Pit bulls, notorious for their propensity for violence, have become even more infamous in light of the recent string of pit bull-related attacks that have occurred throughout the country.
Some officials and insurers have quickly noticed this trend, and have taken precautionary steps to help protect the public from pit bull attacks. These measures, however, alienate pit bull owners and make their lives much harder.
On June 14, a pit bull attacked an 8-year-old girl in Brossard, leaving her with deep scars on her face. Since then, the city has declared a total ban on the dog type: no new pit bulls are allowed in Brossard, but those owners who already had one prior to the ban can keep their pets under strict guidelines.
Brossard is also requiring pit bull owners to register their pets with the city, and produce proof that the dogs have received obedience training and have liability insurance of up to $250,000, reported
globalnews.ca. Moreover, the dogs are required to have a microchip installed, must wear muzzles while in public, should be neutered, and will not be allowed in dog parks, among other rules.
The latest pit bull attack was Monday, when another dog mauled a woman outside a convenience store in Surrey. The woman, in her 60s, suffered such horrific damage to her arm that the bones in her wrist could be seen through the bite wounds,
cjob.com reported.
Surrey RCMP said that the dog’s owner—a man described by witnesses as a heavily-built Caucasian man wearing a tank top, shorts and a grey hat—left the scene of the incident with another woman; police are now looking for the owner.
Pit bull owners are getting the short end of the stick out of this trend, with their pets scaring even insurers due to the high risk they pose. The Insurance Board of Canada has confirmed that a good number of insurers deny coverage to pit bull owners. The Board also underscored that insurers have the right to cancel a policy if they think the risk is too big.
Such was the case with pit bull owner Adam Misztal, who was shocked to learn that his city of Brossard issued a ban on the dogs while imposing stipulations on how current pit bulls should be treated. When he called his current insurer to ask if he meets the $250,000 coverage requirement, the carrier annulled his policy. Misztal fortunately found insurance coverage for his dog through another company, but says he is worried that his new premium could be much higher than usual.
As more pit bull attacks are recorded and publicized, the entire country would eventually have to consider a national solution to the problem.
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