This is the final Weekly Roundup edition for this week:
Detroit in the news (again) for Dog Fighting Bust
Police have 10 people under custody for suspected dog fighting. Two dogs were found fighting in the basement and an unknown number of people fled through a window.
One good thing about the Mike Vick situation is that at least it seems if more cities are attempting to bust dog fighting.
No easy problem for animal waste
This is an interesting story about Portland Oregon trying to figure out how its enviromentally conscious attitude, and love of dogs can be married together. Its citizens are concerned about the amount of dog waste that is dumped into the city's landfills...and yet, not dumping it in the landfills can be very dangerous to the environment. One solution that San Francisco is experimenting with is building small refineries that can turn dog doodie into power that can be use in place of other forms of electricity.
Animal Friends Shelter in Ohio Township uses pit bull as a spokes dog
Yet another group that shows the good side of these types of dogs...if only they would get more press vs the ones that have irresponsible owners.
Ft Wayne, IN tries to decide how to handle dog bite issues
Ok, this city of only about 250,000 people dealt with 686 (502 to people) dog bites from June 2006 to June 2007. That's a whole bunch compared to other cities. It sounds like the head of animal control is against Breed Specific legislation (a note here that it sounds like German Shepherds have the most bites) and they seem to want to work with the entire animal community to come up with a good solution. This is how the best policies are made...when the experts are invited to get involved and everyone works together to build real solutions.
Takoma Park, VA considers breed ban following attack
A 15 year old kid got attacked pretty bad by a pit bull -- so the city is now looking at a ban. One city council member states exactly what she read in a newspaper somewhere and decided it must be true so she parrotted the info:
"An untrained pit bull is like a loaded gun," said Colleen Clay, a Takoma Park City Council member . "The issue is a jaw that just clamps shut. It's just bone-crushing strong."
Two sentences and she got in the "pit bull is like a loaded gun", "clamping jaws" and "bone crushing bite". People who parrot information that they've heard others say (ESPECIALLY when the person who said it themselves wasn't an expert) is a dangerous way to pass along information. I encourage everyone to always do their own research...or meet with experts to build their decisions. Parrotting information can be extremely dangeorus and a great way to pass along blatantly wrong information.
Other articles you should read from last week:
A comparison of HSUS vs the ASPCA in how they've handled the Mike Vick case. I'm a bigger fan of the ASPCA than the author, but his analysis of HSUS as a bunch of money grubbers is right on the mark.
A story from Ontario about a person who has had her non-pit bull dogs ripped from her home due to BSL and mistaken identity. We've had many of these cases locally, but this one is well written and does a great job of telling the stories I've been seeing a lot.
Pit bull sancuary got closed down in Colorado. They had some media coverage of what they were doing to rescue pit bulls from Denver's insanity, then >strangely< started getting calls about them violating noise ordinances. The sanctuary will now get closed down...
Dog was pure muscle and all heart -- a great story about a man who loved his dog...never realizing how much he'd fall in love with his "pit bull".
Have a great week.
The parroting of information that people have heard, is causing extensive damage to "Pitbulls".
A day doesn`t go by that someone comes up to me and tells me a "fact" that they`ve been told by someone or they have read this "fact" on the Internet.
I ask them to do their own research on some of the reputable sites.(which I offer to provide).
I believe that it really does come down to this:
You`re either part of the solution or you`re part of the problem.
Please don`t repeat stories you`ve heard.They`re probably not true.
Posted by: MAC`s GANG | September 18, 2007 at 06:03 PM
Everyone should read the Cookie article...speaking of parroting information - this defies everything that is said about fighting dogs not being able to be rehabilitated. This was a champion fighting dog and has never displayed even dog aggression!? Wow...there is a argument out there that pit bulls were never really bred to be dog aggro - but their drive to please their owner is what made them a good working/fighting dog. This story sure does lead credence to that argument. Funny, I've never repeated that argument because I haven't had time to research it on my own. Wish everyone would take the time...
Posted by: Michelled | September 20, 2007 at 09:26 AM