Grey Bruce Animal Shelter

Remember the old saying, "If Looks Could Kill"?

These days In Ontario, they can and do.

Do you own a short-coated dog with a boxy snout? Is he brindle, white, brown or red? Then you may very well own an Ontario "pit bull".

Everything from Boston Terriers to Great Danes, purebred or mixed, have been identified by those enforcing the Dog Owners Liability Act (DOLA) as "pit bulls".

Due to the anxiety and confusion this law has created, many national breed clubs have asked for official exemptions from Ontario's Attorney General. In fact, people are writing to the Attorney General before they get a dog to make sure they are making a safe choice.

For owners of mixed breed dogs (in other words, most people), the confusion means that they are unaware of how this ban directly affects them. After all, there is no valid method to test the breeding of a mix and there is nothing the law that says how you prove your dog is not a "pit bull" - yet the onus is on you, the dog owner, to do just that.

The latest decision from the Ontario Court of Appeal states that if even a tiny risk exists, it is the responsibility of government to regulate it by whatever means possible - even if this means exterminating it.

In restoring the law to its original form, the Justices told all Canadians that despite credible research and evidence proving otherwise, the mythology surrounding the "pit bull" is taken at face value by our courts.

In other words, uneducated opinions, gossip and hearsay from any source (such as news reports) can be used to prove anything - and worse, such flimsy evidence can influence our rights and freedoms in all aspects of our lives.

Do you now see that this not just about dogs anymore?

In the words of Clayton Ruby,

"According to the Court of Appeal, so long as the government puts forth some evidence in support of its legislative decision, regardless of its credibility, reliability or value, it cannot lose. And it's not just about dogs anymore. This ruling, if left unchallenged, will become case law and as such can be applied to anything, from dogs to donkeys."

Ultimately this means that the life of every dog and every breed is just a pen stroke away from extinction. All it will take is a little bad press.

We refuse to quit. We must take this case to the Supreme Court of Canada so that dog (and all property) owners can take back control of their and their dogs' lives.

But we have a problem.

in order to move forward, significant financial obligations must be met. The Banned Aid Coalition must raise $100,000.00 within two weeks in order to pay for the outstanding costs to date and to finalize our application to the Supreme Court of Canada.

The DLCC and Banned Aid Coalition firmly believe in the importance of this cause. We are prepared to carry this burden farther but we need your help. Don't sit this one out because the future of dog ownership, if not all property ownership, is what's at stake.

Many have stepped up to help us along the way but we are again in a crunch for time and money. Please join dog owners and others from across our great country in standing up for fair and equal treatment for all.

Most of all, stand up for your best and only friend, your beautiful dog. He is depending on your help during his darkest hour.

Thanks to everyone for your ongoing support. Together, we can win.

Please donate today - every dollar counts.

"We must all hang together, or, assuredly, we shall all hang separately." - Benjamin Franklin

There are several ways you can donate.

You can mail your cheque payable to the DLCC to:

Cathy Prothro

351 Pleasant Street

Dartmouth, Nova Scotia B2Y 3S4

Canada

PAY PAL. Please go to www.doglegislationcouncilcanada.org and click on the "Donate!" link for the Pay Pal tool.

For your convenience you can deposit from any bank directly into the Banned Aid Legal Fund by depositing to:

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce,

Penhorn Mall,

Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

Account 00513 010 1526839

You can also make an online payment from your financial institution's website by sending a bill payment to treasurer@doglegislationcouncilcanada.org

Send cheques or money orders directly to Mr. Ruby at the following address,

c/o BANNED AID LEGAL CHALLENGE FUND

Ruby & Edwardh

11 Prince Arthur Ave.

Toronto, ON

M5R1B2

416 964 9664

Thank you,

LeeAnn O'Reilly, President DLCC

president@doglegislationcouncilcanada.org

www.doglegislationcouncilcanada.org

"Fighting ignorance since 2003..it's taking longer than we thought."