The Kamloops Daily News
Tuesday, May 17, 2005

Letters to the Editor

Don’t limit dog laws to certain breeds

It was with great interest that I read Mayor Mel’s column regarding dangerous dogs in The Daily News on May 9.

As a member of the board of directors of the B.C. SPCA and an active volunteer for the organization locally, I have been following local interest in this hot topic closely.

The B.C. SPCA has recently revised its policy regarding dangerous dogs and public safety. The society’s public policy and advocacy committee and provincial staff researched the impact of different approaches – including breed-specific legislation – taken by governments in Canada and abroad in efforts to control human/dog interactions within their communities. The findings clearly show that breed-specific legislation is not the most effective course of action over the long term for the public, responsible dog guardians or governments.

For instance, in some countries an initial breed ban has been expanded to include many breeds of dogs which the general public consider to be perfectly safe. Alternatively, dog owners who seek out, train and treat dogs so that they are aggressive can purchase any breed of dog they choose to achieve those ends.

The question of enforcement alone is enough to warrant exploration of other options. In fact, on a recent trip to Toronto the society’s CEO, Craig Daniel, learned that Toronto Animal Services – the agency responsible for animal control in Toronto – recently asked Toronto city council for 10 additional full-time officers to enforce the new provincial government legislation banning pit bulls. That does not take into account the resources that will be needed to, for instance, identify the many mixed-breed dogs that could fall into the pit bull category.

The B.C. SPCA encourages municipalities to enact a plan that will address dog issues in urban areas.

A comprehensive, well-researched plan will not only be more effective and humane in protecting the public against dangerous dogs, but will be more likely to succeed in the long term than breed specific legislation.

BONNIE BISCHOFF
Regional director – Thompson
B.C. SPCA