For years people have been scared of pit bulls. But what is there to be scared of? With the recent talks of the Ford government potentially uplifting the pit bull ban in Ontario, this is the perfect time to talk about these dogs.
Sarah Dykes knows from experience what these dogs are like. She previously lived in Vancouver for over ten years where she was the city’s legal expert on canine behaviour, and has worked with over 300 pitties in her lifetime. She says her experience with these dogs was nothing short of amazing.
“My experience with these dogs was very positive” she says.
“There was definitely an overflow of them in the shelters out West and in general pit bulls don’t do very well in shelters because they are very human orientated, they love their people to death.”
Dykes admits that before she got to work with these breeds, she had the same negative mindset as almost everybody else.
“Before I got involved with the breed and the rescue, I was sorta under the same interpretation as everyone else that they were these hundred pound dogs with with saliva dripping from their jaws and they were out to kill people, where really they just want to cuddle most of the time.”
Based on her time with these dogs, Dykes explains some of the biggest misconceptions of these breeds.
“I think it’s just this notion that they’re out to get you kind of thing, and they’re going to snap and their jaws are going to lock onto you, only none of that’s true, it’s just these misconceptions and myths that seem to stick around.”
Pit bull ban in Ontario
There are some cities and provinces in Canada that do allow these type of dogs, but not Ontario. For example, Calgary does not have any breed legislation laws, but instead educate people on these breeds, which has made a drastic difference. Dykes spent some time in Calgary and surrounding cities with the same laws. She tells me it’s time for Ontario to do the same thing as these cities, and uplift this ban.
“It’s time to move forward” she says.
“I have been in cities where they have gotten rid of breed specific legislation and go for just an overall blanket where if your dog bites somebody, there is a consequence to it and it doesn’t matter what breed of dog it is.”
She says that this is a much more progressive, and cheaper way for everybody.
“I find that it really promotes responsible dog ownership, and it’s much more cost effective because animal control officers are actually investigating bites, instead of investigating reports of ‘possible pit bulls in the neighbourhood’ who are very well loved family dogs that are just out for leash walks with their people.”
Dykes says that no matter what a dog looks like, no dog should be based on their looks.
“We shouldn’t judge any type of dog based on their looks, but based on their behaviour, it’s just so much more cost effective and so much more progressive, and we are seeing cities across North America move towards that type of legislation.”
Nina, 4 year old Amstaff
Living with a Pit Bull
So what’s it like living with one of these gentle giants?
Amber Smith rescued her four year old American Staffodshire Terrier, Nina almost one year ago. She says it was one of the best decisions of her life.
“I rescued her from an abusive and unstable environment” says Smith.
“When I first got her she was quite timid, scared, she didn’t really trust me or really anybody.”
Smith says after almost a full year, she still sees progress with Nina each and every day.
“It’s been nothing but progress with her every single day, she trusts me way more now than she did before. She is such a happy dog now that she’s in an environment that’s stable and it’s not going to change. She’s just overall an extremely happy dog.”
Smith expands, and says that when she takes Nina for walks, she receives quite the amount of stares from people.
“It’s sad that not only are they judged by their past, but walking her down the street and by the way she looks, people automatically assume negative. Unless they are a dog friendly person then they just think negative.”
Smith recommends these types of dogs to anybody who is thinking of getting one for themselves.
“These dogs are truly amazing. If you have the time and patience to train them, than I definitely would recommend them to you. She truly has made me so happy, and I don’t know where I would be without her.”
Whether you love these dogs or not, all dogs deserve a chance of a great and loving life. It looks like we will know the future of these dogs in Ontario sooner, rather than later.
