A pit bull mix that had to be euthanized after biting a seven-year-old Verdun boy on the cheek Sunday, sending him to hospital for stitches, has enflamed the debate over Montreal's new animal control bylaw.

For Mayor Denis Coderre, it shows his move last fall to enact new legislation that includes a ban on new ownership of pit bull and pit bull-type dogs was necessary.

For opposition Projet Montréal leader Valérie Plante, the fact that the pit bull mix was a family dog that attacked a child it knew shows targeting dogs — and not the behaviour of their owners — is misguided.

Verdun borough Mayor Jean-François Parenteau said the boy was playing on the floor of his home with the dog, Rocco, when the animal turned and bit him on the cheek.

The boy's parents called 311 to have the dog picked up and euthanized. Animex, the animal control service operating in the city of Verdun, transported the dog to the Montreal SPCA.

The boy needed stitches to his cheek, and Parenteau says he's fine, but he'll bear the scar for life.

Dog not neutered

The dog was registered as a pit bull, and Parenteau said it was a mixed breed.

Coderre pointed out that the Rocco wasn't neutered — something the pit bull legislation coming into effect March 31 would demand.

"The bylaw is not just about dangerous dogs," Coderre said.

"It's also about ensuring that at a certain point there will be no more of certain breeds on our territory. Once again, this was a pit bull."

Plante saw the situation differently.

"This shows that Denis Coderre's rules don't work," she said.

"It's not a race or type of dog that we have to attack. It's the behaviour of the owners."

The Montreal SPCA confirmed that the dog has been humanely euthanized. The agency said it was deemed unadoptable.

SPCA calls for more effective legislation

In a statement, the SPCA said breed specific legislation would not have prevented this incident.

"We must focus on effective legislation and practical solutions that will keep our community safe from dog bites," the statement said.

The SPCA has been vocal in its criticism of the pit bull bylaw. It took the city to court in a bid to have the sections targeting pit bull-type dogs declared illegal, winning a temporary injunction that suspended the pit bull restrictions before that ruling was overturned by the Quebec Court of Appeal.

In light of that, the SPCA is eliminating dog control from the nine boroughs it serves as of March 31, when the pit bull restrictions set out in Montreal's animal control bylaw come into force.