Here is a link to the latest blog entry from John Stewart.

Honestly, I truly feel as though the tide is turning in our favour. Please feel free to drop John a note to let him know you appreciate the accurate information he is putting out there. We have witnessed our fair share of lazy journalism the past few (decades). It is so refreshing to see some journalists have scruples and actually do a little research.

Andy Barrie spoke with Mississauga councillor, Carolyn Parrish, and with Lee Oliver from the Toronto Humane Society.

Here is the link. Scroll down the page to Saving Another Pitbull.

Councillor Carolyn Parrish told The Mississauga News. "She is going to keep this dog."   more »

A friend emailed me with a picture from her trip to Cuba.

My friend, the photographer, said the guy who owned the dog looked at her "funny" when she took this picture.  She took the picture because she thought this boy was such a strong, healthy, good looking boy.

Immediately I wondered if he knows how lucky he is to not live in Ontario and own this shape of dog. Had he been standing in public with his dog in our dear province of Ontario, which is in Canada (land of the free?), he would have had to muzzled, neutered and been certain the dog was born after Nov 29th, 2005. The consequence for not complying with these stipulations could result in his dog being seized, put to death, sent for research or shipped out of Ontario.

It stuck me as ironic that it is likely less risky (as a dog owner) to live in a dictatorship than in Ontariostan! I wonder if Castro would be amused?

 

Mississauga Liberal MPP, Bob Delaney, was caught in the act during a panel discussion Monday Jan 21.   more »

Heads up if you live in Saskatchewan.

The dog in the picture I posted yesterday was identified by media (those well respected scholars of dogdom) as a 'Rottweiler/Collie' cross.  Today, he's a "Rottweiler cross."  Funny how that always happens, isn't it?

I put it up because I was interested in what dog people thought the mix could be.

Incidentally, the dog is apparently small, which I didn't know yesterday, the picture makes him look pretty large.  He's knee-high, so if you want to change your guess, be my guest.

The dog bit a child who entered his yard without permission.

Now the media are hyping the idea of a 'Rottweiler' ban in Saskatchewan.

Here's yesterday's item from the Saskatoon Star Phoenix (pdf).

Where does the CFHS get its information, ie, that 'pit bulls' and 'rottweilers' are responsible for the most bites and attacks in Canada?  It contradicts animal control records and the hospital records collated by the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program (CHIRPP).  It also contradicts fatality records.

Of course, CFHS doesn't seem to be an animal welfare organization anymore, nudge nudge, wink wink.  They appear to have branched out to where the real money is.

Anyway, since this is going the way these things always go, there's more media instigation for a ban - provincial is on the table.

Here's an alarming little essay by a writer who thinks bull-and-terriers are named after William Pitt.  There are so many errors in this that it must qualify for an award of some sort.  Just for fun, I'll emphasize them.

Delisle To Discuss Dangerous Pet Bylaw

Written by Jim Mattern - 600 Action News-Local First  

Tuesday, 22 January 2008

The administrator for the Town of Delisle says a decision on whether to ban certain breeds of dogs may have to be an issue dealt with by the provincial government.

Now, hold on there folks.  Municipalities already have the authority to do that - why does Delisle (gas station, hotel, store and a few houses, pop around 200) want to export its non-problem?  Besides, you're a little late to the party - hardly anybody believes in 'vicious' breeds anymore.  Get with it.

Mark Dubkowski says the issue will be on the agenda when the town council meets February 12th. He says it became an issue after 5 year old Jaidyn Solanik (so-LAN-ick) was attacked and bitten by her neighbours Rottweiler- cross dog.

OK, I'm not following Dubkowski's logic here but thanks for the phonetics on the child's surname.  A kid trespassed onto private property and got too close to the resident dog while unsupervised by an adult.  She was, unfortunately, bitten.  How does this have anything to do with 'breeds', banning breeds or any of the rest of it? 

If the dog had been a Cocker or a Golden or a Pomeranian, would there be calls for a 'ban'?  That's a question people really need to ask themselves when these incidents occur.

And just out of interest, how did the dog change in one day from a 'rottweiler/collie' mix (which was funny) to a 'rottweiler mix' (which is ludicrous)?  You'll note I'm not capitalizing Rottweiler.

And shouldn't they be banning Collies, too, just to be on the safe side?

Dubkowski says the town is waiting for an RCMP investigation into the incident to be completed, hoping that will give them more information to work with. He says municipalities can place all the bans they want, but if pet shops continue to sell dangerous pets, the two sides will be at odds.

OK, if you read Caveat you know I'm less than thrilled about pups being sold in pet shops - but dangerous pets?  I'd hazard a guess that, in order, the most dangerous pets sold in shops are

1. Turtles

2. Fish

3. Rodents, all kinds

4. Birds

5. Insects and Arachnids

6. Cats

7. Dogs

8. Reptiles and Amphibians

So, what's the scoop?  Are we banning pet shops?  I don't actually have a problem with it, but it seems a bit over-the-top if based on a  garden-variety dog bite case.  It doesn't make sense - oops, there I go again.

Dubkowski says it may be an issue the provincial government needs to decide for the entire province. Ontario has legislation banning Pitt Bulls while the city of Winnipeg banned dangerous dog breeds in 1990. In Saskatchewan, the town of Biggar passed a bylaw in 1991 banning Pitt Bulls, Rottweilers and Boxers.

There are no dangerous dog breeds, only individual dangerous dogs. Oh, and news flash - 'pit bull' isn't a breed so I don't see how 'Pitt bull' can be one, unless William Pitt bred dogs (or cattle) and I'm just finding out about it.  Or maybe it was Brad.

It's too bad Jim forgot to mention that in the cases of Ontario and Winnipeg, dog bites increased significantly after their 'breed' bans went into place.  I really should contact him and set him straight on some of this stuff so he can ask Dubkowski the right questions, such as "What are you smoking, Mark?"

Moving right along, here's today's tale of the 'rottweiler cross' (LOL!) at the centre of our little controversy.  I see they're running the picture again, which is helpful.

I came across an interesting article today,   more »

There have been a series of articles in the Mississauga News that are refreshingly accurate.   more »

There is NO obligation for municipalities or cities to identify a 'pit bull'.   more »

Rambo's story looks as though is may have a sad ending.   more »

Christmas day a dog was caught running at large in Mississauga.   more »