Montreal May Ban Pit Bulls By 2018

New dog laws could target the dog breed.

Dog owners of Montreal, pay heed, as you'll be forced to follow a slew of new rules come 2018 as the City of Montreal gears up to create new laws that will regulate the ownership of canines.

Set to be a city-wide set of regulations (so not borough-specific), the new "dog laws" will affect all owners, but will specifically address the issue of "hazardous and abandoned dogs," notes Le Journal de Montréal.

Special importance will be placed upon the issue of pit bulls (not the rapper), as the city will decide whether a ban on the breed will be enforced or distinct rules will be put in place for owners.

The call to action over pit bulls, and similarly aggressive breeds (or at least those popularized to be), is arguably warranted as well. Last summer alone, twenty children in Montreal were disfigured by aggressive dogs, notes JdeM, though the amount of said dogs that were actually pit bulls was not mentioned.

Fortunately, the City of Montreal is going to do its best to remain unbiased and address the issue of pit bulls with as much information as possible. While some boroughs have already banned the breed, the City will be looking to the opinions of experts and Montreal's chief veterinary officer for input when making a decision.

According to Anie Samson, Vice President of the Executive Committee, the issue of pit bulls is somewhat divisive, with certain experts calling for a ban and others, like L'Ordre et l'Association des vétérinaires, not seeing a ban as an adequate solution.

As such, we can't really say what will happen come 2018 concerning pit bulls.

Taking a broader angle, the City of Montreal aims to increase the number of dog owners with licenses, hoping to double the percentage from 12% to 24%.

A new system to manage and re-home stray animals in Montreal will also be implemented. Centre de services animaliers municipal will begin taking in abandoned canines in 2018 (and not solely organizations like the SPCA) and measures will be taken to find new owners for said animals, or put them up for adoption.