Winnipeg Humane Society joins calls for city to adopt breed-neutral legislation

Winnipeg’s blanket Pit Bull ban has been in effect since 1990, but now, advocates and lovers of the larger breed are calling on the City of Winnipeg to repeal the law in favour of legislation that prioritizes responsible pet ownership.

No matter how sweet, right now, it’s prohibited to own American Pit Bulls and similar breeds in the city, the law narrowly surviving a council vote in 2022 after efforts were made to get the ban lifted.

However, at that time, the city instead approved new rules for owners of what the City of Winnipeg deemed dangerous dogs, shifting the focus from breed to behaviour, with some experts now saying the ban is now redundant.

“We think that’s very important to judge a dog as an individual based on their behaviour instead of just looking at them based on their breed,” said Krista Boryskavich, director of animal advocacy with the Winnipeg Humane Society.

“It’s not a matter of creating it or rewriting it, it’s just a matter of deleting the bread ban.”

CityNews reached out to the City of Winnipeg to find out if the municipality is looking into the concerns with the ban. In response, a city spokeswoman sent the current bylaw, but did not address the growing calls.

Those who have been through one of the evaluations say they alone are stressful on a family.

“We were terrified because what does this mean? Our dog is being hauled in to be assessed by someone who has the ability to say ‘yes or no’ by just looking at her,” said Melissa Diamond.

In 2016, she received a letter from Winnipeg Animal Services informing her that she needed to bring her beloved pet Lily in for evaluation after someone had complained.

The city eventually determined that Lily was not a banned breed, but not without causing significant stress for Diamond and her family.

Although Lily has since passed on, Diamond is now a member of the group End Breed Specific Legislation Manitoba, which says now is the time for the city to put the breed ban in the dog house for good.

“When you have a dog living its best life with responsible owners who are taking care of it, giving it a great place to live, and the life it deserves, why are we pulling dogs out of homes? Why are we putting them back in the system?”

As for the Winnipeg Humane Society, Boryskavich says they’ve been speaking with city councilors about lifting the ban, stressing it’s time for members of the public to do the same. 

“We are encouraging people to reach out to their councillors, make their voices heard, because that is how this policy will get changed,” she said.