Pit bull puppy faces long road

A Saint Lazare dog owner who recently purchased a pit bull puppy was glad to learn there are no breed specific bans in that town. Sarah Lazarek and her friend bought 2-month old Panda, a pit bull dog, from a breeder in Hudson. Lazarek said the breeder indicated Panda had come from her final pit bull litter. “She said she won’t be breeding anymore dogs because of everything that’s going on,” Lazarek explained. The puppy’s owner was considering moving from Saint Lazare, but was concerned about the possibility of relocating to a town with a current ban, or plans for one in the future. This week Montreal passed a bylaw banning new owners from obtaining pit bulls and pit-bull type dogs. The ban will go into effect Oct. 3^rd. Montreal dogs that are not okayed under a grandfather clause will face euthanasia. Saint Lazare mayor Robert Grimaudo said there is no ban in that town, nor are there plans to adopt one “as far as I know.”

We are not required to follow what Montreal does,” Grimaudo said Sunday evening. According to Lazarek, the problems have already started for Panda. “She’s too young for obedience training, but we tried to sign her up at a local school and the owner said she wouldn’t put Panda in a class with other dogs,” the young woman said. Instead, the puppy will have to be put in more costly private lessons. And there can be issues obtaining homeowner’s insurance if living in a town with a ban. “For sure there will be problems down the line.” Lazarek, who has registered to be a so-called Freedom Driver – someone willing to transport pit bulls destined to be destroyed out of Quebec so they can be relocated to provinces without bans – feels Montreal’s move isn’t benefiting the public. “It comes down to people and how they train their dog. If we ban pit bulls people will own rottweilers, or other dogs. In the end, people have to be responsible and teach their dogs.”