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There should be no debate after pit bull mauls 1-year-old Ottawa girl

There should be no debate after pit bull mauls 1-year-old Ottawa girl

It is hard not to gather and collect all the reports of recent pit bull attacks under one banner, something we can point to when discussing the case of one-year-old Cali Leclair, the Ottawa girl who will live her life absent a complete nose after being mauled by a pit bull taken in by her parents.

But let’s try. Let’s not consider Mickey, the Arizona pit bull that recently disfiguring a four-year-old boy who was guilty of reaching for a bone. And forget the dog in Spokane who was killed by police after attacking five people in a spree - the third pit bull attack in that city in a seven-day stretch. Or the Texas mother who had to bite the ear off of a pit bull in order to save her two-year-old daughter from being mauled to death.

Let’s just consider Boss. Boss is the Pit Bull Terrier who attacked Cali over the weekend while in her family’s home. The baby reached to pet the dog. The dog responded.

Ottawa police say the child was bitten while the family was playing with the Pit Bull Terrier inside their home over the weekend. She lost most of her nose in the attack.

The Ottawa Citizen reports that the pit bull that attacked Cali is now set to be euthanized. The City of Ottawa is waiting for confirmation from the owner that the deed is done.

Let’s focus on Boss, because as contentious as the pit bull debate can become, there should be few who believe that Boss can still be classified as a docile pet, not after two reported attacks on children in recent weeks. Two children it was familiar with, nonetheless.

Because the attack on Cali comes after another similar instance in which the dog apparently attacked the child of its actual owner.

Via the Citizen:

Neighbour Vicky Gibson, 30, said (Christine) Leclair took the pit bull into her Draffin Court home on Saturday in an attempt to rehabilitate the animal, which had a history of biting.

...

Boss, the pit bull, had bitten the owner’s own child in the mouth, she said. But that unnamed owner didn’t want to put the dog down so Leclair agreed to look after it for a week despite its history.

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Pit bulls are considered to be among the most dangerous types of canine. Indeed, they have been banned in parts of Canada, notably in Winnipeg and across Ontario, as well as several U.S. states.

The only pit bulls allowed in Ontario are those that were owned prior to the law passing in 2005 - which have been grandfathered in under strict rules.

It is not clear whether Boss was one of those cases, or whether it was a contraband pit bull. Or whether it had been registered with the city in any way. Regardless, there should have been alerts sounding across Ottawa following the first attack. There certainly should be alerts blaring after this second one.

One child permanently scarred, shortly after another child suffered similar injuries. Even those that oppose pit bull bans should be cautious.

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Pit bull supporters are a vocal advocacy groups. Despite the absence of a centralized NRA-style organization, public debate in the wake of pit bull attacks is routinely dominated by those in support of the pit bull.

Activism against pit bull bans is strong, prevalent and vocal.

There are about 100 pit bull-related petitions on the site Change.org, a website that streamlines the online petition process, most calling for the repealing of pit bull bans, the end of pit bull discrimination and stereotypes and the end of pit bull bullying.

There was a petition to the Government of British Columbia, signed by 11,421 online signatures, to say no to a pit bull ban in the province. Another petition against a pit bull ban in Missouri similarly received 13,697 signatures.

There are petitions calling for a ban on bans, calling for Kelly Ripa to volunteer her time to the cause of pit bull awareness and one demanding a doggie summer camp open its gates to pit bulls.

There are even calls for the clemency of various pit bulls involved in attacks.

This is the point where common sense distances itself from the plot. Those who claim that pit bulls are safe – that it is individual dogs, not the breed, that are prone to attack – should acknowledge for the sake of their cause that pit bulls that bite must be dealt with.

Two children, permanently scarred but thankfully alive. Would we be so fortunate a third time?

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