Questions and Answers Regarding Ontario's New Dog Legislation

On August 29, 2005, in the province of Ontario, Canada, the amendments to the Dog Owners' Liability Act (the amendments being otherwise known as Bill 132) will take effect. As amended, this Act is a combination of breed-specific bans and restrictions aimed at the American Pit Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and any dog with "an appearance and physical characteristics that are substantially similar". In addition, this Act's vague and undefined language promotes a climate of fear towards all dogs and their owners and provides police with significantly expanded powers of search and seizure, in both public settings and private homes.

The Dog Legislation Council of Canada has created a Question and Answer brochure to help dog owners understand the ramifications of this new legislation. While in no way a legal opinion, this brochure attempts to put this badly written and confusing law into plain English.

There are two version of this brochure, one designed for printing a two-sided, three-fold, multi-column brochure and one designed for easy viewing on your computer screen. Both require the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Printable Brochure:
http://www.doglegislationcouncilcanada.org/bill132qa.pdf

Screen Version:
http://www.doglegislationcouncilcanada.org/bill132qa2.pdf

Download free Adobe Acrobat Reader:
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

If you have questions concerning interpretation of or compliance with the Act after the amendments, please contact the Ontario Attorney General’s office with your questions. We would appreciate receiving a copy of your e-mail or letter with your questions. Contact information for the Attorney General's office is included in the above brochure.

The Dog Legislation Council of Canada is a Canada-wide, not-for-profit organization whose mandate is to promote responsible and accountable dog ownership, to assist communities in developing fair and effective dog legislation, and to educate the public regarding dog bite prevention. For more information, please visit:
http://www.doglegislationcouncilcanada.org/

The Banned Aid Coalition, of which the Dog Legislation Council of Canada is a founding member, has retained prominent Toronto lawyer Clayton Ruby to challenge the constitutionality of this new legislation. To find out more information or to help finance this challenge, please visit:
http://www.bannedaid.com/

Copyright 2005 Dog Legislation Council of Canada

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