LONDON, Ont. - A proposal to lift Ontario's controversial ban on pit bulls is getting a lot of attention among those who work closely with animals.
And the arguments ring similar to when the ban was put in place more than a decade ago.
While some believe the dogs to be dangerous, others say it comes down to the owner and the training.
“What we've witnessed is that people that had dogs that were really reliable - great dogs being separated from their families and killed,” says veterinarian Dr. Kyla Dillard of Dillard Animal Hospital, commenting on the impact of the legislation brought in by the Liberal government of the day.
It comes down to the training for the specific dog, she added, and not the breed.
“We got a few bad actors in the world that like to do dog-fighting, so they looked for the most powerful muscular dogs they could find to do that. And if the dogs are in a fighting situation then yes, they are going to be aggressive dogs. That has nothing at all to do with the common pet pit bull who has not been trained to do that,” she says.
A private member's bill calls for breed-specific language to be repealed from the Dog Owners’ Liability Act, which critics say targets any dog that has the physical appearance of a pit bull.
