This page is dedicated to legislation, generalized and breed specific. At this time, "pitbulls" and any dog that resembles them, is being prejudiced against in several states due to irresponsible ownership, and breeders who are not taking responsibility for their pups and allowing them to go to the wrong homes. This is quickly increasing with the addition of other breeds, such as Rottweilers, Dobermans, German Shephards, Chows Chows, Huskies and the list goes on.
Another huge problem being faced by pet owners and hobby breeders are the Animal Rights groups and their attempts at ending pet ownership and the purebred dog. Organizations such as HSUS ( Humane Society of the U.S ) PETA ( People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and several others are behind all the proposed mandatory spay/neuter bills being introduced, anti-tethering, anti- crop and dock and they title them with names that are very misleading to the general public - Healthy Pets Act and the Animal Protection Act. All these bills are trying to do is to regulate pet owners into giving up their freedom of choice and these type of bills will also greatly impact the future of the purebred dog and cat. Why would it be OK to import unhealthy and uncared for animals from Mexico and Puerto Rico, which is what these "animal rights" enthusiasts feel is appropriate.
We are owners of our dogs and cats, and one should NEVER use or refer to the term "guardian". Once we are deemed "guardians" of our pets, we will lose all rights as to how we can care for them and what we can do with them, ie: conformation, obedience, working and training venues.
Responsible ownership is key to us keeping our rights to owning our dogs and cats.
I will try to keep this page updated with information regarding legislation and the areas it is being proposed in. Certain legislators deserve our Thanks for understanding the need to make the owners responsible. ANY dog can bite or attack, and owners need to realize that they are beginning to be held more accountable and responsible for the actions of their pets.
The below sites contain very helpful information regarding legislation thru out the country. Please visit them regularly to stay on to date on legislative issues.
National Animal Interest Alliance
The monthly National Legislative Report
Massachusetts Federation of Dog Clubs
AKC Legislative Alerts
http://www.akc.org/news/sections/legislative_alerts.cfm
Humane Watch - Keeping an eye on the H.S.U.S.
***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: July 30, 2008
Contact: Daisy Okas
Phone: 212-696-8343
AKC REPRESENTS DOG OWNERS IN
CHALLENGE TO DENVER BREED BAN
New York, NY - The American Kennel Club(r) (AKC(r)) will be joining
Karen R. Breslin of the Progressive Law Center, LLC of Lakewood,
Colorado and the Washington D.C. office of Kaye Scholer LLP in
representing dog-owning plaintiffs Sonya Dias and others who are
asserting that the Denver ordinance banning pit bulls within the city
limits is unconstitutional.
In March the United States District Court for the District of Colorado,
where the plaintiffs' 2007 lawsuit was originally filed, dismissed the
suit without granting a hearing. A brief is being filed today in the
United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit asking to reverse
that court's decision and grant the plaintiffs/appellants a hearing on
the unconstitutionality of the Denver breed ban. The original lawsuit
stated Dias and the other owners were forced to move out of Denver with
their dogs because of the ban which they asserted was a violation of,
among other things, their constitutional rights.
The Denver ordinance bans ownership or possession of the Staffordshire
Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Bull Terrier and the American
Pit Bull Terrier and/or any dog with a majority of physical traits of
one or more of these breeds within the city or county of Denver. Since
2005, as a result of this ordinance, several hundred dogs within the
city limits had been euthanized.
The AKC supports reasonable, enforceable, non-discriminatory laws to
govern the ownership of dogs. The AKC believes that dog owners should be
responsible for their dogs. We support laws that: establish a fair
process by which specific dogs are identified as "dangerous" based on
stated, measurable actions; impose appropriate penalties on
irresponsible owners; and establish a well-defined method for dealing
with dogs proven to be dangerous. We believe that, if necessary, dogs
proven to be "dangerous" may need to be humanely destroyed. The AKC
strongly opposes any legislation that determines a dog to be "dangerous"
based on specific breeds or phenotypic classes of dogs.
**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
The below is a huge accomplishment and realization by a government that has had in place for 15 yrs. a ban on "pitbulls".
Netherlands Will Lift Ban on Pit Bulls, Saying No Decrease in Bites
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands — The Dutch government says it will lift a long-standing ban on pit bulls because it did not lead to any decrease in bite incidents.
Agriculture Minister Gerda Verburg has informed parliament of the decision, which follows the advice of a commission of experts appointed to review the policy.
Instead, the country will focus on enforcing local leashing laws and owner education programs.
Spokesman Koen Geelink said Monday the ministry hopes to have a new policy in place by year-end, in which dogs that have displayed aggression will be tested by an expert.
The country banned the breeding and possession of pit bulls in 1993, after three children were killed by the dogs.
********************************************************************************************************************************************************
Excellant Article from the MA Boston Globe:
Banning pit bulls won't solve problem
Sometimes I think having no pit bulls wouldn't be that bad a thing, but not for the reasons you might imagine. If pit bulls weren't around, they couldn't be beaten, starved, left chained outside with little protection from the elements, subjected to ear croppings with scissors and no pain relief, made to bear puppies with next to no food. And finally, if pit bulls weren't around, they couldn't be tossed dead (or nearly so) into a vacant lot when they come up on the losing side of a dogfight.For every headline-grabbing attack by a pit bull, there are countless cruelties inflicted on these dogs by humans. As a person recently noted on a dog-related Web log: ''It's amazing how many other kinds of dogs in the best homes bite. It's amazing how many pit bulls in the worst homes don't."But those who do . . . oh, what fear and anger they cause. It's no surprise, given the horror of recent attacks, that the call to eliminate pit bulls has never been louder. But that call remains the wrong one: Breed-specific legislation is not the answer to the problem of dangerous dogs.It doesn't help much to argue that the odds of an attack by a pit bull are so low as to be insignificant compared with life's other risks, not in the face of saturation media coverage of every such attack. It doesn't help much to argue that a well-bred and properly raised pit bull can be a better companion than many other popular breeds, based on temperament-testing statistics that show these dogs to be stable and calm.So let's try this: If you want to be protected against a dog attack, banning the pit bull isn't going to accomplish that goal. That's because every large breed or mix you can think of, and many small ones you can't imagine, have been involved in attacks on humans.You cannot predict the likelihood of an attack by the type of dog, but you can see clear trends based on other criteria.Poorly bred, unsocialized, unneutered, and untrained dogs are most often involved in attacks. If you want to prevent those attacks, you need to address those root causes.We need to make it harder for people to casually breed and quickly sell dogs, and we need to make it easier to have animals neutered. We need to recognize that dog-fighting is as much of a danger to our communities as it is to the animals participating in this illegal but popular blood sport. We need to outlaw keeping dogs on chains, a cruel practice that leaves animals feeling isolated, territorial, and more likely to attack.And even as we need to crack down on irresponsible and criminal dog owners, we need to help those people who want to do right. We need to educate prospective dog owners on responsible care, training, and socializing, so that they may raise dogs who are not dangerous.And yes, we need to establish zero tolerance for all dangerous dogs, with no second chances: If a dog attacks someone, that animal needs to be put down.We need to stop looking for scapegoats in the face of every pit bull, and address the human reasons behind the problem of dangerous dogs.Only then can we hope to be safer around not only the pit bull, but all dogs. And maybe then the pit bull will be safer around us, too.
**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
Massachusetts:
New Bedford, MA:
*The city of New Bedford MA has in place a Dangerous Dog Ordinance that has proved to be effective since it was approved in 2005.. I was fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to assist in writing the ordinance.
Haverhill MA:
Haverhill has rewritten their dog law and now has passed a generic dangerous dog ordinance which make the owners more responsible for the actions of their dogs.
Boston MA:
Passed BSL against "pitbulls" and any dog resembling them. The dogs are required to be muzzled in public, spayed/neutered, and owners require a "Dangerous Dog" sign be posted on their property.
**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
Denver CO: The AKC has joined in the legal battle in Denver !!
* Owners in Denver are still fighting for their dogs lives where BSL has totally banned "pitbulls" and related breeds or mixes. Dogs are being euthanized, and people are trying to get their dogs out of the city.
Members of the Veterinarian Councils and others are beginning to take a look into the careless and needless euthanasia of dogs in Denver. Denver is currently being sued by 3 individuals who will not give up their right to own their breed of choice and who will not allow their dogs to be euthanized.
**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************