Montreal, June 18 2016 – Following Mayor Denis Coderre’s announcement this morning that the city plans to include breed specific legislation (BSL) as part of its solution to address the issue of dangerous dogs, the Montreal SPCA vows to dispute any form of legislation that targets specific dogs due to their physical characteristics and is exploring all options in order to respond to the proposed legislation.

The Montreal SPCA opposes BSL because it is ineffective in making communities safer, because it removes responsibility for dog biting incidents from dog owners, and because it supports the false premise that dogs that happen to look a certain way are inherently “dangerous”. “The consequences for our community if the proposed BSL goes forward would be enormous.   It would mean the death of thousands of adoptable and well-behaved dogs simply because of the way that they look” said Nicholas Gilman, Executive Director of the Montreal SPCA. “We are not going to let that happen here.”

Breed specific legislation is discriminatory, vague and nearly impossible to enforce.  BSL has been so ineffective and damaging in cities throughout the United States that 20 states have adopted state legislation prohibiting municipalities from adopting any form of breed ban. “While we are utterly shocked and disappointed by the announcement this morning made by Mayor Coderre, we will be exploring all options to reverse the decision to move forward with BSL, including legal challenges” said Me Alanna Devine, Director of Advocacy at the Montreal SPCA. “We know that the Montreal community understands that using hysteria, fear and prejudice as a means to push legislation forward is wholly unacceptable. In the coming days we will be working with experts and other community organisations and will certainly be guiding the public on how to assist us in convincing the city that BSL is not an acceptable solution to address the issue of aggressive dogs.”

The Montreal SPCA recognizes that inappropriate canine aggression is a serious threat to public safety and must be addressed in order to ensure for safe communities in which humans and dogs co-exist and enrich each other’s lives.  The Montreal SPCA believes that the most effective way to tackle this issue is for humane societies, municipalities and experts in canine behavior and health to work together on multi-faceted strategies that target dangerous dogs of all breeds, with a strong emphasis on prevention.

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Media contact: Anita Kapuscinska, Media Relations Coordinator, Montreal SPCA, 514 656-2760, or anitak@spca.com.

About the Montreal SPCA

Founded in Montreal in 1869, we were the first humane society in Canada and our mission is to:

• protect animals against negligence, abuse, and exploitation;
• represent their interests and ensure their well-being;
• raise public awareness and help develop compassion for all living beings.

For many years, the Montreal SPCA has been working hard with municipal, provincial and federal governments to improve animal protection laws. In 2015, the Montreal SPCA’s Investigations and Inspections Department investigated 1,339 new complaints and conducted the inspection of 1,945 animals, all species combined. A total of 659 animals were seized as a result of these investigations and several criminal and penal charges were laid.

For more information about the Montreal SPCA, please visit our website at www.spca.com.