News
County seeks to remove breed ban protection
October 23, 2007, 12:21AM MT
By Kathy schnicklefritznobody
HB 101 seeks to remove the protection against legislation based on breed alone.
HB 101 seeks to remove the protection against legislation based on breed alone.
While it's understood that there is a problem with what may be perceived as "dangerous dogs" running amok in various counties, the true problem lies with the owners of these dogs.
Irresponsible owners who keep their dogs intact, who chain their dogs (which often leads to aggression; and certainly causes loneliness), allow their dogs to run free with no leadership from the owner and/or those who do not have their dogs properly trained. Any one of these scenarios can cause undesired behaviors to surface and are the real issues that should be addressed. There are no inherently dangerous dogs.
Dogs of any breed, tend to become what their owner desires orallows them to be.
Does a Breed Ban (BSL) really work?
According to the Center For Disease Control (CDC):
http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/duip/dogbreeds.pdf
A few excerpts:
~ "Breed-specific legislation does not address the fact that a dog of any breed can become dangerous when bred or trained to be aggressive."
~ "An alternative to breed-specific legislation is to regulate
individual dogs and owners on the basis of their
behavior. Although, it is not systematically reported, our
reading of the fatal bite reports indicates that problem
behaviors (of dogs and owners) have preceded attacks in
a great many cases and should be sufficient evidence for
preemptive action. Approaches to decreasing dangerous
dog and owner behaviors are numerous."
~ "Generic non–breed-specific, dangerous dog laws
can be enacted that place primary responsibility for a
dog's behavior on the owner, regardless of the dog's
breed."
~ "teaching owners about the importance of socialization
and training may decrease their likelihood of owning a
dog that will eventually bite."
Some people feel that if dogs such as Pit Bulls are banned, this will alleviate the majority of the problem. This only affects law abiding and responsible dog owners, however; because those with malicious intentions will still acquire them in spite of a ban.
Best Friends Animal Society has proved numerous times that breed bans just do not work; here is just one example:
http://network.bestfriends.org/stopbsl/news/19432.html
It appears that the answer is clear; if Florida considered incentives for owners to spay/neuter their dogs, plus various programs to help owners in socialization and training, and focused on creating (as well as enforcing) stronger laws which held the owner responsible for the acts of their dog, the state of Florida could be a safe place for all concerned.
To learn more about BSL, and how it affects communities:
http://network.bestfriends.org/animallawcoalition/news/14060.html
http://network.bestfriends.org/animallawcoalition/news/14095.html
http://network.bestfriends.org/colorado/news/8795.html
http://network.bestfriends.org/colorado/news/8809.html
http://network.bestfriends.org/colorado/news/8841.html
What you can do:
Read HB 101:
http://tinyurl.com/ysvwj2
Sign the petition-
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/stop-breed-specific-legislation-in-florida
Contact your Representatives:
http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/SEctions/Representatives/representatives.aspx
Contact Rep Thurston (author of HB 101)
E-mail: perry.thurston@myfloridahouse.gov
Capitol Office:
1401 The Capitol
402 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300
Phone: (850) 488-1084
District Office:
603 NW 7th Terrace
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311-7310
Phone: (954) 762-3746
Posted by Kathy Gorish, Best Friends Network
Photo is of Nikki & Tiger, both in need of a home.
http://search.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=9204605