MNN - Mother Nature Network

Pitcher Mark Buehrle made headlines when he signed with the Miami Marlins this year but was unable to live in Miami-Dade County because of his pit bull, Slater. The county has banned American Staffordshire terriers, Staffordshire bull terriers and bull terriers since 1989 when a 7-year-old girl was mauled by a pit bull.

 

Now, the baseball player has been traded to the Toronto Blue Jays, a team located in the province of Ontario, which has banned pit bulls since 2005.

 

While playing for Miami, Buehrle, his family and their four dogs lived in neighboring Broward County, but commuting won’t be quite so easy in Canada. Ontario is the country’s second largest province, covering more than 400,000 square miles.

 

Buehrle is an outspoken pit bull advocate and fans expect he’ll fight to keep Slater despite the move. He and his wife, Jamie, led a petition to end Miami-Dade County’s pit bull ban, but residents voted to keep it.

 

While playing for the Chicago White Sox, Buehrle started the Sox for Strays pet adoption charity, and the pitcher hasn’t been shy about his opinions on NFL player Michael Vick.

 

More pit bull stories on MNN:

• A pit bull perception problem
• Pit bulls no longer deemed 'vicious' in Ohio
• Pit bull pulls owner from path of oncoming train