A coalition backed by two high-profile lawyers has joined the SPCA court challenge seeking to overturn the controversial new city of Montreal bylaw that targets pit-bull-type dogs.
The Coalition to Promote the Safety of People and Canines, founded in July, includes veterinarians, animal-behaviour specialists, sociologists, biologists and lawyers.
Among the coalition’s board members are civil-rights lawyer Julius Grey and family lawyer and TV personality Anne-France Goldwater.
The coalition says its mission is to “support laws and regulations that promote the safety and protection of people and dogs, to educate the public, to (promote) responsible ownership, and to promote the welfare of animals in general with effective alternatives to specific breed bans.”
In a legal document made public Thursday and to be presented in Quebec Superior Court on Dec. 14, the coalition argues the city’s bylaw is unconstitutional and “irrational, arbitrary, unscientific, imprecise, vague, oppressive and presumptuous.”
The coalition contends the bylaw:
• Explicitly endorses putting to death scores of innocent animals in perfectly good health, if they resemble certain breeds or crossbreeds;
• Grants abusive powers to city inspectors;
• Discriminates against certain groups (e.g. the homeless and individuals with a criminal record).
On Dec. 2, the Quebec Court of Appeal ruled in the city’s favour, revoking the suspension of its new animal-control law that prevents people from buying or adopting pit-bull-type dogs not already in their possession, and requires existing owners to leash and muzzle them outdoors and buy a special $150 permit.
But the appeal court also said the city must honour its pledge not to order the euthanization of any type of dog not specifically designated as dangerous, risky, stray, dying, badly injured or highly contagious, until Superior Court issues a final judgment that will clarify the legality of the law and some of its contested wording, notably the terms “competent authority,” “risky dog,” “dangerous dog,” “pit-bull-type dog” and “shelter.”
More to come.
