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Montreal’s pit bull ban has been suspended indefinitely, two days after it came into effect.

On Wednesday, Quebec Superior Court Justice Louis Gouin granted the Montreal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ request for a suspension of elements of the bylaw pertaining to “pit-bull-type dogs” adopted by Montreal last week.

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In his ruling, Gouin said clauses of the bylaw looked as though they were written in haste, often raised more questions than they answered, and suggested the city “go back to the drawing board.”

The bylaw banned the acquisition of pit-bull-type dogs as of Monday and forced current owners to muzzle their dogs at all times and apply for a special $150 annual permit. Because of the suspension, owners of pit-bull-type dogs no longer have to muzzle their animals or purchase specialized permits, or submit to a criminal background check. Other elements of the law, such as those requiring harnesses for dogs weighing more than 20 kilograms or that all dogs and cats have licences, remain in effect. Failure to comply could result in fines starting at $300.