It's hard to tell whether the timing of the latest promo photo for John Wick: Chapter Two was done to make a statement. But, before I get to that, if you have yet to see John Wick and are hoping to see the actioner without spoilers, you should stop reading now. Okay, let's proceed... Hashtag incoming rant.
It's no secret that I find BSL, aka Breed Specific Legislation, to be a stupid thing. It punishes responsible owners for idiotic and lowlife owners. Biggest case in point -- Pit Bulls. Though most can't accurately identify a Pit Bull when given a selection of dog photos, the "breed" still gets all the blame. And, for the sake of media and legislation, "Pit Bull" is no longer a breed. The term has instead become a classification of any athletic dog with a big or square head. As discovered in Denver, Colorado, a number of dogs that were taken from responsible owners showed absolutely no Pit Bull Terrier or Staffordshire Terrier DNA. Not that it matters, as statistics support that you are about 5,000 times more likely to be run over as a pedestrian than killed by a Pit Bull looking dog.
The breed, or collection of dogs, have been given a bad rap by the media. This same media loves the breed as nothing leads to better click-baiting than having "Pit Bull" in your article title. Hence why I was sure to use it here. So--Boom. What if a lab attacked somebody? Yeah, that doesn't make the news. Which leads to recent legislation in Montreal.
Montreal Enacts BSL
In a move of stupidity, the city of Montreal has taken the advice of a non-expert lady, supported by a psychic, that banning Pit Bulls is the way to go. Even though all Veterinarian Associations claim exactly the opposite. But it doesn't matter, as the decision was partly an emotional one. Montreal has slowly been working to limit the number of Pit Bulls in the city, and their strategy has been working. There is only one problem, with less Pit Bulls, dog bites are up.
Number one on the city's list for most dog bites are German Shepherds. Coming in at a far second are, wait for, Labrador Retrievers. A Pit Bull-class dog isn't even on the Top Ten list of dog bites in the city. So something must have happened, right?
Exactly. A few months ago a Montreal woman was attacked and killed by a Boxer. The city responded with something like, "That's it! We need to ban Pit Pulls!" Wait, what? This response doesn't even make sense. And when they attempted to list what breeds would fall under the Pit Bull category, they were sure to leave Boxer off the list. Let's pause now to double-down on my point. STUPID. While there are some points in the legislation that make sense, most of it is overkill. But let's get back to John Wick: Chapter Two before I lose my shit.
John Wick Supports His Pit Bull
John Wick opens on a tragic note. Nobody likes to see a pet dog killed in a movie, especially a puppy. This event launches a feature-length amount of revenge, which culminates with what? John Wick getting a new dog. Awesome.
While attempting to treat wounds, John Wick runs off with a Pit Bull puppy. It's cute as hell, and had audiences "ahhhhhing" before the credits rolled. With John Wick: Chapter Two, Keanu Reeves returns and, with a sigh of relief, his dog is still alive and fully grown. If John Wick were a resident in Montreal and they came for his dog, expect to him mow through a number of Canadian politicians. Maybe a premise for John Wick: Chapter Three?
My only fear now is that director Chad Stahelski is going to dangle the possibility of John Wick losing his (new) dog during the sequel's entire running time. Kill all the people you want, but don't you touch a hair on that dog.
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