Breed Specific Legislation (BSL)

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]BREED SPECIFIC LEGISLATION (BSL)[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Breed specific legislation is exactly what sounds like...regulation of your right
to own or, in many cases, not own a dog based solely on the breed or "type"
of dog, not your responsibility as an owner.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Breed specific ordinances are quick fixes and not a sufficient long term solution for the following reasons:[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]1. Dog problems are generally problems with owner responsibility and are not limited to breeds. When breeds are singled out as dangerous or vicious, responsibility is removed from the dog owner which is where it belongs. Irresponsible people are also less likely to follow the law - and as a result, everyone has to suffer.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]2. By limiting the ability of citizens to own certain breeds, responsible law abiding citizens will shy away from those breeds. These are the types of owners that communities need to encourage, not drive away.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]3. Communities that have instituted such bans often find that the irresponsible owners and the criminals who use dogs for illegal purposes simply switch to another breed.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]4. Breeds and mixes are hard to identify and often dogs are mis labeled and destroyed based on paranioa and prejudice and also punishes those that are good canine citizens. Many breeds function as assistance dogs for handicapped owners, search and rescue dogs, drug-sniffing dogs, police dogs, etc. and drives them out of the community. [/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The American Veterinary Medical Association and several state veterinary medical associations oppose breed-specific legislation for just this reason.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]5. Passage of laws that are only enforced through complaints cause two problems: 1) they create disrespect for the law if authorities require compliance only upon complaint, and 2) they provide ammunition for neighborhood feuds.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Suggested alternatives to breed bans include:[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]1. Stronger enforcement of existing dangerous dog laws. If they are not already in place, lobby for protection from untrained and unsupervised dogs of any breed or mix. This is a broad-based effort that protects all citizens as any dog can bite and be a nuisance when owned by an irresponsible owner. Those who would deliberately train a dog to act aggressively towards people or other animals, or to use dogs in the commission of a felony or misdemeanor should face additional penalties. [/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]2. Encourage local animal rescue and welfare agencies to provide responsible dog ownership seminars and canine safety education. The American Kennel Club has a free education program created for elementary school children.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]3. Protect the rights of all citizens with nuisance ordinances such as anti-barking, pooper scooper regulations and leash laws.[/font] Reprinted.....

 

Fighthing BSL on the national level involves several important key factors:​

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When sending in letters to senators, representatives or council members if you are titled it makes a greater impression.

There are membership organizations, such as the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, The Association of Companion Animal Councelors, American Canine Foundation and other membership organizations you can join, some have other certifications available within their organization.

Example:

Joe Smith​

2367 Front St​

St Louis MO.​

89765​

800 444 6666​

(ACABC) Association of Companion Animal Behavior Counselors​

AKC Exhibitor​

UKC Exhibitor​

Red Rock Kennels​

When writing the letter make sure you place your resume, tell your education
and what you have done regarding canine legislation, it's important because it
shows that not all Rottweiler/Pit Bull owners are criminals.

Example:

Dear Senator Thomas:

My name is Joe Smith, I'm a high school graduate with a family with three
children. I own Pitbulls and have been professionally training dogs
for 15 years in the city of St Louis. In this time I have been active in
canine legislation in various areas of the United States. (name were you
have written letters)

Remember if you are writing letters you are active in legislation
throughout the United States.

When writing a letter you need to make sure you know the reasons that the
city or state is attempting to enact the legislation. Remember you could be
in Texas and writing a letter to Florida you have to make a great impact on
the Legislator or his assistant to have your opinion taken seriously.

Before writing a letter it's always best to do your own research, via the
computer you can look up proposed ordinances and city council agenda, or
state sponsored bills. Sometimes BSL alerts do not always have all the
information needed. There are numerous websites set up for research
information to aid in preparing a letter. You can also place a call to any.

 

There are alot of manipulated statistics out there and the CDC is used to help pass BSL because it states Rottweilers and Pit Bulls are responsible for the majority of fatal attacks, this is bias infomation and only shows a certain period of years, when looked at more rationally we find mixed breeds are at the top of the fatal list. The CDC was used against us in Ohio in Toledo !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AKC has generic dog laws, Rott-n-Chatter, ACF and Eurowaf have excellent resource information placed on their websites with statistics and quotes from Dr. I Lehr Brisbin, Dr. Wagner, Dr Stur and other well known scientists.

Join up with organizations like ACF, APDT and ACABC to help promote unity.

Marcy Setter from Michigan contacted ACF for assistance when the headlines broke two weeks ago calling for the banning of APBT's at the state level,
with the aid of Jan Coopers BSL-UPDATES it placed Marcy in contact with ACF, within one phone call and a meeting with attorney Reed, ACF faxed current
scientific statitistics with research done on APBT's and other dog breeds, that along with the assistance of thousands of letters that flooded the attorney and Senator Thomas from responsible dog owners from across the US and Michigan the Senator and attorney realize the truth about BSL.

The force comes from the local residents (responsible dog owners) who do the leg work, meet with the politicians and present the facts, the support comes
from the national organizations that will stand behind the dog owners and go as far as court litigation to protect their rights, it makes for a powerful combination then when national opposition is added it insures success.

When fighting in your own state politicans receive e-mail, what they like is one letter from all their constituents (voters) in their district with all the signatures included, this keeps the e-mails from overtaking the accounts.

The whole idea is to get the representative to believe your letter, the more you quote scientific findings and current statistics the better chances you have.

Sincerely,
Glen Bui
ACF



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MORE FREEDOM KILLERS AT WORK
May 11 2005 at 6:20 AM chinadawg chinadawg (Login hawgdawgs)
Forum OwnerMay 10, 2005

Officer Lorraine Pacheco didn't know what to expect Monday - the first day of Denver Animal Control's enforcement of the city's ban on owning pit bulls.

"At first, I was like, do I even want to come into work today," Pacheco said from behind the wheel of her city-issued white van.

"People not wanting to give up their dogs, saying 'I love my dog, why are you taking him?' It's not a witch-hunt."

It is the law, though.

The Denver District Court ruled this year that an ordinance passed in April 2004 was legal, and about 200 owners of pit bulls were notified by mail that they would have to turn over their dogs beginning Monday.

Doug Kelly, director of the Denver animal shelter, said that, as of early Monday evening, 12 pit bulls were in custody after owners either relinquished them or they were picked up by officers such as Pacheco."We really didn't know what to expect," he said. "We were prepared for a higher caller volume."

Of those dozen dogs, he said six will likely be euthanized after 24 hours. The others, which the city picked up, will be traced back to their owners, he said. If the owners had previous pit bull violations, the dogs won't be returned and will be euthanized. If the dogs had no prior violations, the owners will have the opportunity to relocate them outside the county of Denver.

William Hollowell had received a notice and gave up his dog voluntarily when animal control officers arrived Monday afternoon.

Three animal control vans parked outside his brick house while his dog, Bandit, jumped and barked inside a small fenced area of the backyard."I'll get him," Hollowell said quietly as animal control officials closed in with wrangling equipment.

The 50-year-old with long dreadlocks opened the fence's door a crack and slipped behind the chain-link door separating the officers from the snarling dog. He calmly put a chain leash on Bandit and started to walk him out. Bandit struggled at first, lunging in different directions before his owner picked him up and brought him to the back of the van. In the background, two American bulldogs barked loudly.

"I'm definitely sad," Hollowell said. "He's like a member of my family. There's going to be a lot of sad people."

Pacheco said because Hollowell voluntarily gave up the dog, he wouldn't be ticketed. The fine for violating the city ordinance is up to $999 and/or a year in jail.

As they were finishing loading up the dog, and Officer Frank Jimenez was explaining to Hollowell his options, Pacheco got another call about a pit bull running loose in a Montbello neighborhood.

When she and Jimenez arrived about a half-hour later, the home in question had no evidence of a dog. The woman who answered the door when Pacheco knocked wasn't too happy to see them, either.

Between a flurry of obscenities, the woman said she gave up the pit bull days ago. A little girl inside the doorway to the house mentioned it might be in the basement. Officers asked her if they could look there.

"I don't have no dogs," the woman yelled. "There ain't no dogs in the basement. You want to search the house, get a warrant. And then I'll sue you."

Keri Lafave, a neighbor, said the black pit bull had been running loose in the neighborhood earlier in the day. However, she said the dog wasn't mean.

Both Jimenez and Pacheco called Denver police officers for backup and, while they waited for the squad cars to arrive, they stood watch by the backyard in case the woman tried to flee with a pit bull. When the officers arrived, the woman refused entrance to her house and Pacheco said a warrant would have to be issued.

"I've been called everything in the book," she said as she got in the van and drove away. "I just try and tell them I'm just doing my job."

monterod@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-892-5236


First our dogs then our guns!!! This is so frustrating! How can this be the America I grew up in? Too many judicial legislators in the world today, just like the Terry Shiavo case, these judges making last minute legislation to appease certain groups MUST live under the law themselves.

 

Nice Thread Very Imformative.

 

i can't believe they make people give up their dogs, how can this possibly fix any problems, i tell you what if they ever try and pull this bullshit in philly they can take me to jail,

 

If you are interested in a case that may change the constitutionality of BSL then look into the law suit against Lanett Alabama. If won it would over rule all BSL in the US. The hardest fighting group in all of dogdom the ACF is on the case and is very confident of it ability to change the way these close minded cities have been acting. Or they will have to change the constitution.

 

Maybe they should make pit and all dog owners micro chip and register their dogs with the chip company and then if dead or live dogs are found they can go back home if appropriate or maybe an investigation can get underway. If the dogs dont read then fine their ass. Chip can be as cheap as $20 registared.

 

I think that america (bush) is more involved and worried about other countries freedom than our own.were fighting in other countries for their civilians freedom but happend to our own freedom in our country.the forigners imagrating to our country have more freedom than all of us who were born here. I think that the goverment should sit down and re think this whole land of the free thing.its more like the land of what constatoshin and no freedom.its all a bunch of crap if you ask me.

 

I have a question. In my town the aldermen are looking into a new dog ordinance that spicifically states how to keep your pibull. I called the alderman that is researching this and he has an odinance drawn up . It does not bann the pits, but is really strict like saying things like pits taken out for walks must be muzzled. That I don't agree with. I do agreed with how you will have to pin up your dog with a 10x10 with floor and some type of roofing, but it also states any owners that have their pit picked up that the dog is to put down ASAP. Meaning say if some how my dog gets away from me and he is picked up or my roof is off my dogs pin and they get him he will be put to sleep with no chance of getting him back. What do you say to this how do you reply. This has not passed yet. but we recently had the news do a bit on one of my friends dog after a lady went to the board room and told the aldermen she was scared to mow her back yard. Just because he has a pit in his back yard and she said everyone has a right to do what they want, but him owning a pitbull infringed on her rights.

 

Where was this taken from? I want to use some of the info in it for a speech, but I need a source.

 

Search through here... http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=BREED+SPECIFIC+LEGISLATION+(BSL)+2004&btnG=Google+Search

 

that is so sad im glad that there is no bsl law where i live i would die with out my babies

 

update....

April 14, 2006...

***LOS ANGELES RESIDENTS...vote for DAVIANN MITCHELL FOR JUDGESHIP!!!!***
Lets come together and support a woman who actively fights to stop gang activity, domestic abuse AND is a breed ambassador for the Rottweiler!</FONT>
Mitchell4Judge.com

</FONT>LOS ANGELES</FONT> LA County Proposal

</FONT></FONT>CALIFORNIA</FONT> American Canine Foundation files federal complaints on SB861

</FONT>COLORADO BSL proposals

ILLINOIS Proposed Legislation

LEVENWORTH KANSAS Looking at banning PIT BULLS!!!!

KENTUCKY Latest proposals & Louisville news!

</FONT>MISSOURI BSL proposals

</FONT>NEW MEXICO, SANTA FE COUNTY Looking at BSL

</FONT>TENNESSEE, BEDFORD COUNTY Looking at BSL

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I need more information about the new laws that will affect owning a Pit Bull. Since this is one of my english assignments that is due on the 8th of May. I have to write a persuasion paper for or against the new laws banning Pit Bulls. Of course my paper will be against banning since my son owns a beautiful Pit bull female, my girlfriend also owns a male. I have seen some that are very mean and a lot more that are not. It depends on the owner and not the dog and that is in any breed. But in doing this paper I would like to have facts and not just what I have experience. If you know of any more sites that I can get dependable information please let me know. Thank You.