'It was horrible’: Neighbour describes finding Montreal woman killed in apparent pit

[spaminator]

'It was horrible’:
Neighbour describes finding Montreal woman killed in apparent pit bull attack
The Canadian Press
First posted: Thursday, June 09, 2016 12:55 PM EDT | Updated: Thursday, June 09, 2016 01:13 PM EDT
MONTREAL — A 55-year-old Montreal woman is dead after apparently being attacked by a neighbour’s dog.
Police responding to a 911 call at about 5 p.m. Wednesday found the woman’s body in the backyard of her home in the east-end district of Pointe-aux-Trembles.
Police said the dog, which appeared to be a pit bull, was standing by the body and acting aggressively. It was shot and killed by officers to allow paramedics to approach the woman, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
The victim's neighbour, Farid Ben Zenati, told CBC he noticed movement next door when he arrived home from work around 5 p.m. on Tuesday.
"I saw a big dog that appeared to be playing with a large object. I looked closer and saw that the object was really big," he said. "That's when I saw hair... It was hard to see, but I knew it was a woman's body."
"I saw blood, and the dog was still attacking her," he said.
That's when Ben Zenati ran back inside to call police, but it was too late to help the woman.
“It was horrible, what I saw, very ugly. I’ve never seen anything like that,” Ben Zenati said. “I like to think I have a shell, I’m a father but I’m feeling fragile now.”
Although the victim had several bite marks on her body, an autopsy will be conducted to determine a cause of death.
CBC reported that Montreal police have spoken with the dog's owner and the 27-year-old man could face charges for criminal negligence.
According to La Presse, the city of Montreal has been considering overhauling its rules on dangerous dogs, in order to make them uniform across the city's 19 boroughs.
On Wednesday, Quebec's minister of public safety, Martin Coiteux, said the province is not responsible for the regulation of pit bulls, according to the French news site. He said that responsibility falls with municipalities.
Pit bulls have been banned in Ontario since 2005.
- With Postmedia Network files
'It was horrible’: Neighbour describes finding Montreal woman killed in apparent

 

[tay]

Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre announced Saturday morning that the city will amend its animal control bylaws to ban pit bull dogs from city territory, and require sterilization and muzzling of existing dogs whenever they are in public.

“Following events of recent weeks and the tabling of the coroner’s report Friday morning, I have decided to go forward with a ban on pit bulls, and other dangerous races of dogs, by September,” the mayor said at a news conference at city hall.

The new bylaw will include measures specifying the type of fences and barricades necessary around yards where such dangerous dogs currently reside.

On June 8, 55-year-old Christiane Vadnais was found dead in her back yard in Pointe-aux-Trembles, after an apparent attack by her neighbour’s pit bull, which had likely found its way through a hole in the fence between the two properties.

On June 14, a woman was woman was hospitalized with leg injuries after she was attacked by a friend’s pit bull in Ste-Adele.

“We have to send a clear message that the neighbourhoods need to be safe. Remember that Madame Christiane Vadnais (…) the neighbour had an inadequate fence around the yard so she was attacked in her own yard,” said Coderre.

The city of Brossard announced plans to ban new acquisitions of pit bulls and pit bull mixes, and tighter regulations on those breeds already in the community, in response to the mauling of an eight-year-old Vanessa Biron. That dog attack in September left the girl with a partially paralyzed face.

Premier Philippe Couillard said on Thursday that the province will likely follow the lead of Ontario, which banned the breeding and importation of pit bulls in 2005. That ban includes pit bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, Staffordshire bull terriers and American pit bull terriers. Dogs already owned must be neutered, as well as leashed and muzzled when out in public.

Montreal will ban pit bulls and other ‘dangerous breeds’ | Montreal Gazette

 

[spaminator]

Montreal man granted bail after allegedly ordering pit bull to attack his wife
Jesse Feith, Montreal Gazette
First posted: Wednesday, June 22, 2016 08:03 PM EDT | Updated: Wednesday, June 22, 2016 08:18 PM EDT
A 54-year-old Montreal man was granted bail on Wednesday after allegedly ordering his pit bull to attack his wife last weekend.
According to Montreal police, Mark Leonard ordered his dog to attack his 47-year-old wife after the couple got into an argument Sunday night in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.
The victim had bite marks on her back and on her arms when police responded to a 911 call Sunday night. She was treated by emergency services on the scene but refused to be brought to a hospital. Her injuries were not life threatening and she later asked that the charges be dropped, police said.
Leonard was charged with assault and assault causing bodily harm on Tuesday. He was granted bail on Wednesday after agreeing to respect several conditions, including not possessing or being responsible for any animals.
Police said the city of Montreal's animal management team has gotten involved with the case, and the pit bull will remain with the victim until further notice.
The attack came two weeks after Christiane Vadnais, a 55-year-old woman from Pointe-aux-Trembles, was mauled to death in her backyard by a neighbour’s pit bull, causing a province-wide debate on the breed.
Last weekend, Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre announced that the city intends to amend its animal control bylaws to ban new pit bulls from the city and force existing dogs to be sterilized and muzzled.
Léonard's case returns to court in mid-November.
jfeith@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/jessefeith
Montreal man granted bail after allegedly ordering pit bull to attack his wife |

 

[spaminator]

Singer Cyndi Lauper speaks out against Montreal pit bull ban
THE CANADIAN PRESS
First posted: Thursday, September 29, 2016 09:19 AM EDT
American singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper has posted a message on her Facebook page voicing her opposition to Montreal’s newly adopted pit bull ban.
She calls it a “sad day” and an unjust bylaw.
Lauper adds, “it’s not the dog, it’s who is training and often mistreating them that should be banned” and invites opponents of the ban to sign a petition entitled “My Montreal includes all dogs” on the GoPetition online site.
The singer also wrote in a message posted Wednesday and shared more than 3,000 times that there are “many amazing pit bull and pit bull mixes out there” and also vicious dogs of other breeds.
Montreal city council voted 37-23 in favour of the new bylaw on Tuesday following a heated debate.
The legislation includes a ban on new pit bull-type dogs as of next week. It also places restrictions on those currently in the city, including the requirement that they be sterilized and wear muzzles in public.
The Montreal SPCA is mounting a legal challenge against the city, arguing the sections of the bylaw that specifically target pit bulls are discriminatory and contrary to Quebec’s animal-welfare laws that define animals as “sentient beings.”
The law was drafted following several attacks, including one last June that resulted in the death of a 55-year-old woman in her backyard.
Several other cities in Quebec and across Canada already have bans in place. The Quebec government is also considering provincial legislation regarding the dogs.
Singer Cyndi Lauper speaks out against Montreal pit bull ban | Canada | News | T

Maritimers coming to aid of Montreal pit bulls
The Canadian Press
First posted: Thursday, September 29, 2016 03:13 PM EDT | Updated: Thursday, September 29, 2016 03:34 PM EDT
HALIFAX - Animal rescue groups in Atlantic Canada are rallying to find new homes on the East Coast for pit bull-type dogs they say may now face euthanasia in Montreal.
The transport of the canines along the Trans-Canada Highway is coming in response to a Montreal city council vote in favour of a new bylaw that bans new pit bull-type dogs and places restrictions on those currently in the city.
Anthony Carter, director of the Halifax-based Pawsability Rescue Society, said Thursday he’s fearful that in many instances the ban will lead to the dogs being put down by their owners.
“We put a couple of messages out saying we’re looking for additional foster homes for pit breeds from the Montreal area ... basically to save their lives,” he said in an interview on Thursday.
As of next Tuesday the bylaw makes it illegal to own any new pit bull-type dog — a list that includes American Staffordshire terriers, Staffordshire bull terriers and American pit bull terriers — or any dogs mixed with those breeds or that bear similar physical characteristics.
Grandfathered dogs must be registered by the end of the year and owners will have to be screened for a criminal record. They must also provide proof the dog has been sterilized, micro-chipped and vaccinated against rabies.
Pit bulls will have to be muzzled outdoors and kept on a short leash with few exceptions.
Carter said he fears that the new rules will lead to many dogs either being abandoned or brought to veterinarians’ offices to be euthanized even though they’re in good health.
After he placed a notice on his organization’s Facebook page seeking homes for the dogs, he and two other volunteers received about 200 messages offering homes to the dogs.
“It’s been very busy,” he said, adding he and the volunteers will now screen the applicants to ensure they’re suitable owners.
The shipping of the dogs to the East Coast is also being organized by Transports without Borders, based in Saint John, N.B.
The group arranges for the canines to be driven by car and truck drivers who pass the dogs from one front seat to another in a relay-like system from Montreal to various homes in the Atlantic provinces.
Shelley Cunningham, who operates the Litters’n Critters rescue society in Halifax, said that she is bringing three pit bulls to Nova Scotia on Saturday.
“The three dogs we have coming down were set to be euthanized,” she said. “We’re going to get them fixed and vetted and then adopted by the proper family.”
She said she’ll assess how the first few dogs work out and will decide whether more dogs from Montreal will be shipped east after the initial placements.
Cunningham said well-intentioned groups should be cautious about adopting too many of the dogs at once.
“A reputable rescue society will not take more than they can handle. They have to work within their comfort zone,” she said.
Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre has said the law is balanced and was drafted with safety in mind following several dog attacks, including one last June that resulted in the death of a 55-year-old woman in her backyard.
City councillors quoted Montreal statistics that suggest pit bull-type dogs accounted for nearly 38 per cent of dog bites in the past 21 months — 137 out of 426 reported cases.
However, both Cunningham and Carter said bans on specific breeds are ineffective, as usually the behavioural issues are caused by bad owners.
Maritimers coming to aid of Montreal pit bulls | Canada | News | Toronto Sun

 

[Serryah]

I hope this so called Mayor is tossed out and the law repealed.

As it stands, this law affects ALL dogs, not just 'pit bulls' and their types.

Any dog who chases rabbits, rodents, birds and kills them can be euthanized.

Dogs currently 'banned' and in shelters are going to be euthanized.

Dogs who are owned will have owners paying a $175 (or so) tax, have to be muzzled and on a four foot long leash.

"that bear similar physical characteristics" - do they even know what this means? Obviously not.

Boxers, St. Bernards, Rottie's 'bear similar physical characteristics".

What about the little shyte dogs who bark, bite, and chase people; they're just as effin dangerous as the bigger dogs.

This whole thing is disgusting so many people all over the world. Montreal needs to wake the eff up and realize BSL does NOT work.

 

[EagleSmack]

What about the little shyte dogs who bark, bite, and chase people; they're just as effin dangerous as the bigger dogs.

 

[lone wolf]

This one's as old as the story ... and they're STILL condemning pities.... Boxer does the deed but the "pitbull" has to pay. I hope those azzholes get chomped by a poodle....

Woman mauled by boxer, not pit bull, says Humane Society - Montreal - CBC News