Thursday, October 9, 2008

Rambo court decision

Rambo, the sort of maybe looks like a pit bull that's been held at the Mississauga Animal Control for the last several months is about to be shipped out to a farm in Nova Scotia which does pit bull rescue. The deal was struck in court on Wednesday so a trial to determine the life or death fate of Rambo was averted. You can read about that decision here or if you'd like a more in-depth analysis of the whole affair, Caveat has been writing about it since pretty well the beginning.

Basically what the court decision means is that in Mississauga, pit bull looking dogs can now avoid the death penalty by being shipped out of Ontario. Easy peasy. If you own an illegal pit bull (eg. one that was born after the no pit bull law came into effect in Ontario) and you want to keep it, all you have to do is move to another province. Hey, Quebec's only a mere 5 hours away. You can commute that can't you?

Yeah, the deal for responsible pit bull owners still kinda sucks. It's only a very small step in the right direction although for Rambo, it's a huge step in the right direction. He doesn't have to die.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

It`s unfortunate that this option wasn`t on the table ONLY if she lost at trial.I think this is overall damaging to ALL dogs.
I think a good lawyer could have handled this differently.
I believe this option(I may be wrong) was offered early on if she pled guilty at that time.
I`m not sure why she proceeded if her intention was to plead guilty when push came to shove.
Personally I would not plead guilty to a crime I did not commit.I think she`s hurt other cases.
Rambo is actually leaving the Province as a pit bull.
God forbid that an Ontario pit bull chase or kill something in NS.
I understand he will be running free on a farm???
Farm dogs can get in a lot of trouble when free roaming.I think it`s bad all around.
I would have fought to clear Rambo of the pit bull tag.

I think some dog owners have to be prepared to possibly lose their dogs to death if they truly want to challenge their charges.
This case could have done wonders for dogs that look like Rambo instead it`s going to hurt them.
Just my humble opinion.

Caveat said...

I agree, Ian. This outcome was not a good thing for our case (to have the law overturned) or for dog owners in Ontario. It's basically a win for the Crown.

In fact, I just posted a brief about another case of dog owner harassment that took place this week in Mississauga. As predicted, this resolution of the Rambo case has emboldened them and they will be stepping up the persecution.

Yes, it 'kinda sucks' to have your civil rights eroded and to live under the constant threat of death for your dog - strictly because of his appearance.

But then, a lot of things suck in Ontario lately.

Caveat said...

btw He won't be running loose - it's a rehoming setup. He'll be getting more training, etc, before being placed in a new home.

Lynda said...

Oh my god. I'm just sick over this decision. What breed will they target next? Will my beloved Great Danes be on that list? When will people realize it's NOT the dog, it's the OWNER? Having to give up your dog strictly because it "looks" like a banned breed is unbelievable. I absolutely cannot believe I live in this province. Really.