Dog held for over 100 days to be rehomed out of Ontario because he is part pit bull

CTVnews.ca
November 5, 2020
Katherine DeClerq

A four-year-old dog held by animal services for more than 100 days will be taken from his Ontario family and rehomed out of province because he has been deemed a pit bull.

The City of Vaughan released the decision on Wednesday afternoon, saying that a DNA test has confirmed that the dog, whose name is Gamboa, is a “banned breed.”

“Since Gamboa is deemed a pit bull because of provincial legislation -- (Vaughan Animal Services) must follow the province's law. As a result, staff are working with Gamboa's owner and animal service organizations to arrange Gamboa's adoption into a safe, loving home in a province where pit bulls are not banned.”

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The city said that the months-long delay in the decision was due to a legal dispute with the dog’s owner.

Gamboa’s owner, Natalia Ramirez, said that she purchased him in 2016. She described the pup as a Labrador retriever American bulldog mix.

“Gamboa, to our family, is more than just a pet. He is our family member,” Ramirez told CTV News Toronto earlier this week. “He is the glue that holds my brother, mother and I together.”

In July of this year, Gamboa got out of the house and was picked up by Vaughan Animal Services, who subsequently held him because they thought he was part pit bull.

Ramirez said she offered documented proof of the dog’s breed, including veterinary letters and adoption papers.

“We have been trying to release Gamboa since day one and the city has been prolonging the situation with doing investigations and ‘poking holes in assessments’ done by experts.”

The city did not specify what percentage of Gamboa's DNA was considered pit bull.

Ontario’s Dog Owners Liability Act was amended in 2005 to ban the new ownership of pit bulls. The legislation also mandated that any animals already in the province be spayed or neutered.

Vaughan Animal Services has released two other dogs that were held in the last month because of their suspected pit bull pedigree. Ringo, a 12-year-old mixed breed, was released last week.

Kilo, a French bull dog-terrier mix, was held at Vaughan Animal Services for about two weeks. The city says Kilo can be reunited with his family now that their investigation is complete.