Calgary appears to be standing by its commitment to leave “breed-specific” bans off the books.
A city spokesperson says there are no plans to adopt a pitbull ban in the immediate future and the Head of Bylaw declined to comment.
The pet by-law goes up for review next year and after that it’ll be up to council to decide.
The comments come as Montréal revealed its plans Wednesday to phase out pitbulls within its borders.
Pitbulls purchased after September will be banned and current owners will have to register by the new year or lose the right to take care of their dog.
Montreal’s move comes after a series of recent attacks across the province of Québec that’s left many there on edge.
Calgary Humane Society Department Head of Behaviour Barbara Walmer says ‘breed-specific’ bans don’t work and she’s hoping Calgary will maintain the status quo.
“There’s nothing that identifies the breed other than the specific looks and there’s nothing that supports specific behaviours that are tied to certain types or breeds of dogs. In most of the time, breed-specific legislation is employed in the idea that we’re making the community safer and that’s really a falsehood,” said Walmer.
She chalks it up to media and highly publicized situations as to why pitbulls have been targeted.
“Any large breed without socialization or training can exhibit aggression, it can be fatal in some situations and cause injury,” she said.
Walmer says it’s up to training and the owner to take the responsibility on here.
“Currently even in the situation across Canada, there are dogs that are being transferred here to Alberta because of breed specific legislation, it’s because they look like a pitbull, they don’t have to be a pitbull.”
She says the laws aren’t doing what they have to do and it’s making their job more difficult as a result.
“We are not supportive of breed specific legislation, it’s not indicative of the individual animal. The bigger the dog, the more damage it can actually do.”
The Humane Society has posted their full position on their website.