Calls And Letters Needed

via Facebook:

Cumberland County Animal Control in Fayetteville, NC. There is a breed ban set to go into affect Monday the 5th of December all Dobermans, Rottweilers, Chow Chows, German Shepherds, Great Danes, Pitbulls, Mastiffs(all bully breeds), Akitas and Huskies. These dogs will be held for the mandatory 72 hrs and then will be killed, they are not going to be given a chance to be adopted. Contact Mayor and be nice about it.


Mayor Anthony G. Chavonne
433 Hay Street
Fayetteville, NC 28301
910-433-1992, 910-433-3401
Fax 433-1948
mayor@ci.fay.nc.us

So I guess my childhood dog, a shelter rescue named Lacy (a white huskey mix with a blue eye and a brown eye), would have been put down immediately, even though he went on to live 14 years and never bit anyone. My ex boyfriend's dog, Ben (a rottie) - another shelter rescue, would have been put down even though he is the mascot of the house and well-loved, and named Ben as in Gentle Ben. I guess my friend Karen and her husband Eric would have had to put down Amadeus (a rottie) who they inherited with their house (POS former owners left him in the garage!), and who lived with them and their two toddlers for his remaining years, and guarded those kids with his life.  The great dane thing just shows how ill informed this town is. They are the gentlest creatures of all, the whale-sharks of the canine world (eat plankton but are huge).



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Way To Go Ohio!

Folks, much legislative news this week. Thanks to those who care enough to see it through.

From the wonderful Toledo Blade (I love this paper and I live in New York!):

COLUMBUS -- A bill granting the "pit bull'' a reprieve from an Ohio law that automatically judges it to be a vicious dog won bipartisan support Wednesday on its way to the House floor.

The House Criminal Justice Committee voted 10-2 to send the bill to the full chamber, where it is expected to see a vote before the General Assembly recesses for the summer before the end of the month.

"This has been around the block a number of times,'' said the bill's sponsor, Rep. Barbara Sears (R., Monclova Township). "We've been through the painstaking process of getting due-process into the bill. It's there, and it's been very well vetted.''

And this part I really love because it shows that legislation takes negotiation and hard work and patience and perseverance and it's so good to be able to report a victory after all that...

The House approved a measure removing the breed-specific language from Ohio law last session only to see it die without a vote in the Senate. Ms. Sears hopes that recently added language creating new and revised classifications of dogs and spelling out the responsibilities of owners for each class will make the difference this time.

The changes have brought the Ohio Dog Wardens Association, who previously opposed the bill, on board.

Check out the full story.
 
 

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US Marines Conduct Behavior Assessments As An Alternative to Immediate Ban On Military Base!

via ASPCA:

On October 6, a team of ASPCA animal behavior experts arrived in Beaufort, S.C., to conduct behavior assessments of more than 80 dogs living in Marine Corps housing units in the South Carolina Tri-Command area.

The visit by ASPCA behaviorists comes after these dogs became the subject of a breed ban recently instituted by Marine Corps headquarters. The policy specifically bans purebred and mixed-breed Pit Bulls, Rottweilers and wolf hybrids, as well as canines with "dominant traits of aggression" who pose a risk to people living in U.S. Marine Corps housing worldwide.

“Our goal in coming to the Parris Island base is to make sure safe dogs and their families are able to stay together,” says Dr. Emily Weiss, ASPCA Senior Director of Shelter Research & Development, “and so far, the results have been positive."

After assessing individual canines with SAFER (the ASPCA Safety Assessment for Evaluation Rehoming)—a research-based tool that helps identify the likelihood of canine aggression—ASPCA behaviorists report that of the 85 dogs assessed to date, only two were found to have a high enough potential for aggression to have to be removed from the base. "Two others showed aggressive tendencies, but one will work with a trainer and another will be neutered," comments Dr. Weiss. “The vast majority, however, are well-loved, well-behaved family pets.”

"Breed bans just don't work," continues Dr. Weiss, "These breeds of dogs have a bad rap. In most cases, they are safe, wonderful animals. We're hoping that we can work with the Marine Corps over the next two years to show them that we should be testing the aggression level of individual dogs and not just banning these three breeds. It's breed prejudice."

The families of safe dogs will be given the opportunity to apply for a waiver, allowing their dog to remain on the base until 2012. "We're very excited about the ASPCA’s assessment," says Army Capt. Jenifer Gustafson, the Officer in Charge of the veterinary clinic on Parris Island. "This is a welcome alternative to the unpleasant possibility of pet parents being forced to give up their dogs or leave base housing.”

The ASPCA is opposed to breed bans, which target entire breeds instead of focusing on individual dogs. Aggressive canines are often the result of owners failing to provide proper training. Our organization continues to work on identifying potential aggression in individual dogs, opening up opportunities for behavior modification. Read more about alternatives to breed-specific laws.



After the jump: see "Are breed -specific laws (bans) effective?"  "Alternatives to breed-bans," and some facts about dog aggression you might not know.