Last week, Montreal placed a ban upon adopting or buying pit bulls as pets. Residents that currently own a pit bull will not be forced to surrender their pets, but the city is enforcing strict guidelines. Current owners will have until the end of 2016 to obtain a permit for their dog and all pit bulls must be microchipped, vaccinated, and sterilized. When in public, owners must make sure their pet is muzzled and kept on a leash of no longer than 4 feet. It is estimated that about 7,000 dog owners will be affected. The law goes into effect October 3, 2016.

Due to the fact that some pit bull breeds were originally bred for fighting purposes, many people are quick to assume that all pit bulls are aggressive and will attack. However, a study by the American Veterinary Medical Association suggested that breed is not a reliable factor in predicting a dog's aggressive actions. A dog's behavior is often reflective of the type of environment they are surrounded by. If a pit bull is placed in an environment where they are trained to fight, they will fight. If a pit bull is placed in a loving home environment, they can be a great family dog. This is applicable to any dog, not just pit bulls.

One troubling aspect of this law is the fact that there is no true "pit bull". A pit bull is not a pure breed, and many breeds can be considered such. There are formal breeds that are placed in the pit bull category, but many are the result of cross-breeding over time and the term "pit bull" often refers to physical characteristics. Many dogs with a bulky body and a square head fall under the pit category, but basing a breed solely off of physical traits can lead to inaccurate assumptions. This makes this law even more unsettling because there is no true definition so any dog that is deemed a "pit bull" will be surrendered or euthanized.

As someone who is truly passionate about dogs, I am deeply saddened at the fact that this is an actual law that will exist. The amount of innocent dogs that will be wrongly surrendered or euthanized is extremely disheartening. In my opinion, Montreal could have made stricter guidelines in order to adopt a pit bull, or any dog for that matter, to prevent them from ending up in the homes that give dogs like pit bulls a bad reputation. There are many alternative routes that could have been taken and I am disappointed in the choice that was made. On a positive note, there are many efforts being made to petition this law and to find homes for Montreal pit bulls in other parts of North America to prevent them from being euthanized. Hopefully, voices will be heard and a change will be made to stop the ban of pit bulls.