BSL Alert - State of Florida

It really upsets me that people are still looking at knee jerk reactions for dog laws. One would think we have so many other critical things happening in the US that we would be past trying to pass ineffective laws, but sadly our elected officials continue to waste tax payers time and money. Representative Driscoll of Montana learned this week such ridiuclous laws won't make it out of committee when Montanas legislative committee quickely killed her bill for a ban on pit bulls.

Now we have Florida Senate and House that need a factual education. Last year a Senate bill was filed to repeal the current State law that prohibits BSL and the Senate committee did a report and unfortunaly recommended to allow BSL but not bans. this because there was no great evidence one way or another they felt. Click to read report. What the committee does not understand this type of law will create what I refer to as a "soft ban". If communnities deem breeds of dog "different" and require things like mandatory spay nueter, muzzles, fences, insurance, etc. Then insurance companies will stop insuring homes with these breeds, apartments, landlords will stop allowing these breeds in their homes. So we end up having a breed ban by default. so once again innocent dogs and families suffer because legislators are to lazy to do research and write effective laws.

HB189 and SB922

The house bill has been moved the Agriculture and natural resources committee - Please contact committee members and let them know that this is unacceptable.

Pit Bull shot saving family and my media disappointment

Yesterday morning as I lay in bed listening to the news I hear a story coming on of a heroic dog, I sit up to watch the story on the local news. The family explains how an armed man broke into the house and was threatening them when Dboy came to the rescue and took 2 bullets in the head to save his family from the intruder. When I see Dboy, he of course is a pit bull type dog and I feel a sense of pride for my breed of choice. For this is the Pit bull I know, loyal and loving and not what the media presents by reporting every negative possible.



Then it hits me, the media has done it again. In the 2 or 3 minute story, the term "dog" was used over and over. Not once did the report mention the breed. Of course had this been a negative story we know the sound byte would have been "Pit Bull" and that would have been mentioned every couple of seconds through the story. Later in the day, we find the video of the story on CNN as well, again no mention of breed, just dog.



Why must we constantly be disappointed in the media? What does it take for some fairness to come through... My belief in the news is at an all time low these days. I watch the local news , CNN and MSNBC but more and more I don't believe much of anything they report because I have seen what the national media has done to my beloved breed. They pick and choose what is being reported, they sensationalize the smallest of incidents and create a atmosphere of fear. The are not reporting the good stories with the same attention or flare, heck they don't even use the words pit bull. Since they do this with dogs, what are they doing when reporting on other issues? Whatever happened to an unbiased media reporting the facts.... Did it ever exist?

A city of shame

Sadly, we have reached a new era of BSL where ignorant cities pass laws for no reason.

This week DeQueen, Arkansas passed a ban on pit bulls for absolutly no reason. A quote from the Mayor: “We haven’t had anyone attacked, but people are fearful of the pit bull breed. The council has received complaints. The pit bulls get bad press sometimes,” said De Queen Mayor Billy Ray Kelvy.

Talk about a violation of power and citizens rights, this takes the cake. What will they pass next? The city council has nothing better to do than to make up and pass laws for no reason? So all of their people must be employed, there must be no crime in the city, no one hungry, nothing better to do that make up laws. Talk about a witch hunt.

The members of the council and Mayor ought to be ashamed of themselves.

Little Rock, AR Passes BSL

As I read through my oodles of emails I see that Little Rock unanimously passed restrictions on pit bulls last night. Yet another law that will not protect citizens from the real danger, irresponsible owners. Proof of this fact, the next email I read was about a 5 yr old girl mauled by a stray Labrador. Where might you ask? Why yes, Little Rock on the same day the uneducated city council passed a law against "pit bulls".

Apparently the city doesn't feel its important to pass laws that will protect citizens from dangerous dogs, they prefer to use breed profiling because its easier than addressing the real issue.

A time will come when city councils actualy educate themselves and work towards creating safe communities with good non breed specific laws, funding for animal control, laws that will allow animal control to be proactive instead of reactive. Dare to Dream....

BSL Alerts!!

The Good:

State of Ohio - HB366 was introduced to REMOVE the breed specific language from the State law.


The Bad:

State of Florida – HB 101 has been introduced to the House. This bill would repeal the current State law prohibiting any new BSL in Florida

State of Minnesota – There are a couple of Representatives that have indicated they will introduce a bill to ban pit bulls, rotties and chow chose to start.

Washington DC - Bill 17-89 would authorize the District Mayor to label any breed of dog as potentially dangerous.


And the UGLY:

State of Tennessee – SB2738 has been introduced by Senator Kilby. This bill would make it illegal (a misdemeanor) to own a pit bull in the State. Pit Bull defined as SBT, AST, ABD, APBT or any 50% mix. http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/bills/currentga/BILL/SB2738.pdf

My thoughts on the pit bull attack in Washington

This attack has made national news as do most incidents involving pit bulls. I have talked to media outlets as far as New York, regarding this tragic, yet avoidable incident. So I felt I should address this incident publicly on my blog.

This, like the majority of dog attacks, was completely avoidable. This poor woman is suffering, as is the neighbor's family who lost their beloved Jack Russel, for a few reasons-- irresponsible owner and Animal Control's lack of action (It is unknown if they didn't handle the incidents correctly, or if laws didn't allow them to react).

The owner of the female pit bull is quoted: "We never saw it coming. They’re the kinds of dogs you’d let play with your babies,” Martin said." However, in talking to neighbors, there are at least 5 incidents of human aggression by these dogs or other dogs in this person's care. Incidents that involve the dogs pinning a man in the garage to the point he had to shoot at the dogs with a BB gun, that same day they charged a young child on a bike. In another incident they charged a guy and snarled at him, preventing him from getting to his truck, he had to start throwing rocks at them. A year before that, Martin's dogs attacked his dog. Yet... "we never saw it coming" ??

As for Animal Control, the ACO is quoted "Boman said animal control officers have had past run-ins with the pit bulls, but couldn’t say exactly how many."

Now from the ACO's comments as well as the neighbors comments, these dogs should have been removed from the home long before yesterday's incident. This should have never happened. Was it because ACO didn't follow up and do their jobs by visiting the neighborhood and checking on the dogs? Or was it they didn't have the authority to remove dogs because of the way their local laws are written? I can't imagine 4 incidents being reported to this degree and nothing happening. These are the laws we need to change. We need to give animal control organizations the needed budgets to become proactive and not reactive. We need to have non-breed specific laws that empower animal control to remove dogs if they are a danger to society.

As a side note: The media keeps reporting that the dogs entered through a pet door. That is inaccurate. The dogs entered through a sliding glass door that was left open for the owner's dog to go in and out of the house.

Again, this is a tragedy that should have never happened.

The Vick Plea Bargin

I know a lot of people are happy to hear that Vick pled guilty today, I would not be one of them. I'm very disappointed in the Federal Prosecuters for cutting a sweetheart deal for Vick. In my opinion the Fed's really let Michael write his own deal and showed no back bone what so ever.

First,they have one solid case given the indictment, there were more charges that could be filed by Feds and were threatend to be filed. Vick was given a deadline and he was allowed to miss it and still keep the deal and no additional charges. Of all the charges in the indictment, he's only pled guilty to 1 of them. Rumors are they will ask for prison time to be 12-36 months.

I'm just disgusted by the actions of the US attornies, there is no excuse for such a plea bargin. I certainly hope States Attorney will come thru with set of charges against Vick and will not plea him out like the Feds. How fitting would that be, the Feds swoop in and take over the investigation because the State isn't doing a good job, moving slow. When the race ends, the Feds whimp out and fall short of the finish line with the State possibly sprinting forward to cross it with a solid case.

Vick's public statement is nothing short of insulting. He apologizes?? Apologize to all the dogs you murdered, tortured and mutilated. Apologize to the 66 dogs that will be murdered because of what you have done to them.

We can only sit back and wait for the terms and hope that the Federal Judge will show the back bone the US attornies didn't. That he will take a stand for justice given the crimes committed by Vick.

We also sit and wait to see how Mr. Goodell will handle the plea. I honestly hope Mr. Goodell will stand behind his "code of conduct" and ban vick for life. He openly lied Goodell and Blank about being involved.

This whole thing has just been sickening.