MONTREAL — The City of Montreal is forbidding new pit bulls on its territory.
Mayor Denis Coderre announced today that current owners will have to register their animal by the end of the year or risk having it taken away.
Montreal's goal is to wait for pit bulls purchased or adopted before the end of the year to die, eventually phasing them out completely from the city's territory.
Pit bulls not registered and tagged after Jan. 1, 2017, will be banned from the city.
The new law comes as a response to attacks by pit bulls in Montreal and throughout the province.
Owners will have to follow strict rules when walking the animal and won't be able to have one if they are under 18 or have a criminal record that involves violence.
Montreal says it reserves the right to order any dog, regardless of breed, euthanized if the animal bites or kills a human or another animal.
