Press Release

SPA Canada Warns the City of Montreal of the Many Consequences of their Proposed Breed Specific Legislation

For immediate release

Montreal, September 13th 2016 — The Society for the Protection of Animals Canada has been appalled with the City of Montreal’s proposed breed specific legislation from the beginning. With all of the statistics collected over the years by cities that have applied similar legislation, we can confirm that it does nothing to solve the problem of dangerous dogs but simply propagates an irrational fear of a certain breed. Its implementation will lead to the death of perfectly healthy and behaviourally-sound dogs, an outcome SPA Canada cannot stand for. For this reason, we support the Montreal SPCA’s position with regards to their animal control contracts with the twelve municipalities they serve. A breed-specific ban is a costly and pointless Band-Aid solution to a much more complex problem.

SPA Canada is especially outraged at the possibility that the City of Montreal will revert to the Berger Blanc for their animal control services regarding all dogs. Let it not be forgotten that the undercover investigation of the Berger Blanc in 2011 with one of our investigators, in partnership with Radio-Canada’s program ‘Enquête’, brought to light their cruel practices and caused many boroughs to cancel their contracts with them. The campaign against the for-profit pound was the second most talked about subject in Quebec’s media that year. The Berger Blanc’s practices remain unethical according to SPA Canada’s most recent investigations. “The fact remains that the Berger Blanc is a for-profit pound: the more animals they receive, and kill, the more money they make. If the City of Montreal awards the animal contracts back to the Berger Blanc, they will be sending not only pit-bull type dogs to their deaths, but all other dogs that find themselves in their hands,” warns Katherine Mac Donald, spokesperson for SPA Canada.

“If the City of Montreal goes ahead with the ban and the Montreal SPCA is no longer offering services for dogs, there is no alternative for animal control other than the Berger Blanc. We will have no choice but to reinstate all of our efforts against the City of Montreal. Certain initiatives from 2011 might be repeated such as a call for an international touristic boycott of Montreal with the support of Brigitte Bardot,” cautions Ms. Mac Donald. Following the original campaign, the City of Montreal had promised to open a new animal control facility for 2018, a promise SPA Canada is still waiting to see materialize along with the permanent closure of the Berger Blanc.

The City of Montreal’s proposal of banning all ‘Pitbull type’ dogs will represent an enormous step backwards in their move towards an ethical animal control service and once again, the animals who will be the ones who pay the price.

Watch the undercover investigation of the Berger Blanc here: Berger Blanc Undercover Investigation

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SPA Canada will be happy to grant media interviews.

For further information, please contact:
Katherine Mac Donald
Spokesperson for SPA Canada
438-885-7722 or media@spacanada.org
spacanada.org