The City of Montreal Institutionalizes Animal Cruelty

Read it and weep, folks.  Coderre and his tame city councillors in Montreal, Quebec want to institutionalize animal cruelty and kill animals wholesale.

Here’s a summary provided by one of the councillors, with my commentary.

For all pit bull-type dogs, special conditions will be prescribed. Current owners of pit bull-type dogs must apply for a special permit by December 31, 2016, without which they can no longer keep their dog beginning January 1, 2017.  

The licensing department of the City of Montreal does not even know how they are supposed to issue these special permits. 

I have a sick feeling that Coderre and the Minions (the City councillors who have indicated they’re going to vote for this proposed by-law) are going to delay this “special permit” process as long as they can – like, to December 30, 2016 - so dog owners won’t have time to get the permit they need to keep their beloved pets and the City of Montreal can kill their beloved pets.  

Has the City legal department advised Coderre and the Minions of the meaning of the word, “malfeasance”?

The dog owner must also provide a negative criminal record certificate.  WTF?  Are the Montreal police prepared for the deluge of criminal record check requests?  How much does that cost?  N.B. I was subsequently advised that a criminal record check in Montreal costs $105.

I’ve also heard that to get this City of Montreal “special permit” will cost $625.  That would be a low-ball estimate for speuter, chipping, vaccination, muzzle, leash and permit (which apparently will cost $105).  How many people can come up with $625 on short notice?  This smells bad, Coderre and Minions.

The special conditions include “muzzling at all times” and “kept on a maximum 1.25 meters (four feet) leash at all times” which does not exempt being indoors.

You try to find a four-foot leash.  What will tall people do, walk hunched over for the life of their dog?

All other dogs get a six-foot leash.  Should the length of the leash not be at the owner’s discretion and depend on the dog’s training and behaviour and the owner’s responsibility, rather than the shape of the dog?

A dog has to be muzzled in its own home.  It has to be muzzled and leashed in its own back yard. 

This is institutionalized cruelty to animals, and Coderre & Minions need a swift kick in the ballot box for it.

UNLESS your fence is 2 meters (6.56 feet) high at a minimum. Is there a building code by-law regulating fence height and if so does it permit a 2 meter high fence?  Have Coderre & Minions set responsible dog owners up for failure?

Then, of course, Coderre’s squad can barge into your home at any time without warrant or cause.

If a dog owner dies, the dog dies.

Pit bull-type dogs are defined as: 

·      American pit bull terriers, Staffordshire bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers 

There are ZERO registered American Staffordshire terriers in Quebec.   Probably zero registered APBTs and very few registered Staffies.

·         Any mix with these breeds and another type of dog 

How does Montreal intend to prove this?  DNA is not an exact science with dogs.  This type of dog is also known as a mongrel or mutt.

·         Any dog that presents characteristics of one of these breeds 

And what exactly are those characteristics?  Four legs and a tail?  Any owner of a short-haired dog – Lab, Rhodie, Dobie, so many more – should be very afraid of this provision.

To quote the blog Caveat “The province of Quebec recently passed a law stating that animals such as dogs are sentient beings.  They will ban sentient beings because of qualities they can't change, their physical characteristics? Talk about cognitive dissonance.”

On whose authority will this “breed” determination be made?  Because if ANY Quebec authority makes a breed determination, they’re violating federal law.

Spaying/neutering and microchipping of all dogs is required before December 31, 2019.

Will the City of Montreal provide low- or no-cost spay/neuter and chipping for its less fortunate residents who want to keep their beloved pets?  Or will the City of Montreal just kill those pets because the people can’t afford to speuter and chip?

As well, all pet permits issued by the city must be renewed each year; this requirement remains as is in the new by-law.  

Does this include the special permit required by this proposed by-law, which the City doesn’t know how to issue yet?
By the way, this does not appear to exempt private cat rescues, of which there are many in Montreal and which (if they're like the cat rescues I know) run on a blade's edge financially.  Having to buy licenses for all the cats in a rescue's care would bankrupt it.  
AND the license is not transferable to an adopter.  
Every private cat rescue would have to apply to the City for an order designating it as a shelter; how much will that cost?

By harmonizing its by-laws, the city aims to facilitate all dog owners’ understanding and compliance with the by-law and offer the same safety conditions to all Montrealers.   

By making law-abiding dog owners, who aren’t the problem, into second-class citizens, with no increase in public safety as so-called “breed” specific legislation has failed in every jurisdiction where it’s been tried.  Jurisdictions are now passing laws prohibiting “breed” specific legislation because it doesn't work.  Too bad Coderre & his Minions missed that memo and plan to pass failed legislation.

Special conditions will apply to dogs that have already bitten a person or animal. Dogs that have killed a person or animal will be euthanized.  

If your dog steps on a frog and kills it, your dog is killed by the City of Montreal.  If your dog is attacked by another dog and in defending itself kills the attacking dog, your dog is killed by the City of Montreal.

As well: 

·         Dogs that have bitten a person or animal can be declared dangerous by the appropriate authority and if declared dangerous, will be euthanized.

No exemption for defense dogs, which a number of women I know have.  No exemption for a dog that defends its owner against criminal assault by another person.  The City of Montreal uncaringly compromises women’s safety and will kill their dogs.

·         Dogs that have bitten a person or animal and have not been declared dangerous by the appropriate authority may be declared an at-risk dog and be subject to a special permit and strict conditions. 

No exemption for defense dogs, which a number of women I know have.  No exemption for a dog that defends its owner against criminal assault by another person.  The City of Montreal uncaringly compromises women’s safety.

·         At-risk dogs are defined as dogs that bite or attack or try to bite or attack, or whose behaviour compromises the safety of a person or animal.
What if the dog is defending its owner?  No exemption.

·         If an at-risk dog violates any of its special conditions and its special permit is revoked, the dog may be euthanized.

So if your dog is vomiting and you take the muzzle off so the dog doesn’t choke, or you take the muzzle off to give the dog a drink of water in summer heat, or the muzzle is ripped off the dog by an attacking dog (the last two of which happened in Ontario), the dog is killed by the City of Montreal.

Kill, kill, kill. That’s all Coderre and the Minions seem to know.

The draft by-law requires a valid pet permit for all dogs and cats for all boroughs. 

Even if you are a visitor.  If you stay for more than 30 days with your pet, you have to buy a Montreal license.  It is not transferable to a new owner.  It’s also subject to “late fees”.  Can you say “fee grab”?

Montreal is famous for running out of pet license tags and not getting new tags in stock in time for a new year.  Apparently there’s no point in trying to buy one in January each year, because the City never has them in stock yet. 

So what happens if you can’t get a valid pet permit because of the City’s failure to have them available?

According to the new by-law, the maximum number of pets per dwelling unit is four, with a maximum of two dogs.  

THERE IS NO exemption for fostering.  

Fostering saves animals’ lives.  It is the lifeblood of animal rescue.

Kill, kill, kill.  That’s all Coderre and the Minions seem to know.
If you have five cats or five birds or five snakes, pick which one is to die.

If your dog has puppies or your cat has kittens, you can keep the infants for only three months.  Coderre and Minions must be ignorant of the fact that four months with the mother produces a better socialized animal.

There’s a whole bunch of blah-blah about getting a special license to keep three dogs (but no more than three), which makes me think one of the Minions has three dogs.

All dogs must be on a leash in public and those that weigh 20 kg and more must wear a halter or harness. 

Why?  What is the point?  If you are a responsible dog owner, your dog is fine in a collar.  Who owns a pet store?  Stock up!  Who owns stock in a pet store?

The minimum cost of a fine is $300 instead of $100 in the previous by-law, up to a maximum of $4,000. 

Fee grab!

Fines for first offenses that may pose a threat to safety when a dog bites, is off-leash or a resident makes a false declaration, are between $500 and $750. 

How about a fine for someone who bears false witness against a dog and its owner?

Smells like a fee grab again.  Is this to pay for Coderre’s extravagant plans for Montreal’s anniversary, including the million-dollar concrete tree stumps?

Then there are all the parts about “report this, report that”, so Coderre can grow his bureaucracy.

The word "guardian" is used instead of owner.  I despise "guardian".  It's animal rights propaganda.  It moves the animal out of the category of property which you can own, into an amorphous legal area.

There’s much, much more.  You really must read it for yourself.

This is nucking futs.  Coderre and the Minions must really, really hate animals because this is nothing more than a “KILL” bill.