Mount Currie, B.C., Canada: Pit bull ban suggested

Thanks to Jodi for this alert!

Mount Currie Chief Lucinda Phillips has called for a ban on pit bulls on the Reserve in the wake of a recent dog attack and because dog owners are not taking proper care of their dogs.

Mount Currie is a small community in British Columbia with a population of about 1,400. It is the center of the Mount Currie Indian Reserve. The Mount Currie Reserve is among the most populous, and poorest, of all Indian Reserves in Canada. Their government is the Mount Currie Indian Band of the Lillooet Tribal Council.

Because this is a small, tight-knit community with little funding for animal control, this is an excellent opportunity to encourage public education with respect to responsible dog ownership practices. Fortunately, Chief Phillips recognizes that problem dogs are the result of problem dog owners. Please encourage the officials to address the problems associated with irresponsible dog owners, and politely remind them that simply removing dogs based on appearance does not address the root cause of the problems in the Mount Currie community.

Please send your POLITE, RESPECTFUL and INFORMATIVE letters in opposition to breed specific legislation to the tribal council, and encourage them to seek a breed-neutral solution that highlights public education and responsible dog ownership.

Lil´wat Nation, P.O. Box 602, Mount Currie, British Columbia V0N 2K0
Email: info@lilwat.ca
Phone: 604.894.6115
Fax: 604.894.6841

Chief Lucinda Phillips, lucinda.phillips@lilwat.ca
Senior Administrator Sheldon Tetreault, SheldonTetreault@lilwat.ca
The entire council can be contacted at: council@lilwat.ca
or you may address the leadership individually by accessing their e-mail info here: http://www.lilwat.ca/leadership/chief-council.cfm

Chief and Council meet every Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. in Council Chambers at the Ullus Community Complex. Council meetings are open to Lil’wat Nation members and the minutes of all meetings are available to Lil’wat Nation members from the Council Executive Secretary.

Chief seeking Mount Currie pit bull ban

SEPTEMBER 8, 2011
ERIC MACKENZIE, ERIC@WHISTLERQUESTION.COM

Mount Currie Chief Lucinda Phillips is calling for amendments to the band’s animal bylaw that would see pit bulls banned from the reserve, while the Lil’wat leader has also said she believes dogs should no longer be permitted in band-owned rental housing. […]

Phillips told The Question that she is a believer in the ‘blame the owner, not the breed’ mantra that is touted by pit-bull advocates. However, she also said the attack earlier this summer was an example of how some Mount Currie residents are failing to raise the dogs properly.

“I have absolutely nothing against pit bulls at all,” she said. “Banning them from my community is a decision I’m basing because my community members are not taking care of their dogs. It’s definitely the owners’ fault, not the dogs’.” […]

Full article retrieved 9/8/11 from http://www.whistlerquestion.com/article/20110908/WHISTLER12/309089971/-1/WHISTLER/chief-seeking-mount-currie-pit-bull-ban