, “I, professionally, morally, ethically am not required to euthanize those animals.”
Do you think the city council’s new legislation regarding pit bulls is the right decision for the Montreal community or not?
[H/T The Dodo]
