TRAVEL ALERT!

 

You have no doubt seen the warnings posted on credible websites in the UK, the US and in other areas of Canada against travelling to or through Ontario with your dog.  This is good advice.

 

If your dog is one of the registered breeds described in Ontario's amended Dog Owners' Liability Act, or if, as stated in the Act, your dog bears a resemblance to any of those breeds, you may end up going home with fewer friends or family members than you had when you arrived.

 

Here are the prohibited breeds:

 

American Pit Bull terrier

American Staffordshire terrier

Staffordshire Bull terrier

 

Here are some of the breeds which, if unregistered or if mixed, could be (and have been)  considered 'pit bulls' by the authorities in Ontario.  If your dog has a short coat, boxy head and is a certain colour, he or she could be in real trouble in Ontario.

 

Boxer

Boston terrier

Bull terrier

Plott Hound

Great Dane

Bullmastiff

Mastiff

Labrador retriever

Chesapeake Bay retriever

French Bulldog

Patterdale terrier

Vizsla

Rhodesian Ridgeback

Dogue de Bordeaux

Cane Corso

Dogo Argentino

Fila Brasileiro

Australian Cattle Dog

Redbone Hound

Shar Pei

Smooth Chow

 

 

If you are travelling from Manitoba on your way to Quebec or the Maritimes, for example, you are STRONGLY ADVISED TO BYPASS ONTARIO BY DRIVING AROUND THE BEND THROUGH THE US for that portion of your trip.  Should you find yourself accidentally inside Ontario's border on your trip, you are STRONGLY ADVISED TO KEEP YOUR DOG OUT OF SIGHT, TURN AROUND AND TRAVEL TO THE STATES IMMEDIATELY, BYPASSING ONTARIO.

 

We are not making this up.  Here is the actual text of a letter received from Ontario's Minister of Tourism,  Jim Bradley.

 

Ministry of Tourism and Recreation

Minister

9th Floor, Hearst Block

900 Bay Street

Toronto, ON M7A 2E1

Tel: (416) 326-9326

Fax: (416) 326-9338

 

M2005-5790

 

April 7, 2005

 

Dear :

 

Thank you for your e-mail messages about the Ontario government's new legislation banning pit bulls. I appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns, and I apologize for the delay in responding to you.

 

Ontario's Public Safety Related to Dogs Statute Law Amendment Act, 2005 became law on March 9, 2005, and it amends the Dog Owners' Liability Act. The new legislation will come into effect on August 29, 2005, banning pit bulls and their importation into Ontario. The new law also places restrictions on existing pit bulls and toughens penalties for the owners of any dog that poses a danger to the public. Pit bulls already legally resident in the province before the date the law comes into force may remain legally in Ontario, subject to certain conditions, such as compliance with leash, muzzle and sterilization requirements. Accordingly, law-abiding owners of existing pit bulls in Ontario need not give up their dogs.

 

Importing pit bulls into Ontario will be prohibited after August 29, 2005. Pit bulls not legally resident in Ontario prior to this date will be subject to seizure, and persons found to have imported a pit bull into Ontario will be in violation of the law and may be subject to fines and/or jail. There are no exceptions for tourists, including those simply passing through Ontario with their pit bulls, apart from a limited exception for individuals participating in a recognized dog show. You can find further information about the legislation on the Ministry of the Attorney General's website at: www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca.

 

Ontario greatly values its visitors from Canada, the United States and abroad. We are proud of the many world-class tourism attractions and experiences in Ontario, and we are working hard to provide a safe and welcoming province for visitors and residents alike. For more information on travelling in Ontario, please visit www.ontariotravel.net, or call toll free 1-800-Ontario (1-800-668-2746).

 

Again, thank you for advising me of your concerns, which I will share with my Cabinet colleague, the Honourable Michael Bryant, Attorney General of Ontario.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Jim Bradley

Minister

 

 

Sounds to us as though they value their visitors as much as they value their citizens, ie, not at all.

 

SO, BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY, FOLKS.

 

DO NOT TRAVEL THROUGH

 

ONTARI-SCARI-ARI-O

 

WITH YOUR BELOVED BEST FRIEND.

 

IT'S JUST NOT WORTH IT.

 

 

Remember, the onus is on the owner of the dog to prove it is not a 'pit bull'.  You are prohibited from cross-examining the Crown witness who has identifed your dog as a 'pit bull'.  If convicted of an offense under the new DOLA, owners are liable for fines of up to $10,000 and a jail term of up to Six Months.

 

The  penalty for a convicted 'pit bull' is death.

 

We hope owners of other breeds will show solidarity with their fellow dog owners in this province and avoid travel in Ontario until this law is overturned.  Remember, a municipality may add any breed or mixed breed they wish to their bylaws and may also add harsher penalities and restrictions than those in the provicincial law.

 

 

DON'T PUT YOUR DOG AND YOURSELF

 

 IN HARM'S WAY!

 

DON'T TRAVEL TO ONTARIO.