As I take a moment to reflect on the events five years ago and what’s happened to our world since that moment, I’d like to pay tribute to the four-legged rescuers who save lives and give families closure, not just at that one tragedy, but on a daily basis throughout…
What Michael really believes
Browsing back through some of the Hansard documents from the time when the Ontario Liberal government was introducing Bill 132 to the legislature, I came across a quote from Michael Bryant during the November 4, 2004 debate of Bill 132. I grew up with big dogs — German shepherds. We…
Is this lady being quoted correctly?
Further to the story of the five-year-old boy bitten on the lip by a nine-month-old “pit bull / husky cross” (whatever that is).In my earlier article, I failed to mention an important point. I had included it in a letter to the editor of the Sudbury Star, but forgot about…
Boy survives pit bull attack – back on bike eight hours later
The headline of a recent Sudbury Star news report screams “Boy survives pit bull attack”. Here are the facts that are available from the news report which, of course, doesn’t mean that they’re the only facts. Dog is nine months old. Boy is five years old. Dog is owned by…
Canadian Breeds and Restrictions
A recent article on Dog Politics discussed a proposal in New Jersey to require all “pit bull” owners to be photographed, pay an extra registration fee, and have signficant personal information recorded in a central database. I have been going through all the bylaws and ordinances for many cities and…
Pit bull or not?
I’ve recently run into a couple of situations that highlight an important issue from the Ontario court case.First, I recognize that there are important considerations in this case other than the ability to visually identify a dog breed. Things such as: Unreasonable (and sometimes warrantless) search and seizure Reverse onus…
Neighbour hates neighbour
To the young dog owner in this Winnipeg Sun story, welcome to the world that Ontarians are living in every day! Owners of ANY breed in Ontario should be afraid of losing their dogs because of vindictive or fearful neighbours.Interesting statement by the city councillor, Gord Steeves: The pound requires…
Dog Owners’ rights are disappearing in Ontario
Please read the following articles to understand how Ontario’s Bill 132, a piece of legislation that has often been called the “pit bull ban”, has much more to do with all dog owners than most people realize.Note the underlying theme of increasing restrictions on all dog owners with the ultimate…
One Year Anniversary Vigil in Toronto Ontario
On Sunday, August 27, there was a one year anniversary vigil at Queen’s Park in Toronto Ontario. For those of you unfamiliar with the city, Queen’s Park is the location of the Provincial Legislature where Bill 132 was hatched and passed. Here is one attendee’s brief summary of the evening.Turnout…
Ontario Labrador Retriever Ban: UPDATE
On Wednesday, Caveat posted an article describing the potential for a ban on Labrador Retrievers in the province of Ontario, already infamous for its ban on “pit bulls and anything that sort of looks like one”.Today, a further article was posted, providing a much-requested explanation of the first piece. If…