"Hey Buddy, is this the way to Ontario? We hear our kind is welcome there."
In his book, The Woodcutter, Reginald Hill describes a Victorian prison that has retained its forbidding exterior while totally modernizing its operations and interior. Keeping the grimy facade satisfies the 'floggers and hangers'.
Ontario's self-styled Liberal (please) government hangs on to the most ill-conceived, un-Canadian, pandering piece of legislation since WWII the way a Scottie grips a bad guy's ass.
Meet the new Preem, same as the old Preem. This is not surprising, since she has been in government since 2003. Optimists among us had hoped that someone new with no investment in Ontario's dog ownership ban would be able to let it go gracefully.
Alas, Ms Wynne (a member of a once marginalized minority herself - she's a lesbian) not only refuses to acknowledge her government's grave mistake, but is supporting the legislation for reasons that are right out of the Peta playbook. (It was probably the only source she could find that is a real, live looney-bin and not just a website out in the boondocks of cyberspace.)
On the one hand, "pit bulls" are supposedly the most abused dogs out there (they aren't, but you knew that). The thinking is that we must exterminate them in order to protect them. I shudder to think what their cure for child abuse would be.
On the other, a couple of people had been savagely abused by "pit bulls" so action was required. Now, in case you thought they had a similar solution to that problem, rest easy-ish. Again, it's "pit bulls" who must go.
Sticky wicket for "pit bull" owners, eh, because enforcement of longstanding legislation doesn't seem to be an option. To stamp out crime, remove the victims. I must admit there is a certain elegance to it. Trouble is, the ones who are abusing "pit bulls" (other than the ones who spread lies through media) are the people who enact and cling to this type of legislation.
But cheer up, Charlie, there is hope on the horizon! In the US, new Bills are being brought forward almost daily to make breed/shape-specific legislation illegal at the State level. And they are passing. Towns and cities are rejecting BSL out of hand or repealing it. More and more places are becoming enlightened. Check out Stop BSL for updates and lots of other useful information.
Sure, there are pockets of corruption (h/t Bronwen) out there, but it's pretty much over, thanks to a lot of dedicated people all over this continent (and others). We are winning. We are the good guys, after all, so we are supposed to win (#happily_ever_after).
Ontario may soon be the last jurisdiction of any note to cling to its legislated bigotry. BSL gives permission to hate for superficial reasons. It is enacted to supposedly target 'dealers' and 'gang-bangers', terms which are just dog whistles for young men who are poor or new to the country. BSL is only supported by those who either know nothing about it or directly benefit from it. The true evil of it is that it panders to those who just have to hate something or someone and don't care much whom or what it is.
It's an embarrassment to real Canadians to have had such a law even considered, never mind enacted, especially in the face of overwhelming opposition by every expert out there and tens of thousands of citizens.
It must go and so must those who passed it and continue to support it.
Remember when an election is finally announced to
VOTE AS IF YOUR FRIEND'S LIFE DEPENDS ON IT
It's the least you can do.
I see that Brent at KC Dog Blog is also in a positive frame of mind this week.
MPP Bob Delaney, Liberal Member for Mississauga-Streetsville, was at a family fun skate today. The event was free for all and from what I've heard, missed turning into a free-for-all by a dog's whisker.
When a constituent wanted to discuss Ontario's noxious dog ownership ban, whereby dogs are restricted and prohibited based strictly on their physical appearance, not their behaviour, Member Bob distracted her by bongo-tapping on the table, stood up, faked left and deked right into the Men's room to get away.
What a hunk of man!
Delaney was Chair of the Committee in 2005 when all Liberal members obeyed McDad and ignored expert advice and experience, preferring to marginalize dog owners. Fib Committee members voted down every amendment written to improve the legislation. Delaney gaily stood up to be counted on March 1, 2005, helping to pass Ontario's "pit bull" ban into law. He voted against us again in February 2012 when Bill 16 came up for Second Reading.
Bob acts as if we are all fools who think the law is about dangerous "pit bulls" and protecting people from dog bites. Even Big Daddy Dalton's lawyer said that wasn't true in open court in 2007.
Maybe Mrs Delaney's little boy is out of the loop, or hopes that if he just keeps slinging it, eventually some of it will stick, somewhere.
Delaney said to the woman at the rink today that he's glad the "vicious killing machines" are gone and that he will support the ban, forever.
The vicious killing machines in Ontario are Dalton McGuinty's Liberal government, of which MPP Delaney is a proud supporter, and the OSPCA. They certainly aren't domestic dogs, unless you're a rodent or a weasel.
Forever has a way of not being that long, Delaney, when you aren't holding up your end.
Wake up, Ontario voters! Give this charlatan and his ilk the bums' rush at the next election.
Don't let them get away with this nonsense.
Brindlestick covered this as well.
What is Peterborough Liberal MPP Jeff Leal afraid of? A constituent reports that after waiting over six months for a 15-minute meeting, she was given the bum's rush this morning.
Apparently, Leal first asked her if she wanted a photo, then demanded the information packet on Hershey's Bill (which will remove Ontario's dog ownership ban), grabbed it and scuttled back into his conference room, slamming the door in her face.
Why would somebody run for public office if they don't want to deal with constituents? The person booked a meeting, had it constantly rescheduled but was still polite and on time. This is disgraceful behaviour; regardless of his own personal opinion or the one provided to him by Premier McDad, he should have held the meeting as scheduled.
Bowser at 8 weeks
We showed up on Monday for court to support Danny and Bowser. We had a fantastic lawyer and were well armed and ready to fight the "pit bull" designation that had been applied to Bowser by Mississauga Animal Control back in December, 2008.
Unfortunately for those of us who were looking forward to a good rumble, but fortunately for Danny, the Crown wanted to cut a deal.
They dropped the charge under Ontario's Dog Owners' Liability Act (DOLA) of owning a prohibited "pit bull" (in this case a dog that was too young to be in Ontario) and asked Danny to plead to the lesser charge of owning a dog that "...has behaved in a manner that poses a menace to the safety of persons or domestic animals" (Section 4. 1(b) of DOLA). With this came a fine, which on hindsight we probably could have bartered down, but that's not a big deal since I don't have to pay it.
This was a win for Danny and Bowser, for dog owners in Ontario and for organizations such as the DLCC that have been quietly helping dog owners get through the nightmarish process of fighting to save their dogs all over the province.
The court has decided that Bowser is NOT a "pit bull" within the meaning of the law but is substantially similar to a Boxer-Rottweiler mixed breed dog. This precedent can help other dog owners whose pets may resemble Bowser.
In dropping the whole "pit bull" part of the charge, the Crown basically said it didn't have enough to defend the designation. They had no experts on deck. An Animal Control officer was present but he is not considered an expert. This was nicely summarized in the Miami decision posted by Brent last Friday and according to our lawyer, there are Canadian precedents that concur with that decision.
We had expert testimony in the form of an excellent letter from a veterinarian with decades of experience, as well as a letter from a CKC (Canadian Kennel Club) licensed all-breed judge also with decades of experience both in Canada and abroad. In a nutshell, the vet said that in his opinion, Bowser was substantially similar to a Boxer-Rottweiler mix. The judge pointed out the many areas where Bowser did not fit the standards of any of the three breeds banned in Ontario.
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A few points I'd like to mention:
1. There has been a hue and cry, especially on Facebook, with people wanting the name of the vet clinic that originally ratted Danny out to Animal Control for owning a prohibited "pit bull". They didn't get it from me two years ago and they won't get it from me now.
I suspect that because people are angry and frustrated over the "pit bull" legislation, they are looking for someone to blame, someone to punish. I say look no further than Dalton McGuinty - he is the one who should have leashed and muzzled his then-Attorney General. He is the one who should have listened to the overwhelming opposition to his scheme in the Legislature, in public opinion polls and correspondence and especially at Committee where many expert organizations and individuals spent time and money appearing to explain why the "breed" (lol) ban was the wrong route to dog bite prevention. Dalton McGuinty and his minions MUST be voted out in October. If you are angry, show up and vote.
I personally won't be held responsible for vandalism or other mischief that may befall that clinic. Since they obviously didn't want to testify in favour of the designation - remember, the Crown had no expert witnesses - for all we know it was just a staff member who called it in. That person may not even be working there anymore.
Anyway, ultimately they did dog owners in Mississauga a favour because Bowser is NOT a "pit bull" in that city.
2. We were chatting with the Animal Control officer after the hearing. I asked him what people could do to protect themselves, since most people have no idea that they own a "pit bull". All you have to do is look at how different all the dogs are that have been identified as "pit bulls" by authorities. You can see just a few of them in my slideshow, left sidebar right under the search box near the top.
He said they should get a note from their vet stating that their dog is, for example, a Labrador retriever-Boxer mix, and carry it with them. That's good enough for Animal Control in Mississauga if they stop someone.
Yes, it does sound rather Naziesque - "Veer ah yo papuz?" but so what? This is Nazi-type legislation, discrimination based not on behaviour but appearance, so like it or not, if you see your vet and get such a note you will be protected. This applies in Mississauga but in my view, it couldn't hurt no matter where you live in Ontario if you own a short-haired, medium-sized mutt. Remember, under the law vets can identify dogs as "pit bulls" which means they can also identify dogs as not "pit bulls".
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Anyway, congratulations to Danny for standing up and getting through the past two-plus years with your dignity intact. I'm glad we could help in a small way and I hope you and Bowser have a great time together from here on in. It was a pleasure to work with you on this case.
I'm a Rabbit too. So this is our year!
If you want to congratulate Danny, visit this page on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=61941358224
Almost forgot! Brindlestick has a post about this as well, you can read it here.
Bowser in June, 2010
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