Pit Bulls Banned from Montreal

While many dogs are seen as friendly pets or a man’s best friend, in Montreal, Canada that is not always the case. According to The Washington Post, the Montreal government has decided to ban pit bulls. This is due to a woman named Christiane Vadnais being killed by a pit bull in Quebec this past June.

While places like Quebec and other areas of Canada have considered banning pit bulls, Montreal is the first one to take action with the proposal. The new law will cause pit bulls who are not currently adopted to be faced with the possibility of euthanasia. It will also be illegal for anyone to adopt or get a new pit bull in the city. Lastly, the law will require all current pit bull owners to get a permit before 2017 that costs about $115 in U.S. money. On top of that, any current owners of pit bulls must have their pit bull’s sterilized, vaccinated, and microchipped. If any pit bull owner wants to take their dog out in public, even for a walk, they must keep their dog on a leash that is four feet or less and place a muzzle on their pit bulls.

We are always saying stereotyping or making generalizations about certain groups of people is wrong. Why can we not say the same for animals? While there are definitely animals whom should not be pets or whom need to be put down due to circumstances involving violence, banning an entire breed of dogs is not the answer. Contrary to popular belief, pit bulls are not very deadly or menacing dogs. In fact, according to Huffington Post, there is no proof or evidence that pit bulls are more dangerous than other dog breeds. Though pit bulls get a bad reputation, they can be very sweet and loving dogs.

There have been various cases of pit bulls saving people’s lives. As told by writers at the Dogs of Honor website, a pit bull named Kilo once saved his owners’ lives by taking a bullet in the head for his owners who were in danger of being shot by a gunman whom was in disguise as a Fed Ex employee.

Another example of pit bulls being heroes was featured in the New York Daily News and involved a woman being saved by a pit bull that was not even her own dog, but a stray. The dog noticed a man and woman fighting and once the man took out a knife, the dog leaped into action and took the knife for the woman. That dog almost died due to his injuries but was able to pull through surgery and was taken to a rescue center where he is now awaiting a new home.

These are only a specific two of the various stories that can be found of pit bull heroics. Pit bulls can be amazing companions whom help owners and strangers alike, whether it be saving their lives or just making their day a little better as most pets do.

Pit bulls can be just as great of pets to have as any other. I feel Montreal’s ban of pit bulls is unfair and unjust. While there have been incidents involving pit bulls in the past, saying they are all deadly is like saying that because a kid wearing a red shirt was a bully, then every kid with a red shirt is most likely a bully who should be kicked out of school, or something as equally as ridiculous.

Pit bulls can be wonderful as much as they can be dangerous, just like any other dog out there, and I do not feel that banning citizens from adopting or buying a certain type of dog is the right course of action to take when an event like the one in Quebec occurs. It especially does not mean that the pit bulls that are currently owned and have most likely not been any kind of a menace or issue to society, should have to wear muzzles to be able to be walked or need permits to be allowed to be kept or anything like that.

Finally, this incident does not mean that the stray, homeless, or owner-less dogs should be in danger of being euthanized for one pit bull’s actions.

How can we ever grow and become better human beings if we cannot even treat a man’s best friend with respect or without judgement? I frown upon Montreal’s decision regarding these pit bulls and do hope, like I am sure many others do, that they will overturn the verdict and not cause hundreds of dogs to die or have to live their lives in muzzles or under such other strict and unfair guidelines.

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