Bryant's legacy... death and destruction

Pitbull law unevenly applied

ANIMALS: Two dogs to be euthanzied this week

Posted By CATHY DOBSON, THE OBSERVER

If Maddi and Carter lived in St. Clair Township they probably wouldn't be on death row.

But they live in Sarnia where animal control officers say they
resemble Staff ordshire bull terriers or pitbulls and are illegal.

Both 11-month-old pups are scheduled to be euthanized this week unless their owners can prove they aren't a banned breed.

Sarnia is only following provincial legislation that binds the municipality, says Mayor Mike Bradley.

“We didn't ask for it but we have to deal with it,” he said.
“The city doesn't agree with banning by breed and I've been opposed to
it since day one. But we are doing what the provincial law requires.”

The 2005 Ontario Dog Owners Liability Act says any
Staffordshire bull terriers, American Staff ordshire terriers, American
pit bull terriers and any dog that looks “substantially similar” is
illegal.

In Sarnia, animal control offi- cers don't require a complaint
to pick up a dog they believe is banned. If the officer deems it a
pitbull, the onus is on the owner to prove otherwise. 

Here is the original article from this week.

Suspected pitbulls on death row

CATHY DOBSON The Observer September 2, 2009

Korinn Seabrook and Sonya Pimentel are desperate to stop Sarnia
from euthanizing their puppies, but neither is optimistic they can be
saved.

The women, who are friends, each adopted an 11-month-old dog they believe are boxer mixes from a mutual friend.

“Both the mom and the dad are boxer mix. My friend has the papers to prove it,” said Seabrook.

But Sarnia animal control officers say the puppies look like
Staffordshire bull terriers, a breed that’s been illegal to own in
Ontario since legislation was passed in 2005 to ban so-called pitbulls.

Seabrook’s dog Maddi went missing Sunday night near her home on
Michigan Avenue. She believes the 30-pound pup escaped through a hole
in the screen door.

“I stayed up all night looking for her,” she said. In the
morning, she discovered Maddi at the Sarnia and District Humane
Society.

In the media ruckus about the mastermind behind this bullshit legislation, I didn't post this case.

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Sarnia Animal Control seized these dogs which the owners stated were NOT a
“pit bull” nor did these dogs have any “pit bull” in their genetic make up..

It is not the first time puppies were seized by this city.They will be killed if
we as responsible dog owners don't write to stop this madness.

These dogs were seized despite the fact that the Ontario Superior Court ruled
that the definition of pit bull as written was unenforceable.

How was this determination of breed made? It is impossible to determine proof of breed makeup in mixed breed dogs. Only the breeds of pure bred, registered dogs are identifiable without doubt. 

Under the Dog Owners Liability Act , the city of Sarnia does not have the right
to seize ownership of ANY dog. It only has the right to lay charges under the
Act .

In the recent case of a Mr Philip Huggins, the city of Toronto found itself in a
rather unenviable position of being in violation of DOLA regulations.

In this case as with Mr Huggins, the dogs pose no immediate threat to
the public, the owners did not relinquish the dogs nor did the owners at any
time refuse to meet certain criteria for ensuring that these dog's would be
properly contained.

I ask the Honourable Mayor and Councillors of the City of Sarnia to step in and stay the order for the death of these puppies.

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