MONTREAL, Quebec – A controversial ruling in Montreal has some dog owners outraged.
A new law bans residents from adopting pitbulls and imposes a series of rules on those who already own them. Some of those include keeping dogs muzzled and on a short leash in public and criminal background checks for owners. Punishment for violating the rules could lead to the euthanization of the dog.
Veterinarians are saying that they have no obligation to putting down healthy animals.
The mayor says that 38% of all dog bites in the city come from pitbulls. The debate has been raging since June when a Montreal woman was mauled to death in her own backyard by a neighbor’s dog.
Other jurisdictions in Canada have enacted bans, including the province of Ontario and city of Winnipeg.
