Canadian City Bans New Pit Bull Ownership After Deadly Mauling

A Canadian city has banned residents from owning new pit bulls after a woman was killed in a brutal dog attack earlier this year.

Montreal’s City Council on Tuesday voted to make it illegal for anyone to adopt or acquire a new pit bull or pit-bull-mixed breed dogs following the deadly mauling of a 55-year-old Montreal woman four months ago, CBC reports.

The new ban goes into effect on Oct. 3 and forces residents who currently own pit bulls to obtain a permit to keep their pets by the end of the year. Pit bulls considered illegally owned will face euthanasia, according to the Washington Post.

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The controversial ban has been met with anger among animal activists. It prompted the Montreal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals on Wednesday to file a lawsuit against the city to nullify the new legislation.