Justice for Bullies

Justice for Bullies is a legally running non-profit society founded in 2014 by Chantelle Mackney and her dog Mr. Magoo. Our team consists of board members in Alberta and British Columbia. Combined, our team has over 15 years experience advocating for breed neutral legislation and responsible dog ownership.

Justice for Bullies has achieved many milestones since 2014.

We played an active role in encouraging breed neutral legislation in at least 10 jurisdictions in Alberta and British Columbia.

We have worked with numerous people to help facilitate interventions between strata/condo boards and dog owners subjected to breed specific legislation.

We have created a website that focuses on effective breed neutral legislation, advocacy, and responsible dog ownership.

In 2016, the founding members of Justice for Bullies decided to look up animal control bylaws in every city, town, village, and municipal district in the provinces of Alberta, BC, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and the Maritimes. Many people are unaware of how widespread BSL still is – we wanted to showcase the harsh reality in a way that was visual and easy to understand.

We have had booths at over 20 dog- related events across Alberta, BC, and even Washington.

In 2017 we released 150 "byte" sized educational posts about breed specific legislation called #BSLbytes. The content from this project can be found on our website.

In 2018 Justice for Bullies created a dog bite prevention coloring book in both English and French and paired it with an interactive dog bite prevention. To date, we have taught over 3000 children how to safely interact with dogs. Each participant receives a copy of our Dog Safety Coloring Book to ensure the learning doesn’t end with the session. These are also available online to download or to order hard copies.

We have provided statement-making clothing for dogs and people to encourage conversations outside of the home. This gear has been the financial backbone of our non profit.

Our board members dedicate hundreds of hours a year to the cause and to the dogs in our community. Thank you for your support, shares and feedback!

Breed specific legislation (BSL) is an attempt by legislators to reduce dog bites by targeting specific types of dogs.

BSL can range from something as mild as a higher licence fee for specific breeds to an all-out ban, including mandatory destruction of any prohibited dog found within the boundaries of the legislating jurisdiction.

BSL has been proven to be ineffective, unenforceable, and expensive.

Our latest batch of educational brochures has landed! Who wants some??

These topics - effective advocacy, responsible dog ownership, and ethical animal sourcing - are things we need to talk about more in the animal welfare community. We have articles available on our website and we post it frequently on this page, but now we have hard copies in hopes that we can get it to new readers.

We are hoping to share these with other rescues, pet industry professionals, and others. We will send them to you for free while quantities last. 😁 Conditions:

- must be a Canadian address
- we can mail a total of 50 brochures, which can be a combination of any of the topics below.
- please email your order to justiceforbullies@gmail.com with your name, mailing address and whether you want specific topics/quantities.

We can offer postage for free, in the interest of getting the information out there, but as a small non-profit we always appreciate donations. Even $5 or $10 will cover costs and let us reach more people.

If you are in the US or wish to order more than 50, please get in touch and we can provide you with a quote!

April, our BC rep, also has stock available in the Metro Vancouver area and may be able to arrange drop-offs.

We can't wait to get them out in the community!

Opposing breed specific legislation doesn't mean opposing any dog legislation!

Progressive communities are moving towards what we call Responsible Owner Legislation.​ An effective animal control strategy would integrate the following:

Strong bylaws
Robust legislation targets known risk factors for dog bites. Bylaws are clear and specific and hold the owner accountable for the behaviour of his/her dog. Infractions are associated with fines that escalate until the owner gets the message and changes their behaviour. If this doesn't happen and there is a concern for community safety, the ultimate consequence is removing the dog from the home.

Enforcement
Bylaws are not effective unless they are enforced. If a community is truly committed to safety, they will need to invest in trained enforcement officers. When animal control officers are seen in the community and are actively issuing tickets for infractions, people are motivated to be responsible. Along with licensing fees, fines and tickets for negligent owners can serve as a revenue source to strengthen an animal control program.

Animal control officers are not just a punitive force. They can provide support to members of the community and intervene early when they spot potential problems.​

Bite free education
Successful communities identify those most at risk of getting into an altercation with a dog - for example, children, mail carriers, meter readers, and delivery people. While it is the responsibility of the owner to contain and manage their dog, you can reduce bite risk by teaching people how to read a dog's body language, how to approach them safely, and how to de-escalate a confrontation. ASK US ABOUT OUR FREE DOG BITE PREVENTION PROGRAM! 

Community support
Members of the community must be willing to report dog bites, or problematic behaviour. This is easier when strong and fair bylaws exist, because neighbours know that the owner will be held accountable, and the dog won't necessarily be seized or euthanized.

​The community can also support programs like subsidized vet care, spay/neuter clinics, and outreach programs that promote responsible ownership and care.

​Liability
Good bylaws hold owners responsible for their dog's behaviour. But if a dog attack were to happen, the onus is on the victim to take the owner to civil court and sue for damages. A shelter, rescue, or breeder is also exempt from liability when they have irresponsibly placed a dog in the community. We believe that a wider conversation needs to take place around these liability issues, holding people responsible for preventable injury and damages and ensuring that victims are fairly compensated.

You can help introduce fairer, evidence-based, breed-neutral laws in your community. It can be a long process, but you will find there is a lot of support out there, and it’s a wonderful legacy to create.

The Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association analyzed dog bite-related fatalities from 2000 to 2009, and identified a co-occurrence of seven controllable factors (spoiler alert - breed was not one of them!). Four or more of these factors were present in over 80% of cases.

Factor #1 – lack of supervision.

Factor #2 – lack of familiar relationship between the victim and the dog. 

Factor #3 – failure to spay/neuter. 

Factor #4 – victim had a compromised ability to manage interaction with the dog(s).

Factor #5 - dog was kept as a resident, not family dog.  

Factor #6 – owner mismanagement.

Factor #7 – neglect or abuse. 

Opposing breed specific legislation doesn't mean opposing any dog legislation!

Progressive communities are moving towards what we call Responsible Owner Legislation.​ An effective animal control strategy would integrate the following:

Strong bylaws

Enforcement

Bite free education

Community support

​Liability

When 50% of our children are being bitten by a dog by the time they are 12 years old and 77% of bites come from their family or a friend’s dog – that’s an opportunity for education that anyone who loves kids or dogs simply cannot ignore.

They’re staggering statistics and ones Justice for Bullies want to help change – that’s why we are offering our free dog bite prevention program in the following areas:

Calgary, Alberta
Chestermere, Alberta
Indus, Alberta
Langdon, Alberta
Strathmore, Alberta

Children are, by far, the most common victims of dog bites, but studies show that educating kids on how to act around dogs significantly increases appropriate behaviour. We are committed to helping kids learn how to act around ALL of the dogs they see in their lives whether their families own one or not, and that’s why we are offering the program FREE.

The I Speak Doggie program is designed especially for preschool-aged kids, and the Dog Star program is geared towards elementary-aged kids. Both are only 40 minutes long, and is specifically designed for early learners.

The message is simple, fun and based on a music video that will have the kids singing about dog safety long after I leave. It’s a message that really sticks and we are thrilled to be able to offer it.

Should you wish to obtain information on our program please send us an email: justiceforbullies@gmail.com