Politicians attack dogs in wake of horrific maulings in 2004

[Mochasmom]

Politicians attack dogs in wake of horrific maulings in 2004

TORONTO (CP) - Dog attacks reached a new frenzy in 2004 - and provincial and municipal governments reacted by sinking their teeth into strict laws targeting pit bulls, Rottweilers and other breeds considered dangerous and aggressive.
Horrific maulings across Canada spurred politicians to declare all-out war against man's best friend and cast many well-meaning dog lovers as the town scourge.

Ontario became the first in the country to seek a provincewide ban on pit bulls, Staffordshire terriers and other similar breeds this summer after a 25-year-old man was almost eaten alive by two pit bulls.

Police needed more than a dozen bullets to kill the frenzied animals, which turned on the man during a neighbourhood walk and left him with extensive leg, back and arm injuries.


New Brunswick began public hearings in November on a possible law to restrict dogs such as Rottweilers, Japanese akitas and pit bulls to address lingering dismay over the gruesome death of four-year-old James Waddell, killed by rottweillers last year.

Virtually everyone who appeared before the hearings was opposed to the proposed law and one official later said the government was considering naming specific breeds in the legislation.

And while neither rain, sleet, nor snow could stop postal workers from their routes, a loose dog was enough to halt service in an Ottawa neighbourhood for a week. The pit bull-golden retriever cross apparently escaped her owner twice.



Tim Dack, who oversees Winnipeg's 14-year-old pit bull ban, says growing anxiety over the dangers dogs pose may suggest it's time for all communities to evaluate public safety.

"Stand up and take notice," Dack says from Winnipeg, where the last pit bull died this spring.

"When something like that happens at one end of the country it should at least cause people in similar positions anywhere else to have a look."

Ontario's law would ban new pit bulls and force existing dogs to be leashed and muzzled in public.

Pit bulls are already banned in the Ontario cities of Windsor and Kitchener-Waterloo.

There are similar bans in France, Britain and Germany.

British Columbia has dismissed the need for a ban. Solicitor General Rich Coleman says existing laws are sufficient to deal with bad dogs and their owners.

Attacks in British Columbia this year included a seven-year-old girl in Prince George who was bitten in the face and a Vancouver jogger who was pulled down screaming by what appeared to be a pit-bull cross.

Many animal and dog groups such as the Canadian Kennel Club support vicious dog legislation, but oppose banning specific breeds.

"I've been doing this work for 35 years, I've handled tens of thousands of dogs, been bitten by hundreds of dogs and banning one specific type of dog is not going to stop dog bites," says Michael O'Sullivan of the Humane Society of Canada.


"What we need to do instead is look at mandatory spaying and neutering, and training."

He predicted "millions of dollars spent in lawsuits" challenging Ontario's proposed law, which bans pit bull-terriers, Staffordshire bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, American pit bull terriers and any member of a class of dogs that appear "substantially similar" to the four banned breeds.

O'Sullivan says he's heard stories of dog owners pilloried by people just for walking down the street with a maligned breed.

"This kind of stuff brings out the worst in people."

Adding to the problem is the fact that it can sometimes be difficult to identify a pit bull or discern just what type of dog is involved when an attack occurs.

A disturbing story in Cambridge, Ont., involved a dog that mauled a 12- year-old paper boy. The animal was initially referred to as an American Staffordshire but the humane society later said it was actually a mix of several breeds that may have included a whippet, great Dane and Dalmatian.

It also turned out that the animal had a violent history, having attacked four other dogs before chewing on the face of Ricardo Ramirez on Nov. 16.

Pit bulls were created by crossing a bull dog and a terrier. They were originally bred in the 19th century to fight other dogs in pits.

Some breeders say the animals are not inherently aggressive and with proper training and socialization can make good pets.

Purebred Staffordshire bull terriers are sometimes called the "nanny dog" in Britain because of their pleasant disposition with children.

Critics suggest the crackdown on these dogs is merely bumper-sticker politics.

"This looks like a quick fix and it isn't," says O'Sullivan. "Politicians love what looks like a quick fix, they'd love to be able to say, 'Yup, solved that problem' and be on to the next one."

Since the ban, overall dog bites have gone down in Winnipeg and other breeds have not made up for the lack of pit bull bites, says Dack.

He says Rottweiler and cross-Rottweiler bites have increased, but adds that there are also more of those breeds than in the past.

Of the 147 dog bites up to October this year, the cross-Shepherd was the biggest biter, he says. In 1989, the year before the ban, there were 310 dog bites reported in Winnipeg - 28 of them from pit bulls.

"Any breed of dog can be nasty, we know that, given a host of circumstances," Dack said in explaining Winnipeg's ban, which includes the same breeds targeted by Ontario. "But this one particular breed was being really nasty, all the time."

"Kids were literally having their faces ripped off. We had to do something to stop that."

http://www.mytelus.com/news/article....icleID=1802549
© The Canadian Press, 2004