Military are thanked for risking their lives by banning their dogs

We have had many emails from panic stricken dog owners who are in the Canadian military asking why they cannot get back into Ontariostan with their dog. Well the answer is that if they are posted out of Ontario for longer than 3 months and take their dog with them, they are S-O-L on bringing thier dog back into the province.

The dog must have been licensed in Ontario on or before August 2005. This applies to all registered American Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers and "pitbulls" which applies to any dog identified as such by animal control or any other peace officer. I showed a sampling of some of the dogs deemed as banned here in Ontario in another post.

Below are a couple other examples of dogs deemed a "pitbull" since I posted in February. I merely want to give you a true picture of what a "pitbull" looks like in the eyes of many Ontario animal control officers, peace officers and some veterinarians. I actually do not blame those who have been given the ugly job of identifying a cross bred dog (which is impossible to do beyond a doubt). When it is a silly game in a shelter (name that breed) or looking at pictures on the web guessing what breed the dog is; all is fun and games. When an animal control officer, peace officer, vet or shelter worker play this game, it is a game of life or death. If the dog is unlucky enough to have someone identify them as a "pitbull", it is a death sentence. Not so damn fun anymore.

The dogs in the pictures above were identified as "pitbulls" in Ontario. They are littermates.


Getting back to where I place blame for this whole ugly mess...

McGuinty and Bryant orchestrated the whole fiasco but I also place blame firmly in the hands of each and every Fiberal MPP who voted in favor of banning dogs in the province of Ontario.

Overwhelming evidence was presented to them at the committee hearings contrary to the off the rails logic they were applying; yet their whipped vote passed into law the killing of innocent dogs and legislating discrimination against dog owners based on the shape of dog they own.

I realize I was off on a bit of a tangent and will explain how this ties in with my title. The great majority of people I meet and speak to have no clue they are potential targets just owning a dog period. Most people have a picture in their mind of what they suppose a "pitbull" may look like. Those that have been deemed "competent" to be the judge and jury appear to have quite a time narrowing down what it is they feel a "pitbull" may look like.

Definition of a witchhunt:

The term "witch-hunt" is often used to refer to similarly panic-induced searches for perceived wrong-doers other than witches.

So basically, the majority of dog owners look at their dog and think "I'm ok since I do not own a 'pitbull'; the law only applies to those who do own one". 

Taking into consideration the reverse onus portion of the law, if your dog is identified as a "pitbull" it is up to you (the owner) to prove it is not. You cannot prove a double negative. Since it is impossible to postively identify the breeds that make up a cross bred dog it is impossible to prove your dog is NOT a "pitbull". That is the Fiberal's game of "GOTCHA".

It is illegal to move out of Ontario ie. military posting, taking your dog out of province for more than 3 months, and then turn around and bring the dog back into Ontario. If you move back within the 3 months you must prove your dog was a resident of Ontario prior to the leaving date.

It is also illegal to travel through or to Ontario as a non resident of the province, with your dog. No holidays or visiting for dog owners in Ontario.

It is illegal to import dogs falling under DOLA into the province. Since the definitions are vague, other than a registered named 3 breeds, any other dog is fair game based on who is id'ing the breed. This rule of thumb applies to any and all situations above.

There was an article in the USA this week stating "Army bars some breeds".

Two months after Fort Hood officials banned pit bulls in on-post housing, the U.S. Army standardized its pet policy, barring pit breeds like American Staffordshire bull terriers and English Staffordshire bull terriers.

The Army-wide ban also included Rottweilers, Doberman pinschers, chows, wolf hybrids and any others that display a dominant or aggressive behavior, according to information from Actus Lend Lease, Fort Hood's privatized family housing contractor.

The article goes on to state they will be implementing a "grandfathering" and those owning existing animals must register with the Fort Hood Veterinary Clinic prior to enactment in order to qualify for keeping their dog. (One would assume the "or else" factor would be killing your dog?)

The Herald reported in September that pet owners who registered those breeds with the Fort Hood Veterinary Clinic before July 10, 2008, were allowed to keep their dogs. Newly acquired pit bulls and their crosses are prohibited from staying in on-post housing, according to Fort Hood Regulations 210-48 and 40-5.

"This policy will reduce (the) number of potentially dangerous dogs on post," Chris Zimmer of the post's Department of Emergency Services said in September. "It will create a safer environment in Fort Hood housing areas and will likely reduce (the) number of dog bites on post in the future."

The miserable failing grade in this line of thinking is that the number of "potentially dangerous dogs" will be reduced. There is absolutely NO proof of any such thing. There is also a huge misconception that the environment will be "safer". Says who? All fun and safe until a breed or cross breed not on the "danger" list takes someone's face off. Then what? add another?


This line of thinking is outright profiling of certain perceived wrong-doers (owners of certain named breeds, determined by the torch/pitchfork crowd) within the US Military.  **Refer to definition of witch hunt above**

Some way to thank the men and women of the US Military for risking their lives to save the asses of the torch/pitchfork crowd! I would bet the same crowd are the ones who back the idea there needed to be Military action taken against the "evil doers". It must be a drag to live ones life in such fear...

I live quite close to a military base. There is no evidence that using the same common sense approach of a Responsible Pet Ownership bylaw, just like the one Calgary perfected in the past couple decades, wouldn't work on a military base.

If a dog owner of ANY breed;

trains
contains
socializes

There should be no reason to deal with a dog owner other than to renew tags once a year.

The same scenario is happening in Onscario. Brave men and women who are deployed to Afghanistan or other countries on peace keeping missions, or simply are posted to other provinces are not allowed back into Onscario with their cross bred dog if the post is longer than 3 months or they aquired a dog while living outside Onscario.

It looks as though you are being targeted and punished by the government if you are in the military and own a dog. Civil rights apply whether you live north or south of the Canada/US border. Either way, the government has no right to come into any citizen's home and dictate what shape/type of dog they can/cannot own!