There are a lot of great things going on out there right now - -more cities looking at implementing the no kill equation and a couple potential breed ban repeals. Keep up the good work out there in your own communities, as momentum is starting to build in the right direction.
Now, onto the top news of the week.
Cities/States and Laws
Town of Ladysmith, BC is considering repealing its breed-specific languange.
The House of Lords in the UK is still discussing repealing their 20 year old breed ban.
Grande Prairie, AB is working on re-writing its dangerous dog ordinance -- part of which will be to get rid of it's breed-specific regulations.
After a lot of debate, Aberdeen, SD chooses breed-neutral legislation. They had previously had multple breeds potentially banned, but wisely chose to go breed-neutral. Most cities that take an objective look at dangerous dog laws and don't succomb to panic policy-making come to this conclusion.
After nearly a year of discussion, Mexico, MO has also decided to go with breed-neutral legislation in their community.
Texas Lawmakers are considering mandating that owners carry special insurance for all dogs over 20 lbs. The law itself is pretty silly as a person's homeowners insurance already covers them in case the dog bites someone...
Dog bites and attacks
A doctor was bitten by a German Shepherd type dog while he was running on the beach in the UK...the UK bans four different breeds of dogs and bite numbers continue to climb.
Two other dog attacks in the UK, these from out of White Haven. One child was attacked by a 'cross-breed' dog, and the other by what is believed to be a Mastiff.
An off-duty police officer fired gunshots to protect a 7 year old El Paso girl who was being bitten by a dog described as a German Shepherd/Boxer mix.
A Connecticut woman described a scene in which she and her cat were attacked by two 140 lbs Great Danes.
A postman in Fulton, MO was bitten by two 'pit bulls' that escaped from their home and attacked the postal worker.
A Nacagdoches, TX man was taken to the hospital and treated for injuries as was a police officer after the elderly man was attacked by a Blue Heeler mix.
Media Reports
In Roseburg, OR, a small dog (of unnamed breed) ate off three toes and part of the foot from a man. The man suffers from neuropathy due to diabetes and doesn't have feeling in that foot -- and thus, didn't wake up from his sleep while the dog ate of part of his foot. A local vet says the dog was likely just trying to help and was likely just trying to help clean a wound and remove dead tissue from the owner's foot. Officials don't believe the dog has to be euthanized. While this all sounds reasonable enough, it is amazing to highlight the difference between this and a nearly identical story from a couple of years ago that involved a 'pit bull' type dog that ended with a dead dog and a child's mother getting 4 years in prison and a lot of hysteria over child-eating 'pit bulls'.
In my "favorite" story of week, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports about a police department detective that was bitten by a 'pit ubll' while he was investigating a homicide. The amazing thing here is that in the fairly brief story, more than half of the editorial content is about the man getting bitten by one of 13 dogs found on the property and not about the man found dead with multiple gunshot wounds. Apparently murders are so common in Philly they are barely worth reporting on...
Miscellaneous
A dog that was used to help defuse bombs in Afghanistan died shortly after the British dog handler died in battle.
An extremely touching story about a German Shepherd that served as a seeing eye dog for a blind Spaniel. The Spaniel's owner had a surgery for the dog that allowed her to finally be able to see, and just one week after the surgery, the German Shepherd had to be euthanized due to a painful tumor. The owner suspects the GSD worked to keep himself alive just long enough for his buddy to be able to take care of herself.
Foster families nurture troubled pets -- a good story about the importance of foster homes helping with animals that need extra attention at local Kansas City Shelters.
An organization in Myrtle Beach, SC is working to bring positive attention on pit bull type dogs.
Blogs you should read
There are a lot of great blogs out there that are worth reading. I'm always looking for more suggestions -- so feel free to post others in the comments section of the roundup.
Is there always a happily ever after? -- Helen Nicholls reports on when sometimes dog behavioral issues and good intentioned trainers and dog owners can't make a home/dog work in tandem together.
A remarkable recovery for the "saddest little puppy in England" - a story of triumph from the Poodle and Dog Blog
Animal Hoarding: It's time we showed compassion to animal and human victims -- No Pit Bull Bans takes a very thought-provoking look at animal hoarding and wonders if it makes sense to recognize the animals as victims, recognize the human problem as being a disease, and yet still make felons out of the humans...
Dog attack numbers from New South Wales -- For the Pit Bulls takes a look at dog bite numbers from NSW and notes that only a small percentage of the reported dog bites ended with moe than very minor injuries....and also notes that some of the media outlets tried to use the data to create fear and hysteria in their own local communities.
Memphis Animal Control impounds a dog and kills it on the same day -- for the Pit Bulls takes a look. Pet Docs on Call has an opinion on the same story.
37 dogs gassed due to suspected skin mites -- YesBiscuit! explores a case where the Brown County (OH) Dog Warden confiscated 37 dogs from a woman's property because the animals were not properly cared for and then gassed them because they had mange. I'm not sure when "saving" dogs from bad situations only to gas them became the legal alternative but there certainly has to be a better way.
Accidents and Miracles -- Another great post from YesBiscuit! who has been on a roll of late.
They know what they know so don't give them the facts -- an outstanding blog from the Lynchburg Humane Society who's save rate is now up to 84% after being a high kill shelter just the year prior talking about how naysayers kept saying getting to no kill couldn't be done and why...and how they are proving them wrong. If you click through to just one link and read it this week, this should be it.
Legislature should tackle flawed Proposition B -- an editorial from the Columbia Missourian
Why Animal Welfare Advocates need to work with Breeders to Pass Puppy Mill Legislation -- this is a great post from Animal Ark that helps explain why the two groups working together for responsible pet breeding legislation is preferred to having one group hammer the other with a law....which is part of the reason Prop B is struggling in Missouri. If you click through to two links, this should be the other.
What is Aggression? -- Jim Crosby defines it as he comes back to blogging after a 3 year hiatus.
How many animals does HSUS actually care for? -- about 38,000 or so, via Humanewatch
The Alabama 44: This is not a Rescue -- YesBiscuit! details the Alabama 44 and how 15 of the 44 dogs "rescued" are dead.
Choose your Charity Wisely -- O is for Onward takes a look at the three large national animal rights organizations....and where you should give your money to (hint: none of the above).
Making the facts fit the theory around dog surrenders - a brilliant post from Saving Pets.
Fake service dogs -- not a good idea at all -- from the new blog Dog Safety and Danger Prevention -- by Sam the Dog Trainer
The earth is flat, pet overpopulation exists, and other myths we've been told -- from the Houston Animal Shelters Examiner
Boy that`s a good number of places set to repeal BSL.Is the message finally getting through to people?
Off to check out some of your links that I hadn`t seen before,
Good to see Jim Crosby back and great roundup as usual.
Posted by: J.M. | March 06, 2011 at 10:38 AM