Supreme Court upholds Ontario ban on pit bulls

The Supreme Court of Canada said Thursday it will not hear a bid to quash Ontario's ban on pit bulls.

A Toronto dog owner, Catherine Cochrane, began the push to take the fight to Canada's highest court in April.

"That's the end of the legal attack, but it remains a bad law, a terrible law," said Clayton Ruby, Cochrane's lawyer.

In his submission to the Supreme Court, Ruby argued there is no scientific or statistical basis to conclude that pit bulls are more dangerous than other dogs.

He asked the Supreme Court to review a decision from Ontario's Appeal Court last October that upholds the province's ban.

On Thursday, the high court dismissed the application to hear the appeal.

The Ontario Appeal Court concluded that pit bulls are dangerous and unpredictable dogs that have the potential to attack without warning.

The Ontario government enacted the Dog Owners' Liability Act in 2005 to ban the breeding, sale and ownership of pit bulls after several incidents in which the dogs attacked people.

When the law was enacted, pit bulls that were already pets in the province were grandfathered and allowed to stay with owners, but with strict rules.

As a result, many owners have opted to give up their dogs and the animals are ultimately euthanized, Ruby said.

"The dogs are winding up in the shelters, the shelters can't keep the dogs forever and they kill them," he said.

The Supreme Court also ordered Cochrane to pay the costs associated with her application to take the case to the high court.