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Montreal Breed-Specific Legislation

The past few weeks the animal-loving world has been rocked by the developments in Montreal, where legislators have written new laws directed specifically at pitbulls. As a dog-training prison program that focuses on higher risk dogs, we are committed to training pitbulls and changing the public perception of this awesome terrier breed. This set of laws has us understandably upset for the pitbulls and responsible pitbull owners of Montreal.

Luckily, a hold has been placed on the implementation on these laws, thanks to the many people who have reached out to the courts of Montreal. 

A judge ruled the law cannot be ratified until the clauses regarding pitbull identification are clarified. We will be watching this situation closely in the coming weeks. 

Breed-specific legislation is nothing new. Many cities, counties, states, and countries have some form of restrictions on dog ownership. The most common breed targeted is the pitbull. What is most unfortunate is that “pitbull” is not even a breed, but rather a type of dog that most laws describe as “large and short-coated, with a blocky head.” This same description can be applied to many different dogs who have zero bull-type canine heritage, including boxer mixes, lab mixes, etc. The vague wording of the Montreal bill applies to “Staffordshire bull terriers, American pit bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, and any mix with these breeds. Any dog that presents characteristics of one of those breeds.” This broad and vague language is typical of other laws across North America, leading to the vilification of large groups of dogs with very little actual cause.

The Montreal law would affect all current pitbulls within city limits and prevent any of these dogs from entering in the future. These were the terms of the legislation:

Current owners had until December 31st to register for a special permit to own their dog. Owners could not have a criminal record. Permits would have cost $150 every year of ownership.

All permitted dogs would have been required to be sterilized, microchipped and vaccinated by March 2017, regardless of breed. 

All pitbulls must be muzzled when they leave their house, including in their own yard, and they must be on a 4-foot or shorter leash any time they are off their owner’s property. 

Pitbull that are not permitted must be humanely euthanized. This applies to all pitbulls in shelters on October 3rd. 

All dogs, regardless of breed, must be microchipped and sterilized by December 2019.

Unintended Consequences

While some of these ordinances, such as sterilizing dogs, sound individually harmless, this intrinsically removes an owner’s freedom of choice in regard to their pet. There are many intact dogs with responsible owners. Without them we would have no purebred dogs at all. This law even applies to dogs that compete in shows, or ones that are used to breed service dogs! Any and all dogs within city limits. This means many organizations and individuals will have to leave the city-- and take the benefits of their programs with them.

The criminal background check is another problematic point. We have worked with hundreds of inmate handlers over the years. It is reprehensible to use their history against them as though their past prevents them from being responsible dog owners. I would hate to think inmates could successfully complete a program like New Leash on Life USA and then be told they are neither responsible nor knowledgeable enough to own a dog.  Many of our graduates have been working responsibly in dog shelters at all levels saving lives.  

The most frightening aspect of this law, and others like it, is the way in which dogs are identified.  Many studies and surveys have found that even experts in the field are inaccurate at identifying mixed dog breeds on sight alone. This means these laws will affect far more dogs than intended and more dogs will be euthanized based on looks alone.  

This law, and others like it, are based in fear. They are written with the hope to bring down the number of dangerous dogs and dog bites. Unfortunately, history has shown dog-bite stats do not actually lower in cities with breed-specific legislation. While it is not “all in how they are raised” (regardless of popular belief and public relations posters), we cannot characterize the behavior of every dog based simply on breed or appearance. Each dog is an individual.