A pitbull who was caught running at large in Peterborough on Sunday may be destroyed because he's not fixed, as required by law, but the dog's owner is appealing for mercy for the "friendly and loving" pet who she says is like part of the family.
Amanda Gibson says she was walking her 10-year-old purebred American pitbull Tyson in the wooded area near McDonnel and Reid streets on Sunday.
She said the dog is happy and friendly and has never hurt anyone; he often sleeps in bed with her six-year-old daughter.
"He's the only man in my house," said Gibson, a single mom.
He was collared, leashed and muzzled on Sunday, she said, although she said she wasn't aware he had to be fixed because it was never an issue in the small community of Shannonville, near Belleville, where she recently moved from.
Suddenly, Tyson ran so hard after a squirrel on Sunday that he pulled the leash out of her hands, she said. Gibson lost sight of him.
After spotting Tyson, a couple of people called the Peterborough Humane Society and an animal control officer went and picked him up, said the society's executive director Wendy Ryan.
Although Gibson said the dog was leashed and collared, Ryan said he wasn't wearing a leash or collar when he was brought in to the humane society.
"He's a banned pitbull because he's not neutered and was running at large," Ryan said.
Tyson has been quarantined.
The Dog Owners Liability Act states all pitbulls in Ontario must be leashed, muzzled and sterilized and the penalty for not doing so is generally to destroy the animal, Ryan said.
Gibson said she doesn't understand why she can't have Tyson fixed now and have him returned to her care.
Ryan said she's waiting for a call back from the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) to clarify the rules.
"I'm hoping for a positive resolution to this," Ryan said. "But regardless of our personal feelings on the issues, we are bound by the law."
Ryan said the dog is safe at the humane society and appears to be contented. He's wagging his tail when staff checks in on him, she said.
She said she's hoping the OSPCA will call her back by Tuesday to clarify the legislation.
"It will depend on the legal opinions and we'll go from there," Ryan said.
Meanwhile Gibson said it would be devastating for her dog to be killed.
"This dog is everything to me," Gibson said. "He's all I have, other than my daughter."
Please help tell the OSPCA that they should not destroy this families much loved pet!
