Recently, Montreal, Quebec issued legislation banning pit bulls and pit bull-like dogs. This legislation is a response to an incident in June where a boxer (mistaken to be a pit at the time) fatally mauled 55-year-old Christiane Vadnais to death. In a 37 - 23 vote, Montreal issued a ban that would make it illegal to adopt pits or a pit bull mix after October 3rd. For those who already have a pit bull, they are required to pay $150 for a permit and the owner must pass a criminal background check. The dog must wear a muzzle whenever they are outside and they must be attached to a 4 foot leash.

Those rules just apply to pits and pit mixes that are already owned. The pit bulls in shelters have no such luxury. Shelters are rushing to get these dogs home before the government euthanizes them.

For many owners, saving their pets are very important. To register for their permits, owners must go to one of the few locations that will register pits. There is, however a problem: there is only a 3-hour window to register and it is in the middle of the workday. These restrictions, time gaps, and other regulations are all reasons why it is very difficult to save your pet. Alanna Devine, advocacy director at the Montreal SPCA told The Dodo "we think that a lot of people who aren't going to be able to afford or even understand how they can obtain a special permit will not be able to keep their dogs" and "to say that there's only a 3-hour window that you can go and get this permit is going to mean the difference between life and death for your animal and if you can afford all of the necessities that you need to have in order to obtain it."

For many dog lovers, we are looking for a way to help. Not everyone can just go up to Canada to adopt a pit. We can however sign a petition to Denis Coderre, mayor of Montreal at:

https://www.gopetition.com/petitions/my-montr%C3%A9al-includes-all-dog.html

This petition "will boycott the city of Montreal." The argument is that "Instead of implementing proven bylaws and programs that work, as long as you are willing to take the lazy approach to public safety, killing thousands of unoffending family pets in order to look like you are 'doing something', then you, your city council, and your city do not deserve our money."

Pit bulls are a strong and dangerous breed of dogs. However, this is not the way to fix the problem. Burdening the owners into very small windows to operate and killing any pit they can find that isn't properly registered. In order to fix it, you need to have the input of everyone, not just a few upset people.