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Wally, a pit-bull puppy, waits to be adopted at the DC Animal Shelter on June 16, 2008
Tom Williams—CQ-Roll Call,Inc.

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.

Read More: Dogs Labeled ‘Pit Bull’ Wait 3 Times Longer for Adoption, Study Says

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.

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