First, a few links for those who are interested. I'm not gonna copy-pasta whole articles here.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montre...ylaw-1.3780335
https://www.thedodo.com/pit-bull-ban...019462088.html
http://www.syracuse.com/us-news/inde...an_passed.html
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montre...ylaw-1.3724559
Some of the highlights of the new laws:
- The laws apply to all Pitbulls, including mixes and dogs that aren't exactly pitbulls but appear to be similar. (I can't find a formal definition of what the law considers "similar".)
- All pitbulls that live in shelters or are caught without ownership are to be euthanized
- Pitbulls will be required to be simultaneously muzzled and kept on a leash not to exceed 1.25m (4.1 feet) in length when they are not inside, and must never be left unattended by an individual under 18 years old
- Individuals with criminal records will not be permitted to own pitbulls
- All pitbulls must be spayed/neutered unless owned by a certified breeder
- Pitbull owners must present proof that they legally owned their dogs before the new laws came into effect or must forfeit their dog(s)
The tl;dr is that Montreal is basically trying to remove these dogs from existence and will be killing as many of them as possible.
What are your thoughts?
I personally don't know how I feel about it. I've known people who own pitbulls and these dogs can be very sweet. On the other hand, I know that here in the U.S., pitbulls and rottweilers alone are responsible for something like 90% of canine maulings in the past few years (with pitbulls contributing the most to canine-related deaths by far). They can be good dogs, but often they are not. Experts say that it's an issue with how they are trained and managed by their owners, and I don't doubt that. Also, apparently experts on pitbulls say that these new laws are absolutely horrible crimes against nature, but that didn't stop them from going into effect in Montreal.