The Face of Terror

Please, take a moment and gaze into the face of terror...



I was in Toronto last month for the Toronto International Film Festival. It is a lovely city with lovely people -- just like I remembered it when I was there roughly 10 years ago. In general, I like Canada's progressive vibe. I like that they support their artists and that gay marriage is legal. But Canada, listen, I'm a little peeved with you right now.

Yesterday, Ontario began enforcing a Breed Specific Legislation (or "BSL") against pitbulls. Now, pitbulls have been the subject of many of my other little "essays," so let's just say that I'm pro-pitbull. And just to clarify, I am NOT pro asshole-owners of pitbulls. I readily acknowledge that stupid people often own these smart dogs in order to look macho or protect something that might not be so legal. And anyone who fights pitbulls, or any other dogs, is just a loser.

Anyhow, pitbull owners in Ontario are now required to muzzle their dogs while in public. And as of yesterday, pitbulls can no longer be brought into the province, and any born after 10/28/05 will have to be euthanized. Lovely.

So now responsible pitbull owners have to pay the price for horrible pitbull owners. What ever happened to "punish the deed, not the breed"?

Surprisingly, those in Ontario are luckier than those in Denver. There, if you own a pitbull, they can just take your family pet from you and kill it. But when I read stories of what my fellow pitbull owners are going through in Canada, it just makes me cry.

Pitbull terriers are not an inherently evil breed. My husband and I are currently raising our 4th pitbull puppy, Lucy (pictured above), and she is just as loving and bright and playful as our others. On the other hand, I've been bitten by more lap dogs than I care to remember. We are dog lovers who treat our animals with care and respect, and we've taken on the responsibility of sharing our lives with this controversial breed. I used to be really scared of them. But after dog-sitting a wayward pitbull years ago, I can't imagine my life without them. They deserve better than to be automatically branded as malicious and universally banned.

Reading is fun. And so is learning. So if you want to learn more about pitbulls, read all about them here: Pitbull Forum. This is a pitbull-positive community, filled with great owners and their awesome pooches. I spend a lot of time there, when I'm not reading gossip columns and/or obsessing over my next job.