KC DOG BLOG

Some Thoughts about Omaha and Clarification about Council Bluffs

I'm late getting on this story because I was out of town most of last week.  However, I wanted to double back because I think there is a lot of mis-informtion out there from the Omaha media that I want to tighten up.

Last week, a 15 month old girl was attacked by a dog that is described as a 'pit bull' when her mom was walking down the street with her and her brother in tow in a wagon.  The dog was out being walked by its owner and got free and attacked the family...with the young girl receiving the brunt of the attack. 

Like all pit bull attacks it seems, the question then almost instantly goes to "should we ban them". This is never the response when a Lab, Golden Retriever or German Shepherd bites...only pit bulls.  And so the media is there to stir the controversy.  What is disturbing is the 1/2 truths they are using to stir the pot.

So most of the media outlets are using Council Bluffs (which is right across the river from Omaha) as their case study of whether or not a ban would be an effective way to go.  According to this source, and this one the ban in Council Bluffs is working well. The stories both point to the decrease in bites by 'pit bulls' as proof that the ordinance is working.  Which is only part of the story.  And I want people to know the ENTIRE story, because I've never feared people getting their information from multiple sources because if people get the entire, accurate picture of what is going on out there, they'll side that this type of legislation will not work. 

So let's look at Council Bluff's bite numbers to see what's going on there. These numbers were emailed to me by the animal control director there, so they'll be consistent with anything else that he would send out.

2003 (no ban in place):

Total Dog Bites: 85

Bites by Pit Bulls: 15

Bites by ALL other breeds: 70

Lab Bites: 4

Boxer Bites: 1

German Shepherd Bites: 5

2004 was a really bad year in Council Bluffs, and what ended up creating their breed Ban:

2004:

Total Dog Bites: 131 (54% increase)

Pit Bull Bites: 29 (93% increase)

All other Dog Bites: 102 (46% increase)

Labs: 14 (250% increase)

Boxers: 1 (flat)

German Shepherds: 12 (140% increase)

So in 2005, they passed BSL, marking the first year of their pit bull ban:

2005:

Total Dog Bites: 115

Pit Bull Bites: 12

All other dog bites: 103

Lab Bites: 20

Boxer Bites: 1

German Shepherd Bites: 11

So overall, they decrease pit bull bites, but all others remained at their record high levels. 

2006:

Total Dog Bites: 132

Pit Bull Bites: 6

All other Dog Bites: 126 (ouch! -- that's a 24% increase)

Lab Bites: 23

Boxers: 12

German Shepherds: 12

Then, 2007:

Total Dog Bites: 98 (finally a decrease, still not to 2003 pre-ban levels, but we're not at record highs either)P

Pit Bull Bites: 2

All other breeds: 96

Labs: 14

Boxers: 5

German Shepherds: 13

Analysis:

It is highly annoying that the entire Omaha media market is insisting on feeding the public only a portion of the information that is available on the Council Bluffs pit bull ban as Council Bluffs is Omaha's closest neighbor.  It makes you wonder (or not) what their agenda might be. Of COURSE their pit bull bites went down. They've killed hundreds, if not thousands of those types of dogs, and hundreds more owners have fled the city. The question shouldn't be "did pit bull bites go down", but "did public safety improve?"

 Council Bluffs instituted their ban after a really bad 2004 -- a year which was an outlier from previous years.  For two straight years while enforcing the ban, they saw their bite numbers stay near, or exceed, their really bad 2004.  2007 has seen a minor correction downward, but still well above their "normal" levels of 2003 and before. The city has stated that they have not had another breed take the place of the biting pit bulls...but what they have seen is an overall increase in several different breeds of dogs that have increased bite rates. 

Omaha had a very scary attack. They plan to look into policies to improve public safety.  There are many case studies out there...like Calgary for instance, that highlight effective policies to improve overall public saftey.  But they should look at it as a public safety issue, instead of a pit bull issue...because what good is getting rid of pit bull bites if you don't have a net increase in public safety?  More to come on this I'm sure.

Update:  Looks like the mayor has formed a committee including members of the police force, the local humane society, a member of the mayor's office and city council members.

Want more evidence about media hyperbole and pit bulls?

Lassie Get Help has a great breakdown of an "attack" of a school girl in Seattle and the men who "saved her life" - -and then comparing the media story to the actual police report.

It's pretty amazing that this story, which involved a little girl, a puppy, some shoe laces and a couple of scratches got blown up into a big media story.  And you wonder why people who actually know what they're talking about are quick to dismiss "studies" based on newspaper reports?

Apparently the original hat tip goes to the folks at Bad Rap.

Weekly Roundup, Week ending 6/29/08

 I had a bit of a tough week with work travel and typepad deciding that they wanted to "upgrade" some software.  There were quite a few big stories that I still haven't gotten to that I'm going to cover off on later under separate headers (it makes it easier for me, and you, to find them later).  Here's a rundown of the top stories for the week:

In praise of 'pit bulls'

Here are a couple of follow up editorials following the article about the "mixed" results of KCMO's mandatory spay/neuter of pit bulls.  While Kim's responses are always worthy of a good chuckle (she has a way with colorful language), it's Stephanie's that I really want to highlight. She thanks everyone involved in KCMO's ordinance because, hey, it could have been an even worse law.  Yes folks, it has come to this.  We're thanking people for creating only minorly ignorant ordinances.

Americans Need to understand canine behavior

Well renouned Russian dog trainer Vladae Roytapel offers his advise for Americans in light of the large number of reports of dog attacks. "While many cities and states focus on breed bans and stronger aggressive dog laws, we need to be focusing on the relationship between the dog and the owner."

It always comes back to that now doesn't it?

Alvarado TX Animal Control Officer attacked by 165 lbs dog

The officer was trying to deal with a snake and knocked on a woman's door to ask to borrow a gardening tool.  The woman's Great Dane rushed out the door and bit the officer.

Elsah (IL) boy attacked by pit bull

The nine year old boy was playing ball with some friends in his yard when the ball he was playing with went over the fence into the neighbor's back yard.  The boy jumped the fence into the back yard and was attacked by the dog that was there.  Folks, teach your kids to not go into neighbor's back yards, and have them ask the neighbor to retrieve the ball for them. Not that the dog SHOULD have attacked, but it's sort of understandable that it did.

Lorain, OH Boy attacked by 'pit bull'

Lorain, OH has had more than its share of significant attacks over the past couple of years. In this case, a boy was out playing with his dog when a stray or off leash 'pit bull' came up to "attack' his dog.  The boy tried to pick up the puppy and at the same time the pit bull bit the boy. If people are vigilant about calling in about stray dogs, and animal control is diligent about picking them up, attacks like this can be avoided.  By the way, the dog is not in custody so it is uncertain who identified the type of dog responsible for the attack.

Shooting over pit bull puppy in Bowman, SC

This story is pretty horribly written, so I'm a bit unsure what happened. However, it appears as if one many shot another in broad daylight in the IGA grocery store parking lot over a pit bull puppy. Which of course begs the question, how can anyone think that the dogs are the more violent of the two species?  It's always the owners...

Olathe, KS man found guilty of dog fighting

Olathe -- Reginald Anderson, 31, was found guilty of dog fighting and cruelty to animals following his arrest on June 14, 2007.  He also pled guilty of three felony drug charges.  Sixteen of the 19 dogs died or were euthanized following their confiscation due to their poor health conditions.  The city will now euthanize the remaining three dogs.

Independence, MO changes pet limit law

The city is looking at drafing at new pet limit law.  The current law allows no more than 2 dogs and 2 cats. The new law would allowing up to 4 animals, regardless of species. Overly restrictive pet limit laws are vey costly to cities because they make it very difficult for shelters and rescue groups to have foster families for dogs and cats.  Foster families are imperitive to the adoption process becasue they increase the overflow of shelter space.  The end result of restrictive pet limits ends up being increased euthanasia in the city shelters.

Custer, WA boy gets facial surgery following "dog bite"

The 15 month old toddler was playing with the family's Rottweiler/Labrador Retriever mix when the dog bit off a portion of the child's nose.  The boy is having reconstructive surgery to repari this torn nose.

Three year old girl in Carbondale, IL attacked by "dog"

The girl has a 12 hour surgery to move tendons and an artery from her arm to be used to reconstruct an area of her face after being attacked by an American Bulldog this week. The dog belonged to some friends of her family. It is unclear whether or not the dog was familiar with the girl.

Controversy over a pit bul lthat was put down in Albuquerque Shelter

Someone was interested in adopting the dog, and yet, the shelter put the dog down. The dog had been temperament tested twice in its six weeks at the shelter, and then supposedly, amazingly, overnight, developed aggression issues.  Local activists think the dog was killed by the shelter because of its breed and because they didn't want it adopted out.

Nebraska man used machete to kill pit bull

A 32 year old Lincoln, NE man apparently attacked and killed a pit bull with a mechete following an argument between roommates. The veterinarian that analyzed the dog said it looked like someone held the dog on the floor and tried to chop its head off. Again, I ask, is there any doubt who the more violent species is?

"Pit bull" attacks small child

A one-year old Greensboro, NC girl was bitten by the family pit bull.  The girl was bitten when she tried to touch one of the dog's newborn puppies.  This is of course a common canine behavior....that people need to know and pay attention to.  The type of dog is again, as always, irrelevant.

40 dogs seized in Johnson County, TX

40 dogs, all supposedly 'pit bulls', were confiscated from a home near Mansfield, TX. Four of the dogs were dead, 36 of them had scars, were malnourished and had pans of dirty, stagnant water.  Good for the authorities for rescuing these dogs from cruelty and neglect.

Two dogs die from poisoning at Toronto dog park

At least six dogs have become sick, and two are dead, as police think someone put antifreeze in the drinking fountain at the park where there has been some argument over whether dogs should be allowed off-leash in the area.

Lake County, FL Boy attacked by "dog"

The six year old boy was attacked by his grandmother's Chow/Yellow Labrador mix. The dog was chained up at the time of the attack.

More violence in Lincoln, NE

A 49 year old man fired a crossbow at his neighbor in an argument over the breed of the neighbor's dog. The owner said the dog was 'pit bull', while the crossbow weilding neighbor said it was a labrador. The man was so upset that he fired a crossbow at the dog owner.  As with most things, there HAS to be more to the story than this, but again, let's ask, which species is the most violent?

Here's a well-written article on the Lakewood BSL Attempt

The editorial that ran in the Whitehall newspaper lays out some excellent facts and case studies of the ineffectiveness of BSL in many areas.  Well done...

Ugliest Dog winner

Three legs, 1 eye, no hair. This Chinses Crested is the ugliest dog. 

Local Kansas City Group searches the streets for uncared for animals

The Pet Assistance program and Spay/Neuter Kansas City continues to do animal control's job in this city by going into the city and helping educate owners on how to humanely keep their dogs. Dogs are often found with in their own waste, with dirty water, and coated with flies.  The group works with these owners on how to keep their dog in better conditions.

The attacks in the UK continue

A young boy was attacked by a Japanese Akita.  Their dangerous dog ordinance that banned pit bulls (and 3 other breeds) continues to show itself as completely ineffective at protecting the public because it never addressed this as an owner issue.

6 year old girl mauled by shelter dog

A family was at the Alameda County (CA) animal shelter trying to pick out a new pet for their family. The family was meeting a lot of new animals and then, all of a sudden, a dog jumped up on the 6 year old girl and started attacking her. The girl thankfully did not lose eyesight to her eye, but apparently her tear duct was destroyed in the attack. The dog involved in the attack was a Border Collie/Labrador mix.  This is a really distubing story for a lot of reasons -- primarily because shelter dogs have all usually been temperament tested to be sure this type of thing doesn't happen. This is a very rare occurance, so people, please feel comfortable taking your family to a shelter to adopt.

Lakewood, OH continues to get pushback from idea of pit bull ban

Another meeting, another 60 people came to the meeting to speak up against the ordinance.  Apparently only one person spoke in favor of the ordinance. While councilman Brian Powers continues to claim he is doing something to protect the citizens of Lakewood and tries to dismiss the opponents of the ordinance as "out of towners", the residents of Lakewood continue to show up en masse against the ordinance. The residents there are fighting hard, and no doubt that if they weren't, this ordinance would be passed by now. Keep up the good fight in Lakewood.

Titusville, FL Woman Dead, following attack by dogs

A 74 year old Titusville, FL woman, Loraine May, was found dead on Thursday following what appeared to be a major dog attack.  The woman died due to "blunt force trauma" to her head, and dog bites all over her body that were too numerous to count. The two dogs involved in the attack are described as a Golden Retriever/Labrador mix and an Austrailian Shepherd mix.

Neighbors said the Golden Retriever/Labrador mix was known to be aggressive and said that the two dogs regularly fought with each other.  Police believe May died while trying to intervene in a fight between the two dogs.  There was a third dog in the home, a Cocker Spaniel, that is not believed to be involved in the attack.

I'm sure we'll hear more about the story in the coming days -- and I'll keep updates current on this particular post, but based on the current evidence there are several things we could learn from Ms. May's death, if we choose to:

1) Dog aggression toward other dogs, while not terribly common, is not isolated to certain breeds or types of dogs.

2) If your dog has aggression issues, you MUST deal with those issues to temper the behavior.  Get a trainer if you must.  Not doing so can put you and others in danger.

3) Major attacks by dogs on people are almost never their first sign of aggressive behavior.

4) Until we start talking about dog attacks as DOG issues, instead of breed specific issues, people will continue to ignore issues that put people's lives in danger.  We MUST start talking about aggressive canine behavior as a canine issue, because it is.  When we talk about "breed" we cause people to not understand the real issues and don't educate them on real life situations.  That's when tragedies like this one occur.

My heart goes out to Loraine May's family as they deal with this tragedy.

UPDATE:  7/3 -- This story ended up getting picked up by 20 or so media outlets throughout the state of Florida. But none outside of the state. This is a dramatic difference from the attack last week in Weslaco that was picked up by over 140 media outlets across the country, including many major news outlets like CNN and MSNBC.

Yakima (WA) sees rash of dog attacks

 Yakima, WA has had five significant dog attacks this week. The first, involved a five year old boy that was badly mauled by a Rottweiler.  On Tuesday, Karen Garcia was attacked by what is described as a German Shepherd/Mastiff mix while she was out walking her dogs. The city has also seen a 20 year old woman attacked by dogs, and two dogs shot by police officers in separate incidences, one identified as a "pit bull" the other as a Mastiff.

All of this in a city where pit bulls and American Bulldogs have been banned for 20 years.

This has some in the city thinking that maybe they should expand the the list of breeds that should be banned.

Yakima still has a dog bite problem...even with a ban.  Why?  Because they never addressed the ownership issues that actually CAUSE dog attacks.  So it's no suprise that irresponsible owners have different breeds of dogs now.  It's also no suprise that no one really seems to get why dogs attack (because we've taught them that dogs attack because they're pit bulls instead of dealing with the real issues here).

Interestingsly, if you watch the video to this story, it notes at the end that each of the first three dogs were chained for most of their lives. 

I'm not a fan of using individual stories and press reports to prove points, but I think the ongoing problems in Yakima are even more of a sign that BSL doesn't work to protect the general public from dog attacks...becasue breed isn't a primary determinent of attacks. If only people would get it...

Kansas City BSL Mandatory Spay/Neuter and supporting it in spite of the evidence

There was an interesting article on the front page of the Kansas City Star regarding the nearly 2-year report on Kansas City's law that mandated the spay/neuter 'pit bull' type dogs.  The article calls the results "mixed" but that's being pretty gracious (or misleading).  The numbers are similarly on track to the numbers I reported 3 months ago.  

According to the article, the number of 'pit bulls' impounded since August 2006 (when the ordinance was passed, even though it didn't go into effect until December of the same year) was 4,000 dogs (in about a 22 month time window).  In the 25 months prior to the ordinance being enacted, the number of 'pit bulls' brought into the shelter was 2,600. If you amortize out the intakes (182 per month), that would be 4,550 killed in 25 months.  That's a 75% increase in impounded pit bulls since the ordinance took effect.

The number of 'pit bulls killed went from 1600 in the 25 months prior to the ordinance to 2,500 in the 22 months following the ordinance (2841 if you amortize out over 25 months) -- a 77.5% increase.

The number of bites has remained virtually the same (consistent with my numbers).

The Humane Society of the United States estimates that each animal brought into an animal control facility, held for the minimum of 5 days, and then euthanized, costs $117 per animal. So with an increase of 1,241 animals over 25 months that are euthanized cost the taxpayers of Kansas City about $145,000 in fees just for containing and killing these dogs.  In 2005 our animal control department only answered 20% of its calls, and according to Mike Schumacher (who oversees animal control), there is currently a 4 hour response time for animal control calls because of poor staffing.  This year, our city also cut funding for the Zoo and other services while Mayor Funkouser suggested closing the shelter due to a lack of funds.  So AC is spending a LOT of money that could have been used to hire or train several more animal control officers or for a host of other services our city desperately needs.  Where is the oversight on spending?

Interestingly, the article in the Star spent most of its time interviewing the two organizations (Kansas City Animal Control and Spay/Neuter Kansas City) that supported the ordinance two years ago while leaving the opponents, like Kansas City Dog Advocates that testified before the council on this ordinance, completely out of the discussion. And somehow the supporters looked at these numbers and declared that the ordinance is showing signs of working.

"All I can explain to you is that we obviously impound more, and the more we get off the street, the less we'll have out there," said Patrick Egberuare, the new head of animal control (Mr. Egberuare was not involved in getting this ordinance passed, those honors go to his new boss Mr. Schumacher). 

The only thing I can take from this quote is that if we kill them all now, there will be fewer to kill later, which will help our kill numbers. ????

Michelle Dormandy, who runs Spay/Neuter Kansas City and also supported the ordinance originally, also found upside.

"If it wasn't for the ordinance, we wouldn't have spayed and neutered as many as we have, but the downside to the ordinance is that there are more dying."

Isn't the point of spaying and neutering to decrease the killing? So if your increasing the killing to increase spay/neuters, is that an improvement?  Really? So other than that pesky dying, it's going great!

The article completely ignores that the city has also had several problems with taking people's animals for not being neutered and accidentally killing them in the shelter, even when the owner agreed to get the animal spayed/neutered.

Here's the thing folks. Enforcing the law is having the following effects:

1) Animal Control is going out and confiscating and killing dogs because they aren't altered (or in some cases, not licensed). 

2) Because the shelter is overflowing with animals, the 75% increase in impounded pit bulls has led to a 77% increase in the number of pit bulls killed (even though the ordinance was supposed to have the opposite effect).

3) There is no evidence to support that we are even denting the overall population of dogs, as many of these owners are now going out and getting new dogs -- which is increasing the demand for bred dogs (it seems unlikely that these people are running out and adopting dogs at the local shelter that just killed their previous dog).

4) The law has had no impact on the number of dog bites.  This isn't increasing public safety so what is the point besides wasting time and resources?

5) All of this has come at a large price to taxpayers, and with a huge waste of animal control resources -- a department that like so many in the city is inefficient, ineffective, and underfunded.

And yet somehow this is seen as "mixed" results? 

Mayor Funkhouser, the city council and taxpaying citizens of KCMO should demand a full, independent audit of this department, its policies and its practices.  Increasing citizen satisfation with city services was a campaign promise of the Mayor and animal control has been broken for far too long. 

Reminder: Redemption Book Club Night #2 Tonight!

Don't forget.  Night two of the redemption book club is tonight at the KCMO Public Library Waldo Branch (201 East 75th Street).  The discussion tonight will center around creating an action plan for continuing to build Kansas City into a no-kill community.

Meet and greet is from 6-6:30, with the discussion going from 6:30 to 8:00.

Come join us as we discuss how to save the lives of animals in our community.

For more information, go to KCDogAdvocates.org

Weekly Roundup, Week Ending 6/21/08

Wow. Not only did I miss last week, but there was a TON of stuff to talk about this week. I'm not going to post as many comments as usual this week to try to keep things a little bit more manageable.  Here's the extended rundown:

Four month old baby mauled by "dog"

You probably missed this one since it happend the same day as the fatality in Wesleco, but a 4 month old Waco boy was seriously mauled by a Rottweiler. The mother went to go take a shower and left the dog (who the owner warned animal control that it was aggressive toward strangers and loaded it up in the animal control vehicle for them) alone with the young boy. Consistently chained dogs, unsupervised dogs with young children and stray dogs -- take care of these three things and you'll get a huge handle on the dog bite epidemic.  Interesting here that the breed of the dog at play wasn't mentioned in the headline, yet every single one of the 200+ media sources that picked up the fatality earlier this week noted the type of dog in the headline...

3-year old Carbondale (IL) girl hospitalized after "dog' attack

The "dog" was an American Bulldog -- no reason for the attack was reported.

Burly, ID drops plans to ban 'pit bulls'

The council unanimously voted to table the bill.  Councilman Dennis Curtis said he didn't think the bill could be enforeced.

Even Vaugh Egan, who proposed the ban, voted it down noting "the bottom line is irresponsible dog owners."

Latino dog owner Javier Martinez said "To put a ban on the breed itself is a pretty outlandish stereotype. It's like saying Latinos are more aggressivve than whites."

Ban Bill, Not Dogs

This is a pretty funny and well-written article referring to Tyrone Yates' Ohio bill (that has already been dropped in committee) and why it's a bad idea. Here's a snippet:

"There is no doubt pit bulls have a bad reputation because they've been bred for aggressiveness, are often owned by drug dealers, and are used in dog-fighting operations. But proposing to ban an entire breed, let alone several breeds ...is not a conversation starter. It's ridiculous. In fact, it's a little like disbarring University of Toledo-trained lawyers because one alumnus proposes a stupid law. Then again, a ban on one particular UT law school alumnus might not be such a bad idea in this case."

Edina, MO bans pit bulls and Rottweilers from the city

The community of 1,143 people banned these two types of dogs.  No reason was given for the decison.

Electric City Husky declared dangerous

The dog apparently attacked and killed a neighbor's cat.

48th Columbus Mail Carrier to be bitten by a dog this year

48 mail carriers in Columbus have been bitten so far this year. Says Steve Rennick, who is the lead safety specialist for the Postal Service.  "It's a mix of dogs; it's not necessarily a pit bull attack. It's all different breeds, but the common thread is that they are unrestrained and continue to bite our carriers." Loose dogs are one of the three most likely criteria in dog attacks.

Cincinnati fails to overturn Breed Specific Dangerous Dog Law

They will continue to pull their police resources from their normal duties in order to attempt to enforce their crazy legislation. 

BSL Alert, Maysville, KY looks at breed specific legislation

They are looking at this following a bite that barely broke the skin...

Baby's genitals torn off in "dog" attack

The mother left her one month old baby alone with the Poodle/Carin Terrier mix. The dog had attacked the baby (my guess, smelling a dirty diaper) and tore off the baby's diaper and genitals. Unsupervised young children with dogs are commonly victims of dog attacks.

Police shoot and kill "dog" at drug bust

For the life of me, I'll never figure out why a dog being shot at a drug bust is the headline of the story (what about the drugs?).  In this case, the "dog" is a German Shepherd that "got spooked and attacked" when police came through the door.  The "got spooked" editorial is a nice addition too. The event happened here in Kansas City.

8 month old boy in Pataskala, NJ bitten in face by "family dog"

The dog is described as a "mutt".

"Dog" quarantined after allegedly biting girl

The Boxer allegedly bit a girl that was riding her bike home from the Memorial Day Parade.  The girl was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Puppy dies from dog attack at dog park in Stow (OH?)

The 4 1/2 month old Maltese/Poodle Mix was attacked and killed by a standard sized Poodle.  The city is planning on creating a separate entrance to the small dog park and the large dog park to prevent future incidences.

Man chooses wrong yard to try to rob

Someone tried to break into a UK family's garden and ended up running into their Bull Mastiff. It's kind of an interesting article that has some good info about Bull Mastiffs. The dog weighed just under 22 stone, so approximately 300 pounds.

Pit bull jumps into moving car

A Kirksville, MO man got an uninvited guest in his car when a full grown 'pit bull' jumped into his moving car. The dog jumped into the passenger side window as the car was moving.The dog was completely friendly, but apparently looking to go for a ride.  The man turned the dog over to police without incident.

Mosinee, WI OK's Dangerous Dog Ordinance

They chose a breed neutral ordinance over the one specifying restrictions for 'pit bulls' because they listened to the constituents of their city.

Dog bites man at tow's transfer station

A Wilton, ME man was bitten by a yellow lab that escaped from the vehicle he was in and attacked the man.  They are looking for thw dog's owner to see if the dog had its vaccinations.

Child has serious injuries after dog attack

This attack is from Lubbock, TX.  The dog was tethered and the 10-year old child got to close to the dog and was attacked. The breed of dog was not specified, but it doesn't matter, as we know the cause of the attack. Turns out the dog was a 'pit bull', and the boy was out mowing the yard of the owner of the dog. Apparently the boy's mower died right in front of the dog and the dog lunged at him and bit him. So even better, now we have a tethered dog and a loud lawnmower going right up close to him...

Alternative to pit bull law appears to have legs

The Whitehall City Council, that wisely voted down a law prohibiting ownership of 'pit bulls', is looking at a breed neutral ordinance.  According to Councilman Robert Baily, who proposed the new ordinance, the goal of the ordinance is as much to educate people about the proper treatment of animals as it is to protect the public (although I'll note that if you do the former, the latter automatically happens).  "The ordinance is a tool, not a weapon," he said.

Charges filed in dog bite incident

Two dogs in East Liverpool, OH attacked a 14 year old girl.  The two dogs in the attack were both off-leash and were described as a Bulldog and a Labrador.

Boy mauled in "Dog" Attack

The Deerfield Township (MI) boy was attacked by what is described as a usually friendly St. Bernard...the reason for the dog's attack is unknown.

14 'pit bulls' removed from house in Dewitt, NY

Nine of the dogs were puppies, the others adultes. The dogs were confiscated from the home although police did not say why they were searching the residence or why the dogs were taken.  According to the SPCA official there, there was no evidence of dog fighting or other criminal activiy. There may well have been a reason for this, but the commonality of cities violating constitutional search and seizure practices is very disturbing.

30 dogs seized in possible dogfighting operation in Chicago

Visicble scars and bite marks were on a good number of the dogs.

Provo, UT appears to be favoring breed neutral dog law

They appear to be looking at a two-tiered system that would label dogs as "dangerous" if they had bitten, mennaced attacked or killed a person or domestic animal, or 'at risk" (I'm assuming based on having menacing behavior).  The city briefly considered restrictions on just 'pit bulls', but there realized that less 10% of their animal bites were by 'pit bulls' "although many more people reported problems with pit bulls when they were really other breeds."  You don't say. People are not particularly adept at knowing breeds of dogs...and because of public perception, appear very likely to call an aggressive dog a 'pit bull' when it really is not.  Which is why so many of the bite stats you see are innacurate because they're based on people's breed ID in newspaper reports -- which aren't all that accurate.

Baxter, AR has first ever no-kill month at their shelter

Huge congrats to this group that is working hard to become a no-kill shelter facility and doing so while not restricting which animals come into the shelter.

Meanwhile, in Helena, AR, they tow the "we have to kill" line

The shelter puts down 61% of the 8500 dogs and cats it brings in each year.  Meanwhile the shelter continues to to trumpet HSUS lines about the irresponsible public, overpopulation, etc.  Meanwhile, the shelter kills all the Ferel Cats that come into the shelter instead of instituting a TNR program.  They also only have a 10% return rate for dogs coming into the shelter.  Might I recommend the book Redemption for the folks at this shelter.

Denton, TX "Pit Bull" dies from heat exhaustion

The dog was left on the second floor apartment balcony in 100-degree heat with no water or shade.  People, be sure your dogs have appropriate protection from the elements and water.

Thoughtless Owners still flout the rules

Here's yet another article from the UK that talks more about the number of dog attacks in the country in spite of their "Dangerous Dogs Act" that was instituted in 1991 and banned four breeds of dogs.  The article mentions that 'pit bulls", cross breeds, German Shepherds and Rottweilers account for the "bulk" of the attacks and that irresponsible owners are still causing problems.  Really....

Greeley CO Good Samaritan saves 8 pit bull puppies

The puppies were left in a box in the middle of the road and the person brought the box in to their shelter and they are now seeking homes for these cutie dogs.

One year old pit bull found in dumpster in Hamilton, OH

An alert person heard the dog crying from inside the dumpster and went in to get the dog.  Two other 'pit bulls' were found dead in the same dumpster.

Ashville, NC  Humane Alliance aims to cut animal euthanasia

The shelter is currently killing over half of the animals it takes in, but has a new facility that will allow them better opportunities to keep more animals and is more inviting to potential adopters. The facility is also offering spays and neuters.  The goal of the facility is to try to make Ashville a no-kill city by never having a healthy adoptable animal euthanized.

For Pit's Sake rescue group teams up to stop dog fighting

Rescue group For Pit's Sake has teamed up with mixed martial arts champion Josh "The Punk" Thompson to "Knock out dog fighting."  The message is that dogs are not to be used as dog fighting.  It's a great message with a great, relevant spokesperson to the audience.  Well done.

Great 8 bids farewell to Spokane

Eight pit bulls, confiscated from a dog fighting ring in Spokane Washington have found homes in St. Louis where they will begin training to become regular dogs. I love a good happy ending. 

California Bill AB1634 is dead

The bill would have forced all pets in California to be spayed and neutered.  The bill is now dead.  YAY.

Deets over at Lassie Get Help.

Time for others to get on the bus

For the past couple of decades, the fight against BSL has been largely left in the hands of the pit bull and Rottweiler owners.  While others have been against BSL, many have more or less hidden in the background.  Out of sight, out of mind I suppose. It's long past time for all dog owners to get on the bus and help fight BSL.

Over the past couple of weeks, several US cities have instituted BSL (and a couple of others are talking about it). And it's not just banning 'pit bulls' either (in spite of what the headlines say -- which almost comically say "town bans pit bulls and other breeds"). And these laws are so well researched that many of them are including made up breeds of dogs.

Yesterday, a small town in the Yakima Valley of Washington, Wapato (population 4,575) banned 'pit bulls', 'mastiffs', Rottweilers and American Bulldogs. The ordinance makes exceptions for trained service dogs and those with Canine Good Citizen certification -- which basically admits that they realize responsible owners of the dogs are fine, but irresponsible ones are not.  So why the breed specific laws?

Worthington, KY (population 1,673) pass an ordinance banning bull terriers, stafforshire bull terriers, American Staffordshires (??), Rottweilers, chow chows, mixed breeds known as pit bulls and any dog with any appearance or characteristics predominantly of any of the breeds of dogs listed above or a combination of any of those.

Osceola, NE (population 931) passed a ban this week on "the American Pit Bull and 7 other dog breeds".  The breeds involved include the American Pit Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Chows, Dobermans, Rottweilers, American Bandage Mastiff (??), Neopolitan Mastiff and any dog with the appearance and characteristics of being predominantly one of the above breeds.

What's so crazy about Osceola is that there is exactly ONE person in this community affected by this law.  One. How can you pass a law that affects one person?  That's crazy. What's even crazier is the quote by the animal control officer in the town:

"We've never received a complaint about dog at large, barking or anything else on this dog," said ACO Diana Kelly.

The ordinance was passed when Renee and Kent Johansen complained about the one dog. "I know that specific dog hasn't done anything yet," said Renee Johansen.  "In the past we have had a neighbor's vicious dog come onto our property and terrorize our three children....we as a community shold not have to fear for our lives or fear being mauled by a vicious dog when outside doing yard work, playing outside or walking or biking down the street."

However, Johansen acknowledge that the dog that caused the problem was not the one dog that was banned by the ordinance.  Well thought out! 

Folks, these people are passing bans out of irrational fear and biggotry. They're passing against all types of breeds of dogs (some that don't even exist).  We must, as a dog-owning and loving community not allow these cities and small towns to pass bans that affect only a handful of people in these towns and expect them to fight alone. We need everyone to get involved to help educate -- Mastiff owners, Boxer owners, German Shepherd owners, Rottie owners, Dobie owners, chow owners, Lab owners -- everyone needs to fight these ignorant and disciminatory laws. Let's all get on the bus together...