Bowser another Rambo case?
By: Julia Le February 3, 2009 02:41 PM - In what is shaping up as a sequel to the Rambo tale, a Mississauga man’s puppy might be euthanized or shipped out of province if his owner can’t prove he’s not a pitbull.
Danny Truong was charged with owning a prohibited animal just before Christmas last year after he took his 10-month-old puppy Bowser to be neutered at a veterinary clinic on Nov. 25.
The 21-year-old said he was shocked three weeks later when City animal services officers came knocking at his home near Square One, charging him under the Dog Owners’ Liability Act. Truong said the officers told him that the veterinary clinic had made a complaint.
Truong, who was charged on Dec. 15, made his first appearance in court last Friday. His case was adjourned to Feb. 27, when a date for trial will be set.
Bowser’s case is a repeat of Rambo, an alleged pit bull who was shipped out of Ontario to a Nova Scotia home last year after a highly-publicized legal battle.
Rambo’s owner, Gabriela Nowakowska, was charged on Christmas Day 2007 when the City’s animal control department caught the puppy running loose. Nowakowska pleaded guilty to possessing an illegal dog and was given a suspended sentence on the condition that Rambo would be shipped from the City pound to Nova Scotia.
Truong, visibly upset at the prospect of losing Bowser, said he’s being discriminated against based on his dog’s appearance.
He said he received Bowser as a gift from his niece and was told by the lady selling the pup that he was a Rottweiler-Boxer mix.
Selma Mulvey, an advocate for dog owners’ rights, says dog owners have no way of knowing whether or not they are breaking the law because the legislation is vague.
Mulvey says a pitbull is a slang term and dog owners have no way of knowing how they are violating the law.
“Truong is a responsible owner. He’s trained his dog, he’s socialized his dog, and he took it to get neutered … and suddenly he’s accused of a serious crime,” she said.
Truong says he’s never had any problems when taking the dog to the park, pet stores or his regular veterinarian.
“Bowser is very friendly,” he said. “Anyone that comes across my dog loves him. He doesn’t bite and he’s pretty outgoing and jumpy.”
jle@mississauga.net
