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Posted on 02/08/2005 6:33:36 AM PST by kanawa
TORONTO -- Four days of public hearings into Ontario's proposed ban on pit bull dogs have left Attorney General Michael Bryant more convinced than ever that the breed is "inherently dangerous" and should be eliminated.
"Testimony from victims was riveting and inspiring," Bryant said Thursday after testifying before a legislative committee. "I don't want to have in Ontario one more victim at the hands and teeth of a pit bull."
Bryant used his appearance before the committee to dismiss arguments put forward by opponents of the proposed legislation, which would ban pit bulls but allow current owners to keep their dogs as long as they are spayed or neutered and muzzled in public.
He said reasonable people can argue over whether it's nature or nurture that leads to pit bull attacks, but concluded it doesn't matter to victims.
"Pit bulls are inherently dangerous, and that no matter what the nurture, they pose too great a risk to public safety," Bryant said.
He also dismissed claims by dog lovers that banning only pit bulls would be ineffective in stopping dog attacks, saying nothing could be more effective than eliminating the breed.
"Less pit bull attacks means less people victimized by pit bulls; that is effective," Bryant said. "You over time eliminate the dog that is causing the bite, and over time you will eliminate the bite."
Bryant also questioned the claim by animal rights activists that banning pit bulls is inhumane, saying he wanted "to turn that argument on its head."
He said if Ontario doesn't ban the breed, there would be a disproportionately high number of pit bulls at humane societies and dog pounds.
"(They would be) living their life out in these shelters, or being put down because they're unadoptable," Bryant told the committee. "Where is the humanity in that?"
Bryant had increased security when he appeared at the committee, and he admitted he's received threats since proposing the pit bull ban, but he refused to elaborate.
"I'm not worried about people who want to intimidate me," he said. "It's just not working."
The Conservatives and New Democrats told the committee that a breed-specific ban will not work, and won't address the problem of irresponsible dog owners.
"I would bet that if your child was bit, it wouldn't matter to you what breed it was," Conservative Joe Tascona said. "We need to strengthen the Dog Owners' Liability Act to promote responsible dog ownership and punish irresponsible owners."
NDP house leader Peter Kormos agreed, and said a pit bull ban would provide no comfort to a child mauled by a vicious dog of another breed.
Kormos said the proposed legislation is problematic because it lacks a clear definition of a pit bull, and warned that court time would be wasted debating which dogs fall under the provincewide ban.
"It's as much a colloquial term as anything else, especially as compared to a breed," he said.
Toronto police Chief Julian Fantino told the committee he supports the ban because his officers are regularly confronted by pit bulls that must be shot.
"And even at that, there's multiple shots that have to be fired," Fantino said. "In reality, they have been trained to attack and are being actively used as weapons."
The State of New Mexico has just climbed aboard the Pit Bull Ban Wagon and all Ontario dog owners had better listen up.
New Mexico’s Bill S188 will not only place severe restrictions on ownership and acquisition of pit bulls which they choose to define as a, “Pit Bull Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier or (and I continue to quote from the bill) or dog identifiable as or known as a Pit Bull”, whatever the heck that means. The law states, no one can acquire a pit bull after July 1st of this year. As for present owners the law covers breeding (they can’t), spaying and neutering (they must). Licensing, its $250 a year. If that breed is found at large it’s an automatic $1,000 fine. And there’s much more. But, in addition the bill automatically declares the following breeds “dangerous” and subjects them to additional fines and restrictions. “Akita, Alaskan Malamute, American or “Old Country” Bull dog, Presa Canario, Chow Chow, Doberman, German Shepherd, Great Dane, Rottweiler, Siberian Husky and Wolf hybrids.
Kris Brown of Dorion writes an open letter that appears under the heading “What’s Next – a ban for every dog that bites?” Good question Mr. Brown.
It'd be a step up from the tens of thousands year old standard of simply killing those of long muzzle or snapping temperament.
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What dog doesn't bite?
What with teeth doesn't bite?
Men who own pit bulls have a penis inferiority complex.
Women who own pit bulls date men who have a penis inferiority complex.
I have known many rotts, german shepherds, huskies, and great danes in my life and all I have found to be loving, gentle dogs. I do agree the pits are extemely dangerous, but you can't outlaw all big dogs just because they are big. There is a big difference in dogs that are bred to be aggressive and dogs that are large in size.
My dog is half pit.
We have no complex.
She is the dumbest dog I've ever seen.
In retrospect I'm glad I didn't attend this hearing, I think I would have lost it at this point.
These hearings were just a PR tactic at the tax-payers expense.
He never listen to or considered any of the recommendations put forth by experts.
My father-in-law had a Pit named Booger. She was afraid of her own shadow and would likely help a burglar tote stuff out the house.......
Someone please find for me a news story about a small child being killed by the family poodle.
I'm curious as to the research you did to come to this conclusion.
poodles were bred as hunting dogs.
Pitbulls get the highest marks for even temperment, and are great around children. I got a half pit by accident, out of a labrador.
Dogs breed for the ability of the males to jump high.
It's the severity of the attacks.
my half Pit half Lab is without a doubt the stupidest animal on the face of the earth and the sweetest....
He is so stupid let me explain.... he has a pavlovian response everytime he sees me or anyone else, tying up the kitchen garbage bag because he knows he will get to go 'out front'. on more than one occasion he was out front already and heard someone tying up the kitchen garbage and ran in the open door and begged to go out.......
post dumb...sweet animal though.
Maybe just dogs that can bite human limbs straight off? Ping for ambrose, who must be sleepin'!
Human bites are more dangerous.
Should we ban humans?
People breed the animals for the results they want.
What the current motive is with the Pitt Bull, I'm not sure.
Maybe because it is used for hunting? And the Pitt Bull is the start?
Should we ban all the dogs in the UKC?
You dont hear about small dogs biting people, because nobody takes a small dog and teaches it to attack, to "guard", to fight or whatever else these people do. Every time I have heard of a person being attacked by a dog, the description of the dog has included "raised to be a guard dog" or "an attack dog".
If you teach a dog to attack people, it does. Teach it not to, and they are safe.
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