Many dog owners in Montreal spent Monday adapting to the new provisions in the animal control bylaw.
As written, the bylaw requires pit bulls and similar dogs to wear muzzles when out in public, and to be on a short leash.
Jessica Steiner said it was difficult to get a muzzle on to her 11-year-old dog Brody.
"It feels like we're punishing her for something she hasn't done. People see a muzzle and they assume your dog is aggressive," said Steiner.
Late Monday afternoon a Superior Court Judge issued a two-day stay of proceedings on the pit-bull specific provisions of the bylaw, but all other rules still apply.
That means dogs over 20 kg must be on a harness, and leashes over 1.8 m long are banned.
The owners of Canine and Company, as well as other pet stores, were overwhelmed by the demand for new dog equipment.
Claire Barakas said muzzles were flying off the shelves in the past week.
"I've sold more in the last month than in 24 years of business," said Barakas. "A very small percentage of dogs need to be wearing muzzles like this."
At dog parks on Monday some owners were complying with the requirements to muzzle their dogs, while others, such as Caitlin LePessec, did not.
"I'm taking a chance that I"m not going to get an inspector who'll take my dog away. If I get a tick I'll bite the bullet for my dog," said LePessec.
She also had difficulty obtaining a document proving she does not have a criminal record.
"I went to the police station. The police got upset with me I guess because he's had so many people coming in. You have to go to the main office on St. Urbain. You call the main office on St. Urbain [and] there's never any answers. I've left three messages with them," said LePessec.
Montreal police said it is up to the city of Montreal to implement a procedure for police background checks with regards to the dangerous dogs provision in the animal control bylaw.
