Pit bulls and pit-bull crossbreeds are to be banned from Montreal's downtown and pet-owners limited to two dogs at a time in public spaces, Jean-Yves Duthel, a spokesperson for the Ville Marie borough, said Monday.
The proposed bylaw changes could be approved by borough council as soon as April or May, he added - and take effect well in advance of the peak summer dog season.
"Professional dog-walkers" would be exempted from the two-pooch limit, Duthel added, as part of a package of changes that could be presented to the borough council as early as March 4.
Under borough rules, these could not be adopted until the following meeting, in early April.
Duthel said he could not disclose the proposed wording, because enforcability and clarity are still being examined by legal counsel.
The number of documented dog-bites of humans in the borough jumped to 19 last year from five in 2006, Duthel said.
In each case, he added, the dog's owner was ticketed by police But an unknown number of other dogbites never show up in statistics because they are not reported to police, and thus are not ticketed, Duthel added.
"Incidents are multiplying," he said: More than 200 complaints specifically regarding ill-behaviour by dogs - or
an absence of pet control shown by their owners - were called in to the access Ville Marie phone service from last April, when the borough created such a category of statistics, through to October, Duthel said.
Muzzles would also be made obligatory for ill-behaved dogs, Duthel said, adding that the exact wording of such a provision is also under scrutiny by borough lawyers.
The same proviso applies to a proposed new power over pets to be provided to police - the explicit authority to shoot dogs who are not rabid "on the spot" if they show other serious misbehavior that Duthel said he could not immediately specify.
Some homeless people, often young, camp with considerably more than two dogs in downtown public spaces such as parks and streets during the summer.
Duthel said these bylaw changes are not aimed exclusively against the homeless or their dogs.
For one thing, he said, many homeless have breeds of dogs other than pit bulls or pit-bull crossbreeds.
Municipal bylaws governing pets and pet-owners were last revised about half a century ago, Duthel said.
janr@thegazette.canwest.com
The proposed bylaw changes could be approved by borough council as soon as April or May, he added - and take effect well in advance of the peak summer dog season.
"Professional dog-walkers" would be exempted from the two-pooch limit, Duthel added, as part of a package of changes that could be presented to the borough council as early as March 4.
Under borough rules, these could not be adopted until the following meeting, in early April.
Duthel said he could not disclose the proposed wording, because enforcability and clarity are still being examined by legal counsel.
The number of documented dog-bites of humans in the borough jumped to 19 last year from five in 2006, Duthel said.
In each case, he added, the dog's owner was ticketed by police But an unknown number of other dogbites never show up in statistics because they are not reported to police, and thus are not ticketed, Duthel added.
"Incidents are multiplying," he said: More than 200 complaints specifically regarding ill-behaviour by dogs - or
an absence of pet control shown by their owners - were called in to the access Ville Marie phone service from last April, when the borough created such a category of statistics, through to October, Duthel said.
Muzzles would also be made obligatory for ill-behaved dogs, Duthel said, adding that the exact wording of such a provision is also under scrutiny by borough lawyers.
The same proviso applies to a proposed new power over pets to be provided to police - the explicit authority to shoot dogs who are not rabid "on the spot" if they show other serious misbehavior that Duthel said he could not immediately specify.
Some homeless people, often young, camp with considerably more than two dogs in downtown public spaces such as parks and streets during the summer.
Duthel said these bylaw changes are not aimed exclusively against the homeless or their dogs.
For one thing, he said, many homeless have breeds of dogs other than pit bulls or pit-bull crossbreeds.
Municipal bylaws governing pets and pet-owners were last revised about half a century ago, Duthel said.
janr@thegazette.canwest.com
Jan Ravensbergen, The GazettePublished: Monday, February 11
What Can Be Done?
On March 4th 2008, the city hall of Montreal is having a day where the public can come and express their opinions. You have to pre-register to be able to speak, in a clear and polite manner. All Pit Bull owners can take the opportunity to come and express support for the breed.
Good luck everyone!!!
