Both sides of the fence on pitbull ban

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This article was published 07/04/2022 (896 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Ken Butchart says he’ll never forget the “gory” scene after a pitbull-type dog attacked his 10-year-old bichon frise, Holly, in 2018.

“It was out to kill my dog. It just made a big grip of my dog’s chest, had it like a rag doll, shaking it,” Butchart said. “I just jumped on this thing. I didn’t realize what I was doing. I guess I was just trying to save the dog.”

He managed to save Holly, but he was on the hook for an expensive vet bill. The owner of the dog that had attacked Holly, who lived nearby, didn’t reimburse him.

Butchart thinks the city would be wrong-headed to remove its ban on some dog breeds, which has been in place since 1990. As the city reviews its pet ownership bylaw, Butchart suggests people call their city councillor to speak out against the ban removal.

“It was a horrific, horrific scene. And I wouldn’t want to wish that on anybody… I’m a dog lover of all dogs, but this breed, it’s inherent in them to kill and to maim,” he said.

He reported the incident to the city, but had to drop it because he couldn’t guarantee he’d be in Winnipeg when the complaint would be dealt with.

(Holly later died of cancer.)

Another Winnipegger, Allison Snell, who is currently staying at her home in California, said she’s seen multiple incidents of pit bulls acting aggressively in the pit bull-friendly state. Last week, two dogs killed a smaller dog and bit her neighbour.

She worries Winnipeg will experience an increase in violent dog incidents if the ban is overturned.

“City council has to really think long and hard on this. I really think this (would be) a mistake,” she said.

Winnipeg Animal Services has proposed ditching the ban on specific breeds in favour of rules that focus on behaviour.

The ban prevents American pit bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, Staffordshire bull terriers and all predominant mixes thereof from being kept as pets in the city.

Instead, there would be a new category for at-risk pets. An animal could receive a designation for a multitude of reasons, including biting another animal or person more than once and running at large or pursuing someone more than once.

The city would work with the owner to avoid these problems.

If the issue persists, restrictions on the dog — including requiring it be harnessed and trained — would be put in place. A $500 fine could be levied if the rules are broken. Dogs could be seized and re-homed or euthanized, and the owner could be banned from owning additional animals.

The city does have its allies.

Jane Olijnek, founder of End Breed Specific Legislation Manitoba, says scientific evidence doesn’t support the ban.

“Breed-specific legislation, which we have right now, is not rational or an effective approach to improving public safety… Looks do not equal behaviour and are not indicative of whether or not a dog is dangerous,” she said. “Safety comes from laws and policies governing responsible dog ownership, and on the known behavior of the individual dog.”

In a 2014 literary review titled The Role of Dog Breed in Dog Bite Risk and Prevention, the American Veterinary Medical Association said although pit bull-type dogs are more frequently identified in cases where a biting incident is severe or results in a fatality, it may be the result of underlying factors that have nothing to do with the breed.

“Given that breed is a poor sole predictor of aggressiveness and pit bull-type dogs are not implicated in controlled studies, it is difficult to support the targeting of this breed as a basis for dog bite prevention,” the review reads.

“If breeds are to be targeted, a cluster of large breeds would be implicated, including the German shepherd and shepherd crosses and other breeds that vary by location.”

Olijnek said some Winnipeggers might not know their dog is technically banned, and people devoted to keeping their dogs might be afraid to take them to a vet, get them trained or give them the socialization they need.

“It just creates this whole (cycle) of the dogs not getting the right training they need… breed-neutral laws, is going to be way more friendly, kinder, and safer, because everyone will be included.”

In January, city council required a dog owner to move his pet out of Winnipeg or euthanize it after complaints it was aggressive. It was an American pit bull terrier, a breed banned within city limits.

A Siberian husky was designated as dangerous in June 2021 after killing two small dogs. In 2019, a civic committee required the dangerous dog marker be upheld for an English bulldog and American bulldog/boxer cross after 11 complaints were made against the dogs and their owner in four years.

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca