You Can Already Voice Your Opinion on the National Assembly S Website!

You can already voice your opinion on the National Assembly’s website!

Everyuniquesubmission counts:your comments could be the tipping point on whether our government adopts province-wide Breed-Specific Legislation (BSL) or not.

Consider the points below, thendraft your own thoughtsfollowing this link:

1. Experts agree, and studies show, that Breed-Specific Legislation (BSL) has no scientific basis and is ineffective.

• Scientific evidence shows that, in dogs, there exists no significant correlation between membership to a particular breed and aggressive behaviour. Experts in canine behavior, such as the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, as well as experts in canine genetics, agree that a dog’s breed is not a predictor of dangerousness or aggression.
• Veterinary orders and associations around the world, including the Ordre des médecins veterinaries du Québec, the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, and the American Veterinary Medical Association, agree that BSL has no scientific basis and is ineffective.
• BSL has been adopted by other jurisdictions and has been shown to neither reduce the number, nor the severity, of dog bites, as evidenced by the experiences of Ontario, the Netherlands, and countless American cities.In fact, in some jurisdictions, the number and severity of dog bite incidents has actually increased after the adoption of BSL. For example, in Ontario, from 2005, when the province banned ‘pit bull’ type dogs, to 2012, the number of hospitalisations due to severe dog bites actually increased by 45%.
• More and more, countries around the world are repealing BSL after seeing how ineffective it is, including the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom. In the United States, currently more than 20 states prohibit municipalities on their territory from adopting certain forms of BSL.

2. BSL is costly, difficult to enforce, and unfair.

• The public resources needed to fund BSL are considerable. Taxpayers’ money is spent on confiscating and euthanizing animals who pose no danger, as well as on prosecuting responsible dog owners simply because of how their dog looks, whereas individuals wishing to exploit the aggressive behavior of certain dogs will simply move on to a breed that is not prohibited.

• In the current economic climate, it is irresponsible to waste public funds on a measure that has proven unsuccessful.Precious funds should instead be used to implement measures that have actually been proven effective in preventing dog bites and making communities safer (see point 4 below).
• BSL unfairly punishes responsible dog owners who have the misfortune of owning a dog whohas been targeted, regardless of the dog’s actual behaviour or temperament.

3. The adoption of BSLwould sentence to death tens of thousands of adoptable dogs and puppies across our province.

• While Bill 128 allows people who currently own dogs belonging to the targeted breeds to keep their animal, it prohibits the adoption of these dogs and thus fails to protect dogs who will continue entering the shelter system or who will be abandoned or surrendered by their owner after the Bill comes into force.
• Each year in Quebec, tens of thousands of puppies and dogs enter the shelter system, most of whom are mixes of many different breeds of dogs. A large portion of these dogs would then be subject to the provincial ban. If Bill 128 is passed, these dogs and puppies could no longer be adopted out, forcing shelters across the province to systematically put these animals to death, regardless of their health or behaviour.
• Should Bill 128 pass as drafted, the result will therefore be the systematic, large-scale putting to death of healthy, behaviourally sound shelter dogs across the province.

4. There are better solutions out there

• Effective, evidence-based strategies to address the problem of dangerous dogs focus on preventative measures designed to prevent the development of aggressive behaviour in dogs, namely through owner education, sterilisation, and ensuring that animals are properly cared for, coupled with remedial measures that target dogs who have actually displayed aggressive behaviour.
• The American Veterinary Medical Association Task Force on Canine Aggression and Human-Canine Interactions’ document A community approach to dog bite prevention (insert hyperlink: provides a comprehensive, evidence-based model for reducing the risk and severity of dog bites and truly creating safer communities.