Dog Attack in NDG Montreal

[cell]

An attack on a woman by a pit bull has residents of Notre Dame de Grace wondering whether their borough shouldn't ban the dogs or at least toughen up its animal safety bylaws.

Amanda Gatti, 24, was attacked by her neighbour's pit bull on Monday as she was coming home from a nighttime walk with her small Jack Russell terrier, Puppy, and her boyfriend.

The pit bull had escaped from its yard and ran up the stairs to Gatti's apartment, chasing her dog.

"It happened so fast, I didn't even have time to shut the door downstairs," Gatti recounted.

Trying to protect Puppy, Gatti suffered bites on her knees, shoulder and armpit. She says her boyfriend eventually managed to restrain the pit bull by the neck.

"If my boyfriend hadn't been there, it would have been a lot worse," she said.

Gatti, who recently had heart surgery and is on blood thinners, had to go to hospital for a tetanus shot and antibiotics.

The pit bull -which had attacked Puppy once before -escaped.

Gatti filed a police report, but she said she was not convinced anything would come of it.

"We got nowhere with the police, basically," she said.

"I'm surprised there aren't more laws about this."

Commander Daniel Leduc, chief of the police station where Gatti filed her report, said the police are one part of a longer process. After the police report is filed, it is sent to the city's dog patrol unit.

"They're the ones responsible for the inquiry, not us," he said. "We don't have a lot of power."

According to Michel Therrien, a spokesperson for the Cote des Neiges/Notre Dame de Grace borough, an animal inspector visited the owner of the pit bull yesterday and the dog was taken into custody. The case is under review and the animal might be euthanized or the owner compelled to muzzle it for 90 days, he said.

Gatti and her neighbours have approached borough councillor Peter McQueen about banning pit bulls. The borough already faced the dilemma two years ago when an elderly man was attacked and severely injured by a pit bull. Then-borough mayor Marcel Tremblay had city officials look into a ban, but no changes came about.

McQueen said the city has not been moving quickly enough on the issue.

"I and my party ( Projet Montreal) are going to work toward pit bull bans throughout Montreal," said McQueen, who lives just a few blocks from Gatti's house.

Montreal's boroughs each have their own regulations on the breed. Lachine and Outremont, for example, have bans in place.

McQueen said he doesn't disagree with this point of view, but he added that people use pit bulls to intimidate each other. "The bottom line is they're a danger," he said.

"It's very frightening," said Gatti's neighbour Lawrence Pinsky.

He said many residents, including himself, have started to avoid the house where the pit bull lives because they fear the dog will attack their pets or children.

"There's nothing inherently wrong with pit bulls," said Alanna Devine, the director of animal welfare for the Montreal SPCA. "The problem is the owners."

Any dog can be trained to be aggressive, she said. Stopping pit bull attacks lies with responsible dog ownership. Instead of a ban, mandatory sterilization could be a solution, she said, because unsterilized pit bulls tend to be more aggressive than sterilized ones. "If you ban the breed, you punish responsible owners."

"Pit bull" in itself is not a breed. The breeds that make up the category include bull terriers, Staffordshire and American bull terriers and American Staffordshire terriers.

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/...#ixzz0uucGDmmy


Right in my neighbourhood, very disappointing and preventable, seems the dog was known to be dog aggressive to the point of wanting to break through barriers to get to other dogs, situation should have been controlled before this happened.

The elderly man who was mentioned that was attacked lives right behind me next to the same park I walk Leo. There was a Pit that lived on the park 2 years ago who would break through the window screen and run the neighbourhood going after other dogs. The elderly man was walking his dog when it was attacked and him and his dog were both bitten, he required a skin graft on his hand. The dog had been reported numerous times and nothing happened. What is wrong with animal control/ law enforcement when they don't protect citizens or respond to concerns, no wonder people don't file complains.

[BenMax]

I heard about this. Firstly, the dog should be taken into custody as far as I am concerned and the owner of the pit should be slapped with a fine.

The fact that pitties are more inclined to attack other animals is infact higher than other breeds. Let's not try to sugar coat anything here. However, there are many pitties and amstaffs that are wonderful canine citizens because the OWNERS take the responsibility to either #1 - ensure that their dog is well socialized from a young age, #2 - ensure that their dogs are well monitored at all times, #3 - if there is any signs of aggression, they take again necessary procautions to ensure that their dog is well secured and not a threat to others. Another very important thing to state is that the pittie rarely is the instigator in most attacks to other animals. Also important is that these dogs were breed specifically to be highly human friendly for obvious reasons that I do not wish to get into.

All dogs of all breeds can potentially be a danger to animals and citizens. I can tell you that my min pin could very well be classified as one of these breeds. All 5 pounds of her. But - she is small and therefore this aggression is permissable... Not right I fully agree.

This ban is moving it's way quickly throughout this province. The Ontario mentality is sadly infecting this province and it is simply very sad for all breeds in general.

[Frenchy]

They said on the news last night , the pitbull was put down.

ditto on everything BM. The thing is , many people have no idea about pets and they go and get a dog. I believe some breeds should be adopted out to experience dog owners ONLY. Pitbull is one of those breeds.

[Dog Dancer]

How sad is this story. I agree with Ben Max that this dog rightly needs to be (and has been) removed from it's owner. The owner should not be entitled to regain custody of the dog. There should be no question about that, if your dog has escaped and attacked someone or something due to your lack of due diligence you are not entitled. End of that. The dog should then be evaluated by professionals as to it's nature and whether it can be rehabilitated or whatever needs to happen to make it a safe animal again. If that can't be done, sadly it should be euthanized. That said, I feel the same way for any breed that attacks unprovoked, and this attack seemed unprovoked. It's so sad that these dogs are once again in the news due to the stupid owners lack of control. It's all so preventable. And BM, I hear you about your little minpin. Somehow it's okay for little dogs to be nasty. I know my neighbours little maltipoo bit me once and I never reported it, but don't you just know someone would report a larger dog bite. I hope this lady heals fast and that her BF and pup are okay also. Another sad day for the wonderful pitties out there.

I see now that the dog was pts. How sad that his owners brought this onto him. RIP doggy, this was so preventable.

[luckypenny]

Ok, my rant for what it's worth.

I really, really wish that the media in this case would focus on these questions rather than the type of dog that was involved in the attack:

1. Why did it take a second attack and the victim's reports to the media before authorities acted upon this case?
2. Who, or what organization, is responsible if the police are not? How will they be held accountable for neglecting the complaints?
3. What did the dog's guardian do to address the situation after the first attack?
4. What fines/punishments are given to guardians of such dogs?


There are much more important issues that need to be addressed...a breed ban will do no such thing to keep such a situation from happening again. Funny how we don't hear any discussion about a Husky ban considering the attention two in particular received in the media not so long ago. What about all the other dog bites/attacks that occur every single day in our communities...how come we don't hear about those as well? Because every damn breed would be banned if that was the case .

My older son was bit on the hand by a Doberman. My younger son was bit not once, but twice, on the face by a Beagle. I would have been dismissed if I had contacted the media about it. Replace the breeds by a Pittie, and they would have been all over it .

[JennieV]

Originally Posted by luckypenny

Ok, my rant for what it's worth.

I really, really wish that the media in this case would focus on these questions rather than the type of dog that was involved in the attack:

1. Why did it take a second attack and the victim's reports to the media before authorities acted upon this case?
2. Who, or what organization, is responsible if the police are not? How will they be held accountable for neglecting the complaints?
3. What did the dog's guardian do to address the situation after the first attack?
4. What fines/punishments are given to guardians of such dogs?


There are much more important issues that need to be addressed...a breed ban will do no such thing to keep such a situation from happening again. Funny how we don't hear any discussion about a Husky ban considering the attention two in particular received in the media not so long ago. What about all the other dog bites/attacks that occur every single day in our communities...how come we don't hear about those as well? Because every damn breed would be banned if that was the case .

My older son was bit on the hand by a Doberman. My younger son was bit not once, but twice, on the face by a Beagle. I would have been dismissed if I had contacted the media about it. Replace the breeds by a Pittie, and they would have been all over it .

I have nothing to add... A very sad situation, preventable and stupid.

[BenMax]

Originally Posted by luckypenny

Ok, my rant for what it's worth.

I really, really wish that the media in this case would focus on these questions rather than the type of dog that was involved in the attack:

1. Why did it take a second attack and the victim's reports to the media before authorities acted upon this case?
2. Who, or what organization, is responsible if the police are not? How will they be held accountable for neglecting the complaints?
3. What did the dog's guardian do to address the situation after the first attack?
4. What fines/punishments are given to guardians of such dogs?


There are much more important issues that need to be addressed...a breed ban will do no such thing to keep such a situation from happening again. Funny how we don't hear any discussion about a Husky ban considering the attention two in particular received in the media not so long ago. What about all the other dog bites/attacks that occur every single day in our communities...how come we don't hear about those as well? Because every damn breed would be banned if that was the case .

My older son was bit on the hand by a Doberman. My younger son was bit not once, but twice, on the face by a Beagle. I would have been dismissed if I had contacted the media about it. Replace the breeds by a Pittie, and they would have been all over it .

Very well said LP. Once the pittie is banned from Quebec I am almost certain that this infectious desire to eleminate other breeds will come into effect. There is no doubt in my mind that we will follow suit with other countries such as Germany who have banned so many breeds it's not even funny.

There are daily events of dogs biting. I can tell you that there are many incidents of goldens, labs, poodles, MIN PINS and others that have hurt other animals or people but because they are considered 'family dogs' you will not hear the media covering these incidents because they simply are not reported nor media worthy.

Another very sad day for this province and all because some idiot did not take the necessary precautions.

RIP to this 'type' of dog as it is coming our way very quickly.

[aslan]

i seriously think that people should have to pass a test like a drivers licence to be able to own an animal..not just dogs but cats as well. When i groomed for a living 99% of bites i received were from small dogs and the owners just teehee'd it away. I saw not only dogs but cats brought in that were soooo matted we had to sedate them to be able to help them at all. I saw dogs brought in so under fed that we had to keep them,,feed them and lo and behold didn't they go back to the owners. When i was finally mauled (not bitten,,but out and out mauled) by a gsd,,there was a caution note on this dogs kennel and the person responsible was afraid of the dog,hence i took it outside..it was not this dogs first or second attack but it's 5th. each apparantly reported and nothing done about it. It cost me my job but i demanded and stood there while this poor animal was p/d. If every backwoods moron wasn't able to aquire an animal that they can abuse with neglect or teach to be aggressive a large majority of attacks wouldn't happen. If small dog owners would get a clue and realize that yes little fifi can inflict pain too and teach them properly this stuff wouldn't happen..and if society in general would start reporting these bites instead of being embarassed to do so,,this wouldn't happen..I wont even start with people that SHOULDN'T be allowed to own cats/kittens.

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by BenMax

Very well said LP. Once the pittie is banned from Quebec I am almost certain that this infectious desire to eleminate other breeds will come into effect.

Yes it will ! Because the macho morons who get pitties to boost their egos , will now get another breed of dog (exemple : cane corso) and treat them as bad as they did their pitts , will screw up that breed ... and so on.

[Floppy Dog]

Originally Posted by aslan

If small dog owners would get a clue and realize that yes little fifi can inflict pain too and teach them properly this stuff wouldn't happen

Being the owner of a 20lb Cocker Spaniel, I soooooo agree. While Lady is no where near big or strong enough to inflict serious, long term damage on someone, that doesn't mean she's harmless by any means. If she was defending herself or attacking, you'd definetly need stitches.

It all comes down to training and education. Sadly, as long as child abuse and neglect are such problems in our society, I don't think animal abuse and neglect is going to get the attention it should. Even though there is growing evidence that the latter leads to the former more often than most people want to admit.

[cell]

Originally Posted by Frenchy

Yes it will ! Because the macho morons who get pitties to boost their egos , will now get another breed of dog (example : cane corso) and treat them as bad as they did their pitts , will screw up that breed ... and so on.

So true Frenchy, pitties are just the current "in vogue" macho dog to have, ban them and you get another breed to take its place, damage is still being repaired from rottweilers, dobermans and GSD's that were the guard/macho breed of yesteryears.

The dog park up the street from the main area of NDG is a hotspot of pitties on weekends so I hear (never went to check it out) and fights are always going down from un-castrated males being let loose together and owners just laughing off the fights. Someone told me once a man came in with a litter of 5 week old pups seeking $50 a pop.

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by cell

Someone told me once a man came in with a litter of 5 week old pups seeking $50 a pop.

[coppperbelle]

A friend of mine who lives in Lasalle has two puppies. He has taken to walking his dogs with a baseball bat because he never knows when he will come across a neighbor's Pit running loose. The dog has gone after the pups already once. He hasn't seen the dog lately and thinks the owner may be back in jail.
The sad thing is that once the Pits are banned the idiots will just go get a different breed of dog.

[Golden Girls]

Originally Posted by coppperbelle

A friend of mine who lives in Lasalle has two puppies. He has taken to walking his dogs with a baseball bat because he never knows when he will come across a neighbor's Pit running loose. The dog has gone after the pups already once. He hasn't seen the dog lately and thinks the owner may be back in jail.
The sad thing is that once the Pits are banned the idiots will just go get a different breed of dog.

This surprises me, our Animal Control Officer hunts down dog owners Has your friend made complaints about (btw the breed is irrellevant ) this dog running loose and gone after his puppies?

My heart goes goes out to this young lady and hope for a speedy recovery. Her father (RIP GG) was a very good friend of mine

I do not say this lightly but this PARTICULAR dog had to be PTS due to an irresponsible and neglectful owner(s). Are they being made accountable for their dog's actions regardless of the breed? Did they get fined for the previous attack? Are they being fined for this one? The owner should also be banned from owning any breed of dog. IMO there is many details in this story left untold ...

City Counsellor for the burrough Notre-Dame-de-Grace
Mr. Peter McQueen

Dear Sir,

I am very disappointed to read in the Gazette that you and Projet Montreal support Breed Specific Legislation. I understand you want to take a stance with regards to a terrible incident but being a responsible pet owner will keep people safe, punishing the breed will not. Since our "actions" will determine the kind of society we live in I urge you to please stand above by creating an humane, animal-friendly community and not cave into the hysterical minority of BSL where it is proven to be uneffective, cruel to the breed and unfair to loving responsible owners.

It is time to be proactive toward strict pet ownership laws NOT reactive to pit bull bans throughout Montreal.

Please read "The Calgary Model" - they have taken a stand against breed banning, and responded to dog bite concerns with a tougher licensing program and stronger enforcement http://www.defendingdog.com/id38.html

Chief of police Daniel Leduc of PDQ 11 quotes in the Gazette's article: "after the report was filed, it was sent to the city's dog patrol unit who are responsible for the inquiry, not us, we don't have alot of power" HUH? Isn't Poste de Quartier 11 responsible to ensure a safe and peaceful invironment for ALL residents of Notre-Dame-de-Grace?

Message to the Media bfantoni@thegazette.canwest.com
City Councillor Peter McQueen peter.mcqueen@projetmontreal.org & PDQ 11 daniel.leduc@spvm.qc.ca

http://server.inalbum.com/show/jodip...html?296033009

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
* *

Other news on this topic
July 23rd pod cast - CBC's Daybreak host Steve Rukavina invites Caroline Ross, founder of 11-11 Animal Rescue the day after the pit bull x bull terrier attack in NDG http://podcast.cbc.ca/mp3/montrealda...0723_35838.mp3

[Love4himies]

Originally Posted by Frenchy

Yes it will ! Because the macho morons who get pitties to boost their egos , will now get another breed of dog (exemple : cane corso) and treat them as bad as they did their pitts , will screw up that breed ... and so on.

Exactly the problem! If pitties were known to be family dogs (like they were back in the 40's and 50's, then there probably wouldn't be this problem.

What was it back in the 70's? The Doberman, well you don't hear about those in the news anymore.

[luckypenny]

GG, did you write that letter? Way to go . Goes to show that the public does have an influence.

From the Montreal Mirror:

Unbanning
pit bulls

The pit bull controversy in NDG is cooling down.

Peter McQueen, city councillor for Côte-des-Neiges/Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, is re-thinking his call made last week for a ban on pit bulls in his riding following a flurry of complaints from angry residents.

The call followed a July 19 pit bull attack on 24-year-old Amanda Gatti. She was bitten repeatedly by a neighbour’s dog in her apartment on Clifton. The dog in question has since been euthanized.

“I was personally involved,” says the Projet Montréal councillor of his reaction to the attack, which occurred down the street from his home.

But McQueen says reaction to his plan has convinced him that a breed ban is not the way to go. He says he’s been flooded with evidence that such bans are ineffective, and that misbehaviour in aggressive dogs can usually be linked to bad owners. McQueen says his party is now looking at other ways to deal with irresponsible dog owners, including higher licence fees.

That’s good news for the SPCA. Tara Garland, director of the emergency shelter, says, “Our position would be opposed (to a ban). It’s not an effective solution to a larger problem, which is ownership.”

ELISABETH FAURE

[Golden Girls]

Yes I did, thank you. It's awesome to read he's now re-considering the ban wow where did you get this info?

[luckypenny]

Oops, forgot the link.

Read the latest edition of the Mirror and was pleasantly surprised to see the article.

http://www.montrealmirror.com/2010/072910/front.html

[luckypenny]

Huh, just took a look around some of the major newspapers and there's no mention of McQueen's reconsideration of the ban anywhere...guess it's not newsworthy enough .

[hazelrunpack]

So if he's not getting encouragement from the press, word will have to be passed by mouth and he'll need lots of letters from people who do think his reconsideration is a positive thing!

this McQueen gets enough positive input now to harden his resolve against a ban!!!

[cell]

Good decision, the way to deal with these situations is to have the proper authorities to deal with concerns and complains professionally, throughly and quickly.

[14+kitties]

How unfortunate that once again a dumb a$$ owner has to train his dog, or not, to be vicious and others have to suffer for it. IMO, not that it will matter to some, I think it is way past time to have a complete overhaul of the organizations that are supposed to be protecting our pets in Canada. It seems more and more they are failing those they are supposed to be looking after. If this happened before what provoked it? Why was nothing done?
L4 - well said. Back in the 40's, and even the 70's, they didn't have and would never have allowed puppy mills to exist. Fads change. Welcome to the world of imbecilic, irresponsible owners.

[Golden Girls]

Haven't heard anything further NDG residents can voice their concerns by attenting the next meeting of the borough council held on Monday, August 16, 2010, at the Cummings Building at 5151 Chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine. The meeting will begin at 7:00 PM. Registration for question period will be accepted between 6:15 p.m. and 6:45 p.m.