As of Oct. 5 the ban on pit bulls in Montreal was suspended until further notice because a judge thought it to be unnecessary and too vague after further research. The ban was put into effect after a dog, which was thought to be a pit bull, mauled a woman to death in her backyard.

When identifying the dog, a police officer said it was a pit bull, but with further investigation, it was registered to the city as a boxer, according to Huffington Post. The identification was made simply by appearance, with no further investigation as to its breed.

Pit bull owner and Big Spring junior, Dylan Miller said, “In all honesty, yes the dog did kill a woman, but it’s not because of the type of dog.”

This ban would have prohibited people from adopting pit bulls and sentenced a large majority of Montreal’s pit bulls to death. Big Spring freshman, Alexis Mearkle, did research on the topic of the pit bull ban. Mearkle said that the ban included all pit bulls, dogs with larger heads, and any dog presumed to be dangerous.

According to The Huffington Post, pit bull owners would have needed a criminal background check and to pay a $150 permit. As well, when out in public, their dog would have had to be muzzled at all times.

Although Miller does not agree with the previous stipulations in order for owners to keep their dogs, he said, “I would do anything to keep my dog.”

Madyson Wert, another pit bull owner and Big Spring freshman, also said, “They could handle this situation a lot better.”

Many people all over the world have the tendency to judge dogs, and specifically pit bulls, without being knowledgeable about the dog’s itself.

Hannah Alajlouni, pit bull owner and Big Spring sophomore, said, “It’s not really the dog itself, it’s how you train the dog. How you train it will make it do or feel a certain way.”

Miller also said, “More than likely, dogs do this because of how they are treated and trained.”
It is a possibility that this ban could later be put into place.

According to Huffington Post, the current suspension will last until a hearing that is not scheduled for any time soon.