Since we are here to give information based on truth we will be linking in news stories from both points of view, but beware, we will be debunking the falsely reported information.

• Best Friends Animal Society Supports Hershey's Bill
  Posted 2010-05-18

  Member of Parliament Cheri DiNovo introduced a private members bill to repeal the breed discriminatory portions of the Dog Owner's Liability Act, Monday, May 10, 2010. Bill 60 aims to remove the portion of the Dog Owner's Liability Act that single out and prohibit ownership of "pit bull" type dogs in Ontario. Best Friends encourages Ontario residents to contact your Member of Parliament to encourage support for Bill 60. A recent study commissioned by the Toronto, ON Humane Society, shows the ineffectiveness of the breed discriminatory legislation in Ontario.

• Sun TV Online interview wth Cheri DiNovo
  Posted 2010-05-11

  NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo joins Canoe Live's Jacqui Delaney to discuss why she's presenting a private member's bill to banish the pitbull breed ban that was introduced in 2005.

• The Origin of the new bill name "Hersey's Law"
  Posted 2010-05-11

  Every day thousands of dogs assist people as therapy dogs. Many visit senior citizen homes and give residents something to look forward to each week. They literally wait for the moment a therapy dog walks through that door so they an lavish attention and praise on them. Pit Bulls serve as outstanding therapy dogs. The following story is one example of their remarkable diversity. Today I'd like to share the story of Hershey with you. Hershey is a therapy dog in Ontario, Canada. Since I don't know Hershey personally I'll let her owner, Jennifer Waite tell you her wonderful story.

• NDP barking at pit bull law - Party claims no fewer attacks, more dogs euthanized
  Posted 2010-05-11

  Ontario MPP Cheri DiNovo is offering a very faint hope clause for the province's banned pit bulls. The NDP MPP introduced a bill Monday that would overturn the portion of the Ontario Liberal government's dog legislation that targets the breed. While the bill won't come up for second reading until next year and private member's bills rarely get passed, DiNovo said the pressure is building in the province to follow the path of other jurisdictions that have eliminated breed specific bans. "The Facebook site out there - the last time I checked there were 85,000 hits ... so there's huge support," DiNovo said. " Of all the issues that we've dealt with this term, I've had more e-mails and so has every other MPP on this issue than any other."

• PP introduces bill to lift five-year-old ban on pit bulls - Veterinarians urge law change to target aggressive dogs
  Posted 2010-05-11

  Nearly five years after a controversial pit bull ban came into effect in Ontario, critics are still fighting to have the legislation overturned, arguing that it has led to the unwarranted deaths of hundreds of dogs yet has not decreased the number of dog attacks. One of the people leading the fight is Ontario MPP Cheri DiNovo, who introduced a private member's bill Monday urging for the immediate removal of the amendment targeting pit bulls in the Dog Owner's Liability Act. "This legislation is just so wrong-headed," said DiNovo, who represents a Toronto NDP riding. "This idea of mass euthanization of a particular breed due to silly legislation is simply cruel."

• Pit bull ban not reducing dog bites in Ont.: THS
  Posted 2010-05-05

  Ontario's controversial pit bull ban has not resulted in a significant decrease in the number of dog bites in the province, the Toronto Humane Society claims in a study. The pit bull ban, passed as an amendment to the Ontario Dog Owners Liability Act in 2005, banned the breeding, sale and ownership of pit bulls. The ban was introduced as a public safety tool after a series of pit bull attacks in the province. In announcing the plan to ban the breed, then attorney general Michael Bryant said in 2004 that pit bulls were "inherently dangerous animals" and "ticking time bombs." But a statistical survey completed by the THS, which opposes breed-specific legislation and euthanizing animals, suggests that the ban on the breed has not reduced the number of dog bites in the province. It said the number of dog bites in the province has not significantly decreased since the ban came into effect. "Countless" pit bulls and Staffordshire terriers have been euthanized because of the ban, the humane society said.

• Breed Specific Legislation Also Doesn't Work in Canada
  Posted 2010-05-05

  If you're interested in breed specific legislation, there are a couple of things you probably know. First of all, it's usually a lot more about politics and PR than sound policy. Second, there's a mounting body of evidence that breed specific legislation doesn't solve a single problem. Now, we've got more proof against breed specific legislation coming out of Canada. Back in 2005, Ontario passed a pit bull ban, which has resulted in the euthanasia of "countless" pit bulls and similar breeds, according to the Toronto Humane Society. And what good has it done? Apparently, none whatsoever.

• Breed-Specific Banning? Not A Chance
  Posted 2010-03-23

  "They are just dogs. I repeat: They are just dogs." This description of pit bulls was repeated by Donald Cleary of the National Canine Research Council during a panel discussion held March 8 at Drexel Law School titled, "The Importance of Creating Safe & Humane Communities for All People & Animals." But judging by PW 's March 9 editorial, "Banishing Acts: It's a Pitty; Maybe it's time for Philly to consider outlawing pit bulls," this message still needs repeating.

• Pit Bulls vs Non Pit Bulls
  Posted 2010-03-23

  The graph below demonstrates the percent of cases involving pit bulls versus non pit bull dogs. Considering the fact that pit bulls are only one breed out of all possible dog breeds, it is significant that their relative percentage is so high.

• It's the deed not the breed says MPP who tabled bill to repeal pit bull ban
  Posted 2010-03-06

  The Dog Owners Liability Act banned pit bull terriers, Staffordshire bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, American pit bull terriers and any dog "that has an appearance and physical characteristics that are substantially similar" to those listed. Existing dogs were grandfathered into the act, but there were stipulations - muzzled and leashed in all public places, and they must be spayed or neutered.

• Canadian city changes tack to cut dog deaths
  Posted 2010-03-01

  Two different approaches to dog wardening have reaped very different results for their respective communities. The older method, exemplified by roving and aggressive dog catchers, breed-specific targeting, and frequent euthanasia, was perfected by former Lucas County Dog Warden Tom Skeldon. The outcome: 1,951 impounded dogs killed last year in a county of about 440,000 people and 357 "investigated" bites or attacks.

• Where it all began, Kitchener-Waterloo pit bull committee meeting minutes 1997
  Posted 2010-01-19

  I saw a discussion about pit bull myths on Facebook and it reminded me of some documents I have from government meetings regarding the city of Kitchener, Ontario. In November 1996, Mr. Gary Leadston, an MPP and member of the ruling Progressive Conservative Party, introduced a bill PR71, the Cities of Kitchener and Waterloo Act. The sole purpose of this Act, if passed, was to allow the cities of Kitchener and Waterloo to regulate and prohibit the keeping of certain breeds of dogs. Up to this point, no municipality in Ontario was allowed to regulate dogs by breed.

• Dog Bites Worldwide - National Canine Research Council
  Posted 2010-01-17

  Winnipeg passed a breed ban against "pit bulls" in June 1990. While the number of reported dog bites in a city can fluctuate from year to year - it is clear that Winnipeg's breed ban has had no appreciable effect in reducing the number of reported dog bites, especially when compared to other areas without breed bans.

• National Canine Research Council - Do Pit Bulls Inflict Injuries Unlike Other Breeds
  Posted 2009-11-24

  Graphic depiction of fatal injuries that dogs have inflicted on their few unfortunate victims is a topic that NCRC has been hesitant to address. Fatal dog attacks are vanishingly rare occurrences; a person is five times more likely to be struck and killed by lightning than to be killed by a dog.

• National Canine Research Council - Analysis of Fatal Attacks in the United States 2007, 2008
  Posted 2009-11-24

  Dog bite fatalities were lower in 2008 than in 2007. Over the decades, the annual number of dog bite fatalities remains within a stable numerical range. These incidents, which are extremely rare, are, to a significant statistical degree, a product of dog owner neglect and/or abuse

• The National Canine Research Council Report 2007
  Posted 2009-11-24

  FATAL DOG ATTACKS, THE TRUTH BEHIND THE TRAGEDY: IT'S THE OWNER, NOT THE DOG. Extensive research and investigation using 40 years of data has conclusively identified the ownership/management practices that can cause a dog to behave dangerousl

• Pitbull owner says breed specific legislation needs to change
  Posted 2009-11-26

  Before Greg Bonito adopted his pitbull 'Spike' from the Niagara Falls SPCA, he believed all the hype. He was very reluctant to welcome a breed of dog into his home that had a reputation for being aggressive and he had no intention of bringing a pitbull home to his family. "I said 'no,' that's a pitbull. I don't want him." But after taking him for a stroll around the block...his perceptions of the breed completely changed while sitting with him at a park bench and being overwhelmed with affection from the loving pooch.

• Dog issue raises ugly head - Fans of pit bulls protest to have ban put down
  Posted 2009-11-24

  The last legal pit bulls in Ontario sat patiently muzzled at their owners' feet yesterday at a rally demanding an end to the four-year-old ban on the dogs. "It's the deed not the breed," New Democrat MPP Cheri Di Novo said.

• Bill tabled to repeal Ontario's pit bull ban
  Posted 2009-11-24

  A private member's bill calling on Ontario to reverse its pit-bull ban was introduced Wednesday in the Ontario legislature. New Democrat Cheri DiNovo said the government's ban on the dogs has had "no real impact" on public safety and should be repealed. "It's the deed not the breed," Ms. DiNovo said Wednesday at Queen's Park where several dozen pit bull owners gathered for a rally. "It's not the breed of the dog that causes a dangerous dog."

• Bully for Cheri DiNovo!
  Posted 2009-11-24

  I'll spare you the Michael Bryant jokes circulating in Ontario's pit bull-loving circles. All I will say is, the former Liberal attorney-general who championed the misguided legislation that banned bully breeds from the province at least gets a court hearing to defend himself from charges of ''criminal negligence causing death'' and ''dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death'' in connection with his fatal run-in with cyclist Darcy Sheppard. Any pit bull charged with killing a person just biting gets an immediate date with the needle.

• Global News
  Posted 2009-11-24

  An NDP MPP introduces a bill to have the province's law banning pit-bulls repealed.

• NDP MPP wants Ontario pit bull ban overturned
  Posted 2009-11-24

  An NDP MPP has introduced a private member's bill that seeks to repeal the provincial ban on pit bulls. Cheri DiNovo had some pit bull owners show up at Queen's Park with their muzzled dogs on Wednesday to show support for her effort. "It's the deed, not the breed," DiNovo told reporters.

• People, not dogs, the problem: DiNovo
  Posted 2009-11-24

  DiNovo tabled a bill Wednesday repealing the McGuinty government's breed specific aspect of the dangerous dog legislation.

• City hires pitbull lawyer
  Posted 2010-02-25

  The City of Brampton has hired a Toronto lawyer to help defend the seizure of two dogs last month. Barnet Kussner of the firm Weirfoulds is on the case for the city, and that has one of the canines' owners feeling like the underdog. "Personally, I feel like it's David versus Goliath," said Rui Branco, whose family owns Brittany, one of two dogs held by the city since Jan. 13. Weirfoulds specializes in advisory work for municipal and other governments in all areas including contracts, land use planning and development.

• National Canine Research Council - Ontario Dogs on Death Row
  Posted 2010-02-08

  Brittany and Rambo, two dogs that haven't bothered anyone, languish in the Brampton Animal Shelter, awaiting judicial proceedings for the capital crime of being labeled "pit bulls" in Ontario. The two were born in separate litters of the same parents. The dam is a purebred boxer. The sire was classified at one time as a pit bull, though the only veterinarian who has seen him says that he is an American bulldog/Boxer cross. The city, whose animal control seized the dogs in separate actions January 13, contends the original classification of the sire is enough to mark his offspring for destruction.

• MPP: Pit bull legislation 'flawed'
  Posted 2010-02-07

  Toronoto Sun Online Video

• Protesters barking mad
  Posted 2010-02-07

  The bone-chilling cold on Saturday morning wasn't enough to keep about 100 animal lovers away from a closed-up Brampton Animal Services in protest of the seizures of the two dogs Brittany and Rambo. The dogs were seized Jan. 13 by animal control officers who assumed - wrongly, the families say - that the pair of pooches are pit bulls. They say their dogs are 25% American bulldog and 75% boxer.

• Scotland Parliament passes bill to repeal breed ban
  Posted 2010-05-05

  The Scotish Parliament today approved their new dangerous dog law they've been calling "dog Asbos" in a unanimous decision. The new law gives councils greater power to impose penalties for owners of badly behaved dogs and will focus on "deed not breed". The law would replace several laws dealing with dogs in the country, including the Dangerous Dogs Act, which bans four breeds of dogs in Scotland. Dog Asbos was proposed by MSP Alex Neil. In his proposal, he notes that the Dangerous Dogs Act was "difficult ot enforce and a huge drain on resources." "It is clear that a dog's breed is only one factor which may affect its behavior. Attempting to define the law purely in relation to breed has failed to protect the public."

• Dog Asbos to keep pets and their owners on tight leash
  Posted 2010-02-11

  A BILL which would introduce dog Asbos to Scotland was backed unanimously by MSPs yesterday as it passed its first hurdle in parliament. The new bill will replace the current Dangerous Dogs Act which MSPs agreed is flawed because it criminalises the breed and not the individual dog or owner. It was put forward by Nationalist MSP Christine Grahame who is hoping to change the law on the control of dogs to try to curb irresponsible owners.

• Breed specific legislation failing globally
  Posted 2009-11-26

  After almost six years of costly enforcement of breed specific legislation, (BSL) Italy has lifted its breed ban and is replacing it with a law that will hold owners accountable for their dogs. In September of 2003, Italy placed into effect laws that banned or restricted 92 breeds including not just controversial breeds such as the Rottweiler and Pit Bull, but breeds such as the Corgi and Border Collie. Italy later dropped the deemed dangerous list to 17 breeds, and just this past April, removed the restrictions all together.

• Dutch government to lift 25-year ban on pit bulls
  Posted 2009-11-26

  The Dutch government says it will lift a long-standing ban on pit bulls because it did not lead to any decrease in bite incidents. The Dutch government says it will lift a long-standing ban on pit bulls because it did not lead to any decrease in bite incidents.

• Italy Revokes Breed Ban
  Posted 2009-11-26

  Italy will eliminate its list of dangerous dogs - replacing it with a law making owners more responsible for their pet's training and behavior. The new law, effective in April, will eliminate the current list of 17 breeds which are considered potentially dangerous, including Rottweilers, pit bull terriers, bull mastiffs and American bulldogs