Recent news that Quebec changed its mind about a province-wide ban on pit bulls, similar to the one enacted in Ontario thirteen years ago, represents a triumph of reason over fallacy that’s all too rare within government circles. I am not indifferent to the risk dogs can pose to public safety. But, what Quebec’s Public Security Minster Martin Coiteux once favored, a ban on “pit bulls,” does not get us to a safer environment for us all.
The facts convinced Coiteux that what has transpired in Ontario demonstrates that breed-specific bans do not work. Certain breeds of dogs are more capable of stronger bites than others, but barring the banning of all large, muscular breeds, many of which are used in service of various social needs, a breed-specific ban does not tend to work. Laws should protect us from individual animals that are aggressive and protect dogs from human actions that can make harmless animals potentially dangerous.
The original idea was to ban American pit bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, Staffordshire bull terriers, and Rottweilers, or any combination of those breeds with each other or other breeds. The problem is that all are dogs – all the same species. Breeds are distinguished by various features that govern their physical appearance, but breed-based appearance does not change species, making determination of breed often difficult or even impossible.
It has been argued that that “pit bulls” are bred to fight without warning or provocation. But, by that reasoning, pit bulls must be very safe as they are bred to not bite people. In the hideous and illegal practice of dog fighting it is imperative that humans can walk among around two fighting dogs and not be bitten.
But, that’s assuming that such behavioural characters are inheritable. What experts tell us is far more likely to turn dogs of any breed aggressive is the treatment they receive. Much of that treatment should be made illegal, as Quebec wisely plans to do. I have no personal desire to see any breed perpetuated, and can’t empathize with pathetic individuals who seem to need a “macho” dog that frightens people, but banning all dogs that look like such a dog makes no sense. In Toronto, where the province’s pit bull ban is enforced, the number of dog biting reports went from 1,028 in 2010 to 1,442 in 2015, with the most frequently reported breeds doing the biting being German shepherds, huskies, and golden retrievers.
Full disclosure: one of the dogs living in my house is sweet-natured Rottweiler, friendly to all visitors. She has never been struck, never chained in the yard, never abandoned, and never allowed off-leash outside a designated leash-free zone, and even then only under careful supervision. Her name is Lily. With her, I feel safe. That is more than I can say about many humans I have met, but I don’t fear everyone I meet because a very few people are unpredictably deadly.
Keep Wildlife in the Wild,
Barry