Why you should care about the breed ban

If the Ontario law stands, it could very easily spread like wildfire.  Even if you don’t care about “pitbulls” ANYTHING can be banned if the court decision stands, with no evidence of “apprehension of harm”.

Warrantless Search & Seizure – Replace “Pitbull” with any other item or any breed of dog.  Is it okay in Canada for authorities to be able to enter your home and seize it without a warrant?

Reverse Onus – Dogs are being misidentified every day by Animal Control Officers. If your dog is not a registered dog, and especially if it is short haired, it could be misidentified as a “Pitbull” and seized and killed.

In other parts of the world, LONG BACKED BREEDS, SHORT LEGGED BREEDS, SHORT FACED BREEDS, HAIRLESS BREEDS are on their way to being banned because the extreme Animal Rights movement is lobbying, saying it is cruel to continue breeding these dogs.  I expect to see any breed with ANY genetic disease or fault added to that since the goal of this movement is for people to no longer have animals held in “slavery” domestic pets.

Breed Bans do nothing to keep people safe.  In fact, in many areas where bans exist, bites have actually increased.  The Netherlands rescinded their ban after 15 years because it was ineffective.  Governments know that breed bans don’t work.  They have been given the information by the experts, which leads one to believe that the only motive they have for a breed ban is the power to ban. 

Non breed specific laws work.  Calgary has a wonderful law.  It works.  Bites have decreased, licensing has increased.  It is not breed specific and holds animal owners responsible for their pets.  

Goodbye Tess

I saw the subject title come up in my mailbox, “I Lost my Girlie” and I got chills. The AmStaff is one of the breeds included in the breed ban in Ontario; this title could mean one of two things, neither one good. To have your AmStaff wander off or escape the confines of a secure yard makes your blood turn to ice and panic starts to consume your mind. It is an extremely dangerous world out there now in “Onscario” for a missing AmStaff; owners and pets have been subjected to all kinds of atrocities since Bill 132 became law. Who knows what could happen to your pet all alone out there? If your dog is caught, she faces mandatory euthanasia or living out the rest of her life in a dog pound.

But to lose a beloved AmStaff to old age and ill health is heart-breaking and right now has a deeper impact on the owner left behind because of the ban that’s in place. A new Amstaff puppy would be a perfect solution to heal the pain of Tess’s passing; but with the current legislation this can’t legally happen.

Until Bill 132 is defeated, we AmStaff owners and lovers have no choice but to watch our breed of choice reduce in numbers one precious life at a time. 

Tess is the lost girlie who lived a long 14 years and brought joy to her owner every day of her life. To her owner, she was one of the most beautiful souls she ever had the pleasure of knowing because she was extraordinarily gentle and loving. The last 6 months were hard on both Tess and her owner; old age is not for sissies no matter the species. She remained true to her breed to the bitter end, stoic and dignified and she still tried to play. She would grab at her canine sibling’s ankles as he passed by but didn’t get up from lying down. She would roll and do her snapping thing clicking her teeth together as if she were a land shark on crack but never made contact with anything but a pillow or blanket or any other benign object that wouldn’t scream ‘OW’.

So, we’ll say goodbye to Tess knowing that she’s at Rainbow Bridge, free to run and play, muzzle-less and know that there is no breed prejudice there.