The Toronto Humane Society, which has been embroiled in controversy over allegations of animal cruelty, apparently wants to show it has still got some bite left in it. The THS surfaced this week with a study that shows Ontario's pit bull ban has not significantly reduced dog bites in the province. It does not require a pit bull, however, to tear its analysis to pieces.
The THS research amounts to a single chart which shows a small decline in total dog-bite cases in the first year of the Ontario legislation, which came into effect in 2005, with levels then returning to an average of about 5,000. It is on the basis of these statistics that the THS wants the government to amend its legislation to "stop the punishment of innocent animals."
But there are nearly as many holes in the THS's logic as there are teeth in a pit bull's mouth. To begin with, the dogs were banned, but not ordered to be immediately destroyed. Existing animals were grandfathered, meaning that pit bulls remain in the province, although mercifully fewer of them than in 2005, and they are now getting to the age where they are more likely to gum their victims. The point being that even a requirement that the animals must wear muzzles when in public does not preclude the possibility that pit bull bites are among the bite totals reported.
More important is the THS's failure to provide data regarding the severity of the bites. Nips by, say, a bichon frise can hardly be equated to the bone-crunching variety inflicted by vicious breeds, of which the pit bull is the most notorious example.
Besides, it is disingenuous of the THS to imply the goal of the Ontario legislation was an end to all dog bites, or even a substantial reduction in dog bites. Where there are dogs, there will be bites. The legislation was, however, a necessary response to a series of pit bull-related outrages, including gruesome maulings of several people. One of the most notorious cases involved Bandit, who in the summer of 2003 bit a three-year-old child in the head, causing wounds that required 200 stitches. The legislation was intended, then, to protect the community from serious attacks by pit bulls, and it has been successful.
The Toronto Humane Society has had a rough year. It has been fending off serious allegations of animal cruelty. Several of its former officials face criminal charges. It is struggling to rebuild its reputation. A half-baked gambit into pit bull advocacy is unlikely to help matters. Better for the THS to put a muzzle on it.