Dog owners rally in Montreal against breed-specific laws
Dog owners concerned about proposed law Bill 128, which could eventually ban pit bulls in Quebec
Despite the fact that he was attacked by a pit bull as a child and was left with permanent nerve damage, Steve Galli loves pit bulls and blames the dog owner for the incident, not the dog.
Galli was one of dozens of dog owners and dog lovers at a rally in Old Montreal Saturday for a day of action that saw protests across Canada, and even Europe, as part of a global effort against breed-specific legislation.
For those protesting in Montreal, the focus was on the proposed law, Bill 128, which was tabled in the National Assembly in April that, if passed, would ban dogs that are considered potentially dangerous.
Galli was five when he was attacked by a pit bull that belonged to a friend of his father. He said the attack left him with scars on his face, nerve damage and bad migraines, but he doesn't blame the dog.
"At the end of the day, I absolutely love pit bulls," he said.
Now, he is in favour of education for dog owners, not banning specific breeds outright.
Galli says he always stops on the street when he sees a pit bull.
"They are so happy, they just love attention from people that are calm. They don't know how to react around people that are really excited, really nervous. They are a sensitive breed and it's a shame for anyone to be judged because you're sensitive," he said.
In the proposed legislation, there would be a grandfather clause for owners of those breeds to keep them, but they could also face stricter rules like mandatory leashes, sterilization and specific fence heights.
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Pit bull legislation has been a hot button issue in the province after Christiane Vadnais was mauled to death by a dog in her backyard in 2016, described as a pit bull in the coroner's report.
'It's ridiculous'
"My view on this is that it's ridiculous," said Meeka Gibbs, with the Pitbull Association of Châteauguay, on Montreal's South Shore.
"A lot of places have had this law and they're taking them back out, because they've noticed that it's too hard to do, costs a lot of money and kills a lot of dogs for absolutely nothing and hurts a lot of families too."
The City of Châteauguay is considering ending the ban on pit bulls and instead introducing a dangerous animal bylaw, that targets any animal that could be dangerous, from cats to spiders, as well as dogs.
It's a move that Gibbs welcomes, and she applauded Nathalie Simon, the city's mayor, for listening to critics of the ban.
"Every dog is a problem, from a small dog to a big dog, any dog could bite," said Gibbs. "There are so many mixes of dogs now that it's too hard to say, is that a pit bull, or is that a pit bull-type?"
She said dogs should be evaluated on a case by case basis.
If Quebec does go forward with a ban on pit bulls and other dangerous dogs, however, the mayor of Châteauguay said the city wouldn't defy a provincial ban.
with files from Matt D'Amours