A reporter for the Orillia Packet and Times attended the show and dropped by our booth to get the real scoop about what we are about and what we stand for..
Group makes noise about pit bull ban
Train, contain and socialize.
"If you're doing these three things, you're a responsible dog owner," said Lori Gray, chair of events with the Dog Legislation Council of Canada (DLCC).
The DLCC, which had a booth at ODAS Park during the Barrie Kennel and Obedience Club's annual dog show on the weekend, is making noise about the breed-specific portion of the Dog Owner's Liability Act, which targets the American Staffordshire terrier, American pit bull terrier and the Staffordshire bull terrier -- the breeds commonly referred to as pit bulls, which have been banned in Ontario since 2005.
Combined, there are less than 1,000 of those dogs in the province, Gray explained.
"To ban a breed where there are only 30 in the province is just ridiculous," she said. "Why aren't we going after the owners?"
The DLCC was trying to garner support for a bill that was introduced in May by Parkdale-High Park MPP Cheri DiNovo. The NDP MPP's bill -- Hershey's Bill -- would repeal the breed-specific portion of the Dog Owner's Liability Act.
DiNovo's bill is named after a dog that had to stop being a therapy dog -- certified as such by St. John Ambulance-- when the ban took effect.
DiNovo isn't the only provincial politician trying to bite back against the ban.
Julia Munro, Progressive Conservative MPP for York-Simcoe, introduced a similar private member's bill in 2004.
"This is just a PR thing, really," Munro said of the ban. "If there's a problem, it's because they're dangerous, not because of what they look like."
Munro said she filed a freedom-of-information request to find out how much taxpayer money has been spent "going after innocent dog owners." That information was "not available," said Munro, whose six-year-old standard poodle, Trump, competed in the BKOC dog show on the weekend.
The BKOC was glad to be able to help bring the issue to the attention of competitors and spectators.
"We're afraid it's just going to get bigger and bigger and bigger, and that they're going to add more dogs and add more dogs to the list," said BKOC public relations chair Cheryl Drake. "It has to be about responsible dog ownership."
Opponents of the breed-specific legislation say the province didn't listen to local and international experts when implementing the legislation.
To learn more about the DLCC, visit www.dlcc.ca.
ntaylor@orilliapacket.com
Huge thank you to Nathan Taylor for dropping by the booth and chatting with us. We appreciate your taking the time to get the real story and put it into print..
I'm impressed by the responsible journalism displayed by the Orillia Packet & Times. Actually taking the time to ask questions, actually hear the answers and accurately transcribe them. So unlike the McGuinty Liberals. Good going!
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