Vicki
Administrator
Pitbull law unevenly applied
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 Staffordshire 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.â€
The 2005 Ontario Dog Owners Liability Act says any Staffordshire bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, American pit bull terriers and any dog that looks “substantially similar†is illegal.
In Sarnia, animal control officers 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.
Bradley and Brad Loosley, the city’s deputy clerk who supervises animal control, agreed the law is awkward.
“Our animal control officers have tremendous expertise,†Bradley said. “They are professional and ethical people doing what they believe the law requires.â€
About once a month a dog is euthanized in Sarnia as a banned breed.
But just down the road in St. Clair Township, no dogs have ever been euthanized under the law.
Animal control officer Gayle Farr only picks up dogs running at large or causing problems, she said.
“That’s my mandate. It’s not about what the dog looks like. I think the provincial law is wrong. The merit of a dog is its owner.â€
Farr, who breeds rottweilers, said the act targets a breed rather than badly behaved individuals.
Most complaints she receives are about smaller dogs, like chihuahuas, she said. “And the only bites I’ve got are from dogs under 12 pounds.
“I’ve picked up Staffordshire bull terriers who are at large but the owners pay the fine and the dog is released,†Farr said.
Maddi, one of the pair to be euthanized in Sarnia, was found running at large, having escaped from owner Korinn Seabrook’s house on Michigan Avenue.
St. Clair Township deputy CAO John DeMars agreed his municipality doesn’t enforce the pitbull law.
“It’s provincial legislation and therefore should be enforced by the OPP,†he said. “There have been no pitbulls put down in St. Clair Township.â€
Mayor Steve Arnold said St. Clair upholds all provincial laws but that “at the end of the day, it’s about safety.
“If it’s dangerous, no matter the breed, then there’s an issue. People need to be responsible for their animals.â€
Seabrook, one of the owners trying to save her dog, said she is doing everything possible to prove Maddi is not a Staffordshire bull terrier before a Thursday deadline.
Two members of the Canadian Kennel Club from Lindsay have agreed to come to Sarnia to assess Maddi and Carter’s breed, she said.
Meanwhile, a Facebook page, incorrectly spelled “Bring Maddie an Carter home,†has been started in support of keeping the dogs alive. It had 389 members as of Friday.
http://www.theobserver.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1730851
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 Staffordshire 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.â€
The 2005 Ontario Dog Owners Liability Act says any Staffordshire bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, American pit bull terriers and any dog that looks “substantially similar†is illegal.
In Sarnia, animal control officers 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.
Bradley and Brad Loosley, the city’s deputy clerk who supervises animal control, agreed the law is awkward.
“Our animal control officers have tremendous expertise,†Bradley said. “They are professional and ethical people doing what they believe the law requires.â€
About once a month a dog is euthanized in Sarnia as a banned breed.
But just down the road in St. Clair Township, no dogs have ever been euthanized under the law.
Animal control officer Gayle Farr only picks up dogs running at large or causing problems, she said.
“That’s my mandate. It’s not about what the dog looks like. I think the provincial law is wrong. The merit of a dog is its owner.â€
Farr, who breeds rottweilers, said the act targets a breed rather than badly behaved individuals.
Most complaints she receives are about smaller dogs, like chihuahuas, she said. “And the only bites I’ve got are from dogs under 12 pounds.
“I’ve picked up Staffordshire bull terriers who are at large but the owners pay the fine and the dog is released,†Farr said.
Maddi, one of the pair to be euthanized in Sarnia, was found running at large, having escaped from owner Korinn Seabrook’s house on Michigan Avenue.
St. Clair Township deputy CAO John DeMars agreed his municipality doesn’t enforce the pitbull law.
“It’s provincial legislation and therefore should be enforced by the OPP,†he said. “There have been no pitbulls put down in St. Clair Township.â€
Mayor Steve Arnold said St. Clair upholds all provincial laws but that “at the end of the day, it’s about safety.
“If it’s dangerous, no matter the breed, then there’s an issue. People need to be responsible for their animals.â€
Seabrook, one of the owners trying to save her dog, said she is doing everything possible to prove Maddi is not a Staffordshire bull terrier before a Thursday deadline.
Two members of the Canadian Kennel Club from Lindsay have agreed to come to Sarnia to assess Maddi and Carter’s breed, she said.
Meanwhile, a Facebook page, incorrectly spelled “Bring Maddie an Carter home,†has been started in support of keeping the dogs alive. It had 389 members as of Friday.
http://www.theobserver.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1730851