The City of New Westminster is holding an open forum on Wednesday, March 27 for members of the public to learn about the proposed changes to the city's animal control bylaw and offer their input.
The drop-in open house will include a presentation on breed-specific legislation, responsible pet ownership and the proposed changes to the bylaw at 6:15 p.m. and again at 7:15 p.m.
Since last summer, local residents and members of the HugABull Advocacy and Rescue Society have been lobbying the city to change its current animal control bylaw.
The bylaw lists certain breeds of dog - including pit bulls - as "vicious," which these residents say unfairly singles out their pets.
Last June, April Fahr asked city council to amend the bylaw, suggesting the breed-specific wording doesn't work to enforce responsible dog ownership and public safety.
"If a dog is seen displaying aggressive behaviour or has a history of aggression, then at that point we should be looking at leashing or muzzles and those types of actions, but based on behaviours and things we know are risk factors, and not by breed alone," she told The Record earlier this year.
The bylaw, last updated in 2005, states a vicious dog is any dog that has bitten another animal or human without provocation, any dog with a known propensity to attack other animals or humans without provocation, any dog that displays unprovoked aggressive behaviour and any dog listed in Schedule A of the bylaw.
The breeds listed in Schedule A are: pit bull, pit bull terrier, American pit bull terrier, Staffordshire bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, cane corso, Italian mastiff, presa canarios, fila Brasileiro and Argentinian dogo.
Fahr said a number of municipalities in B.C. have changed their legislation to remove breed-specific legislation, and her group is advocating for New Westminster to do the same.
Several animal-rights advocates attended a city council meeting last spring to show support for making these changes; however, there are some who are wary of legislation that considers all breeds equally capable of vicious behaviour.
James Doan, the city's supervisor of animal services, said earlier this year that the meeting - and a similar one planned for the fall - will offer an opportunity for all groups and individuals to give feedback and share information about dangerous dog legislation before council decides whether or not to amend the current bylaw.
The New Westminster Animal Services Forum will run from 6 to 8 p.m. at Centennial Community Centre, at 65 E. Sixth Ave.
For more information, visit www.newwestcity.ca.
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