A Montreal man accused of ordering his pit bull to attack his wife has been freed on bail.

Mark Léonard, 54, was charged Tuesday with assault and assault causing bodily harm after he allegedly ordered his pit bull to attack his 47-year-old wife last weekend.

The attack occurred two weeks after an unrelated fatal mauling by a pit bull in Pointe-Aux-Trembles.

A Quebec judge ordered Wednesday that Léonard not have control of animals and not have any contact with animals. He is due to return to court on Nov. 14.

Read the latest on this case: Pit bull that attacked NDG woman not actually pit bull, SPCA says

In the latest incident, the couple were arguing Sunday around 10 p.m. ET, on Randall Avenue in the city's Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighbourhood, when the man ordered the dog to attack, said Montreal police Const. Jean-Pierre Brabant.

The woman was bitten on the arm and treated at the scene by Urgences Santé.

Brabant said she refused to be taken to hospital.

Victim refuses to turn over dog

On Tuesday evening, City of Montreal officials went to the home to seize the dog. But Brabant said the woman refused to hand the animal over to them.

Brabant said she asked that the charges be dropped, but prosecutors intend to go ahead with them, so police will have to get a warrant to seize the dog.

Pit bull-type dogs are already banned or under restricted ownership rules in parts of Canada (Ontario and Winnipeg).

The City of Montreal and several other municipalities are also taking steps to ban pit bulls, and the Quebec government is considering a ban.

The breed is so controversial that two Quebec dog owners say someone recently left meat packed with glass in their yards in attempt to injure their pets.