It’s been a sad week in the pit bull/bully breed community. On Tuesday, September 27, legislators in a council meeting voted 37-23 in favor of imposing breed-specific legislation in Montreal, Québec, Canada. The law will effectively outlaw any dog that resembles a pit bull – unless owners comply with a strict set of regulations. Perhaps the most heartbreaking part of the new law is that pit bull-type dogs that are currently in city shelters cannot be adopted. They must be euthanized. According to The Dodo, the Montreal SPCA takes about 2,000 dogs into the city shelters it runs every year. About a third of those dogs meet the city’s standard as pit bulls.

For people who already own pit bull-type dogs, the new law allows them until March to undergo a criminal background check and pay $150 for a special permit. They must also have their dog neutered/spayed, vaccinated, and microchipped. Dogs also must be muzzled and on a 4-foot leash at all times in public. For those who cannot or do not follow these rules, their dogs are subject to seizure and euthanasia.

Even further, the bylaw also creates two categories of dogs of all breeds: at-risk and dangerous. At-risk dogs are those that exhibit aggressive behaviour, such as biting. Dangerous dogs are those that have killed someone or are deemed dangerous by an expert. If a dog is “deemed dangerous,” he/she will also be subject to seizure and euthanasia.

The controversial legislation was proposed after a series of dog attacks in the city. One of those attacks lead to the death of a woman in her yard, but it is still unclear if the dog that killed her was even a pit bull at all.

The new law is definitely not supported by everyone, however. The ban has sparked protests throughout Canada and around the world. Rescue groups are working tirelessly to move pit bull-type dogs into other provinces that don’t enforce BSL before the law goes into effect on October 3.

While this news is discouraging for our pit bull-loving community, the fight is not over. Here are a few things you can do to take action:

1. Sign a petition – here and here.
2. Write to city officials (especially Mayor Denis Coderre). Here is a list of elected officials you can email:
   mbarbe@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   dimitrios.beis@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   frantz.benjamin@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   richardbergeron@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   michel.bissonnet@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   karine.boivin.roy@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   eric.alan.caldwell@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   richard.celzi@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   harout.chitilian@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   mariecinq-mars@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   jfcloutier@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   catherineclementtalbot@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   russell.copeman@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   francois.croteau@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   cdauphin@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   adesousa@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   mderos@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   richarddeschamps@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   p.desrochers@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   elus.sudouest@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   sterling.downey@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   erika.duchesne@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   suzannedecarie@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   france.st-jean@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   marc-andre.gadoury@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   pierre.gagnier@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   manon.gauthier@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   jgibeau@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   richard.guay@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   ahenault@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   laurence.lavigne.lalonde@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   guillaume.lavoie@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   elsie.lefebvre@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   francois.limoges@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   louise.mainville@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   normand.marinacci@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   justine.mcintyre@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   peter.mcqueen@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   francesco.miele@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   lmiranda@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   real.menard@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   alex.norris@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   sylvain.ouellet@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   lorraine.page@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   jean-francois.parenteau@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   lionel.perez@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   dperri@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   valerie.plante@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   magda.popeanu@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   giovanni.rapana@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   chantal.rossi@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   mrotrand@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   chantal.rouleau@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   richard.ryan@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   aref.salem@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   asamson@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   craig.sauve@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   jeremy.searle@sympatico.ca
   steve.shanahan@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   anne-marie.sigouin@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   emilie.thuillier@ville.montreal.qc.ca
   monique.vallee@ville.montreal.qc.ca
3. If you are interested in adopting a pit bull, consider doing so from the Montreal SPCA here.

It is okay to be angry about this news, but it is important to not act out in anger or violence. As pit bull and bully breed advocates, we must continue to fight for breed equality in a peaceful manner. It will take time, but our voices WILL be heard.