Ontario’s BSL Shame

http://www.randyhilliermpp.com/bill16

Please Read and Sign this Petition! It needs roughly 1700 more signatures from Ontarian residents. Bit of a read, but this is a matter of the utmost importance to animal lovers and all who value the importance of life:

For years, people have been fighting to remove the archaic, draconian, and cruel ban on pit bulls in Ontario. What’s that? You didn’t know that since 2005 any dog thought to be a pit bull or any dog with similar characteristics found in our “modernized and progressive” province can be killed? Until recently, I too was among those ignorant to this outrageous and unjust legislation.



Ontario’s breed-specific legislation allows officials to seize any dog thought to be a “pit bull” to be euthanized or sent to a research facility. This law doesn’t just apply to dogs that attack, show signs of aggression, or pose a risk to public safety. To fall under the ban, all a dog has to do is be born of or look like a certain breed. To keep it all in perspective, the ban applies to newborn puppies as well. I should mention here that “pit bull” isn’t even a breed of dog. It’s a blanket slang term used to refer to the Pit Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, and American Pit Bull Terrier. I would really like to stress that to fall under Ontario’s BSL laws, a dog doesn’t even have to be a “pit bull.” It only has to have “an appearance and physical characteristics substantially similar to any of those dogs” (http://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/english/about/pubs/dola-pubsfty/dola-pubsfty.asp). These traits have been indicated as medium size, short hair, muscular build, and a wide head. I don’t know about you, but this vague description applies to a lot of dogs, maybe even yours. The legislation is so ludicrously wide-sweeping that your lab mix, your best friend’s small Boxer, or your mom’s Bulldog could fall under BSL.

“But pit bulls are dangerous and should be banned,” you say. “They are bred to be aggressive and are commonly used as fighting dogs.” I say, you are misinformed. Did you know that only 1 of the 52 dog bite-related fatalities in Canada (since 1964) involved a dog reported to be a “pit bull” (http://nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/dogbites/dog-bites-in-canada/)? Did you know that “pit bulls” score better on both owner- and stranger-directed aggression tests than many popular breeds like the German Shepherd, Bichon Frise, and Border Collie (http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/pulp/2013/02/pit_bulls_not_aggressive_research.php)? Did you also know that these dogs were originally bred as “nanny dogs” for children (http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/pitbulls-used-be-considered-perfect-nanny-dogs-children-until-media-turned-them)? It’s people that have mistreated, misused, and misunderstood them to create the image that they are vicious. I think the evidence speaks for itself to learn that several of dogs saved from Michael Vick’s dog fighting ring are not only adopted and thriving, but some are even working as therapy dogs.

As long as BSL exists, no dog is safe. There’s always a trend for what dog breed is popular to villianize at the moment (previously the German Shepherd, Rottweiler, and Doberman). What’s stopping your Golden Retriever or Dachshund from being next? Anyone who claims to be an animal lover should be outraged and disgusted by BSL. Crucifying one breed serves the public with a false sense of security that the issue of dog aggression is being adequately dealt with. There is tons of evidence of expert opinion and statistics to show that BSL does not work (http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/2010/04/28/pit_bull_ban_hasnt_cut_dog_bites.html). On top of it all, it’s expensive to enforce and discourages travel and tourism in our province. There are many options other than BSL when it comes to promoting responsible pet ownership and decreasing dog attacks, like Calgary’s model for example, where they’ve seen a 70% drop in reported dog bites (http://supporthersheysbill.com/calgary-model/).

The important thing to note about the proposed lifting of the ban is that the purpose is not to remove the onus on owners of dogs that bite and cause harm. It has to do with equality and animal and human rights and the misinformed notion that violence is a matter of genetics. It’s about saving the lives of dogs that have never shown any aggressive tendencies and have never done a thing wrong other than be born of a breed that has been demonized in the media and mistreated by cruel individuals. It’s about promoting responsible ownership for owners of all breeds.



Ontario is the largest geographical area in the world cruel enough to pass BSL. This should be a shameful reflection of how little we value animal life our province. BSL does nothing more than tear apart families, punish responsible owners, and kill innocent animals. Our provincial government is disgracefully perpetuating the hatred, fear mongering, and mistreatment of one of the most misunderstood and abused breeds of dog. I urge everyone who hasn’t already educated themselves on the subject to do so, and consider signing this petition, sharing this information, and remembering it when you vote during the next election. We are taught to judge a person based on the content of their character and not their race or appearance, so let’s do everything in our power to get rid of this law that inflicts this exact same unjust prejudice on our beloved canine friends.

http://www.randyhilliermpp.com/bill16 (Sorry, Ontario residents only)

P.S. Our new Liberal “social justice” premier, Kathleen Wynne is in favour of keeping the ban in place.

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