Montreal Is Planning To Kill 700 Dogs After Implementing New Pit Bull Law

With a vote of 37 against 23, the municipal advisors of the city of Montreal have just confirmed, on Tuesday September 27, that Pit bulls are no longer welcome in their city, as of 3 October.A few months ago, two big Canadian cities - Quebec and Montreal - announced a new law that would completely forbid dogs considered "dangerous": American Staffordshire terriers, Staffordshire bull terriers and Pit bull terriers.

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700 dogs to be euthanised

Once the ban is in place, owners of the above-mentioned breeds need to purchase a special permit and have to be screened for criminal records.Their pet has to be sterilised, vaccinated, micro-chipped, muzzled when outdoors and kept on a short leash. Animal rights organisation fear that not all "dangerous" dog breed owners have the means to pay for all the paperwork to keep their pets, forcing them to abandon the pups.

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But people are particularly furious about what's going to happen to the dogs in rescue shelters... Because according to this new law's logic, every Pit bull that doesn't have an owner will be euthanised.According to the SPCA, there are close to 700 dogs in Montreal shelters who fall into the category of "dangerous" dogs. And the worst part is, by rendering it illegal to keep them in shelters, these dogs will never have the chance to be adopted.

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Alanna Devine,the director of Montreal's SPCA, explained to The Dodo:

We are talking a very large number of completely unnecessary deaths of adoptable dogs in a very short time.

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"My duty as mayor of Montreal is making sure I am working for all Montrealers. And I am there to make sure they feel safe and that they are safe." justified the mayor, Denis Coderre. This law was brought forward following the death of a woman in her 50s, said to have been attacked by a Pit bull, but it was later confirmed that the dog was indeed not a Pit bull or any of the "dangerous" breeds now banned by the city council.

"We're not required to euthanise these healthy pets"

Animal defenders have started to come together from all over the country for an emergency evacuation of all Pit bulls in shelters, to help them escape a certain death. Around the world, individuals and organisations are voicing their rage at the new, outdated law that's based on an unfair stereotype about certain dog breeds.

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Karen Joy Goldenberg,a veterinarian and member of the organisation Ordre des médecins vétérinaires du Québec (page in French), told CBS News:

I, professionally, morally, ethically am not required to euthanize those animals. It's going to be very, very hard to find a big population of veterinarians who will sleep well at night, knowing they've put down a healthy animal.

Friends of animals and shelter volunteers are more determined than ever to win the fight and do everything in their power to save these pups from death.To show your support and sign a petition to stop discrimination against certain dog breeds in Montreal, click here.

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