Many Montrealers remain worried and unsure over what defines a dangerous dog despite the new regulations for Montreal dog owners now in place.
Sabrina Mignacca tells CTV she adopted her dog Ivy in October 2015 and was initially told that the canine was a pit bull mix. Mignacca says that while Ivy could have pit bull-like characteristics, there's a lot of her that doesn't resemble a pit bull.
After the city of Montreal introduced its dangerous dog legislation, Mignacca had her dog checked at a breed identification clinic. It turns out Ivy is actually a lab-greyhound mix.
Mignacca says that while she has an official certificate that states Ivy is not a pit bull, she's worried the vagueness of the dangerous dog definition could lead to city animal inspectors improperly identifying her dog as one.
The bylaw defines a pit bull as a dog “belonging to the American pit bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier or Staffordshire bull terrier race” or being a crossbreed of any of those races and another type of dog. But it also says a pit bull could be “a dog showing several morphological traits of the races and types.”
Animal rights groups have taken the matter to court. Attorney Anne-France Goldwater says the goal is to show the sheer ridiculousness of judging a dog by its appearance. She acknowledges that some of the bylaw is sound, but says other parts are not specific enough and could give animal inspectors too much power.
A court date is expected by the end of April.