'Breed specific' dropped from proposed CSL 'dangerous' dog bylaw

"We made a decision at this point that the bylaw does not call out any specific breed," Mayor Anthony Housefather said, after the legislation was tabled on March 16 at Côte St. Luc city hall.

"We're defining a dangerous dog as being a dog which has a tendency or disposition to attack, bite, threaten or injure with or without provocation any persons, property or other animals, or with or without provocation or physical injury attacks, bites or threatens any person, property or domestic animal or has been trained for dog fighting or to attack …

"So we are not calling out pitbulls or any other breed of dog, and saying that everyone from certain species needs to be muzzled," he added. "That is currently the council's intention. So for those owners of certain breeds that lobbied us, your views were listened to and we decided not to go down that path for the moment."

"I'm very proud to move this resolution," said Councillor Mike Cohen, who sponsored the bylaw. "I've had people come to me actually the last couple of years about dangerous dogs, and I think forcing them to have a muzzle on their dog will give the opportunity for the authorities, the police, to do something when someone complains."

According to Councillor Glenn Nashen, Côte St. Luc had a dog muzzle bylaw dating back to the 1950s, although "the application became difficult if not impossible because several of the people that were named to enforce it didn't exist anymore, such as the chief of police of Côte St. Luc and dog catchers that maybe existed in the '50s and '60s."

Last summer, a group of dog owners who are regular users of the City of Côte St. Luc's dog run asked city council to take measures that would ban Pit Bulls from the run. In January, when council first served notice it would be updating its dog control bylaw, Housefather had said:

"We will be targeting breeds, because we believe that there have been sufficient incidents in communities surrounding us that we've read about to warrant a concern. There are municipalities across North America that have pro-actively adopted this bylaw and we feel that there are certain breeds that really need to be regulated."