Dog Owners' Liability Act (DOLA)

Dog Owners’ Liability Act


What is D.O.L.A?
 Provincial legislation that applies to all dog owners
 Outlines owners’ responsibilities (reasonable precautions)
 Explains penalties

Civil Liability
 “Owner” = person who possesses or harbours a dog
 All dog owners liable for damages from bite or attack
 Possible reduction in damages if plaintiff is partially at fault

Provincial Offenses Act
Ontario Court of Justice proceedings relate to:
 Bites and attacks (people or other domestic animal)
 Posing a menace to safety (people or other domestic animal)
 Owner not taking reasonable precautions to prevent
In order to protect the public, the court may order:
 Euthanasia of the dog
 Measures for the owner to control the dog (muzzles, warning signs, etc.)
Court may consider:
 Past behaviour/temperament
 Seriousness of injuries
 Any justification of the dog’s actions
 Probability of another attack
 Potential to inflict harm
 Owner precautions to prevent future attacks
 Other relevant circumstances

Penalties
 Jail term up to 6 months
 Maximum fine of $10,000
 Corporate fine maximum of $60,000

Pit Bulls
On August 29, 2005, amendments to DOLA (Bill 132) were proclaimed
These amendments involved several issues, but commonly referred to as the “Pit Bull Ban”
 Bans pit bulls in Ontario
 Places restrictions on existing pit bulls
 Toughens penalties for owner of all potentially dangerous dogs
 Allows officers to perform search and seizure without a warrant in urgent cases or in public
places.

Which Dogs are “Pit Bulls”?
A Pit Bull is defined as:
 A pit bull terrier
 Staffordshire bull terrier
 American Staffordshire terrier
 American pit bull