April 1st, 2017

April 1st, 2017

Sadly what I am about to write is not part of some sick, twisted joke or hoax in which people will be called fools at the end. This is not an April fool’s joke; this is instead the reality for certain dog owners that is now being enforced by a fool and his political backing.

Today marks the 1st day in Montreal in which the special permits for “pit bull” type dogs is obligatory. Let that sink in for a second, in 2017 dog owners are required to publicly identify their dogs with special permits because of their physical appearance and assumed race. The similarities between this and what we have done do other races as humans during times of war is incredibly eerie. Have we learned nothing as a species? Must we continue to relive history and learn nothing from our mistakes in the past?

I know many people out of anger are going to try to defy the government and not comply with these outdated, barbaric and discriminatory laws. I understand your anger, heartache and frustration but I urge you to comply for the safety of your dogs. Should you be caught defying this law your illegal dogs may suffer consequences that you are unable to take back. Anger is one letter short of Danger and putting your dogs at risk is simply not worth it. Having a dog seized, having the financial burden of fighting these laws in court, and not having the education needed to understand your rights as dog owners could put both you and your dogs in a situation with less than desirable outcomes.

This will be a very long road filled with heartache and sadness for those who were unable to comply with the demands of Coderre and supporters. However, you will all have the opportunity to remove them from power in the near future as election time is upon you and you have time to convince those around you to vote him out. Projet Montreal has stated that they will repeal this law should they win the majority. Please keep this in the back of your mind, and use this as hope and motivation.

I have included links to the bylaw, the morphological features, and the most frequently asked questions.

I urge everyone to look at these links, read these links, understand these links, and share this. More people need to read this and have an understanding as to what is going to happen in Montreal under the power of Coderre.

Should you for one second think, who cares I do not live there I would like to remind you that this could happen anywhere, at any given time, to any of us.

To pet owners in Montreal: My heart is with all of you during this time. Stay strong, stay united and please for the love of dog hold Coderre responsible for this come election time.

http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/sel/sypre-consultation/afficherpdf?idDoc=27629&typeDoc=1

http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/animals/faq/#owner-dog

http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/animaux/assets/doc/identification_pitbull_EN.pdf

http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/animals/by-law/