Dangerous Dogs

Dahn Batchelor's Opinions

This is a letter I sent to the Premier of Ontario on August 30th 2004. After he read it, he wrote me back and said that he would pass it on to the Attorney General of Ontario. Within months, the Attorney General brought in a bill befor the legislature banning pitbulls in Ontario. The bill became law the following year.

Dear Sir:

Ontarions are facing and have been facing for a very long time, a very serious problem with respect to dangerous dogs.

The universally recognized dangerous dogs are; Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, Husky breeds, Staffordshire, Bull Terrier, German Sheppards, Tosa Inu and Dobermans.

In 2000, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that 25 breeds of dogs were involved in 238 fatal dog bites from 1979-1998. More than 50% of the deaths where the breed was known were caused by Pit Bull type dogs and Rottweilers.

I don’t have statistics for Canada or Ontario however it must be apparent to you as it is to everyone else that we really do have a very serious problem in Ontario as it relates to dangerous dogs.

I think it is time to get rid of these dogs by phasing them out.

The United Kingdom has taken steps to solve their problem. In 1991, their parliament passed the Dangerous Dogs Act.

1.—(1) This section applies to—
(a) any dog of the type known as the pit bull terrier;
(b) any dog of the type known as the Japanese tosa; and
(c) any dog of any type designated for the purposes of this section by an order of the Secretary of State, being a type appearing to him to be bred for fighting or to have the characteristics of a type bred for that purpose.
(2) No person shall—
(a) breed, or breed from, a dog to which this section applies;
(b) sell or exchange such a dog or offer, advertise or expose such a dog for sale or exchange;
(c) make or offer to make a gift of such a dog or advertise or expose such a dog as a gift;
(d) allow such a dog of which he is the owner or of which he is for the time being in charge to be in a public place without being muzzled and kept on a lead; or
(e) abandon such a dog of which he is the owner or, being the owner or for the time being in charge of such a dog, allow it to stray.


3.—(1) If a dog is dangerously out of control in a public place—
(a) the owner; and
(b) if different, the person for the time being in charge of the dog,is guilty of an offence, or, if the dog while so out of control injures any person, an aggravated offence, under this subsection.

I think it is time to bring in legislation to solve this problem. If not, then many more people in our province will eventually be maimed and killed by these dogs.

On your website, you have said, and I quote;
Our government is working with Ontarians to deliver real, positive change. We’re listening to Ontarians about where they want to go — and we’re leading the way there.

I think if you bring in legislation that prohibits the breeding of dangerous dogs in Ontario, your government will deliver a real, positive change to Ontarions.

Do you have the courage to bring in such legislation? If not, then your statement that you are listening to Ontarions is a farce. If another child dies because of an attack by a dangerous dog, that child will have died because we don’t have legislation in Ontario that can prevent these needless deaths.