Thanks to everyone that showed up to our KCDA 101 presentation yesterday. I think we have a lot of positive momentum in KC and I'm excited to see it continue to move forward. A special thanks to a couple of our great local politicians for coming out for the event.
Also, I'll be heading out to the Nation's capital later this week to participate in the No Kill Conference out there. I'll try to get information out during the conference --I'm not sure what format it may take whether I post stuff here, life blog over at the No Kill Nation, or whether I'll twitter it.I'll let you know though. Now, onto the weekly roundup.
Cities/States and Laws
A move in Sioux City to extend the deadline for licensing 'pit bulls' in the cityproved valuable as nearly 250 owners licensed their dog during the one-week extension.
An election update for those of you in Ontario -- but Randy Hillier announced this week that if he were made premeier of Ontario he would repeal the province's pit bull ban.
A bill that would ban ownership of 'pit bulls' in Hawaii appears to be dead. Yet another area that has wisely decided that breed specific laws are not the way to go.
Lawrenceburg, KY is looking at changes to their dangerous dog ordinance following several attacks in the community. They stress that the law will not target dogs by breed.
Pottawattamie County, IA is proposing several changes to their animal control code --that they will not focus on specific breeds - but would focus on "irresponsible, habitual animal owners."
An article from the Mansfield News Journal (OH) on whether the city's breed ban really works --and it seems that no one really thinks it does.
Orting, WA passed a dog that bans all dangerous dogs from the city. Like most of Orting's surrounding cities, the law defines dangerous dogs based on the dog's behavior.
The West Baton Rouge Parish council is discussing ways to strengthen their dangerous dog laws following the fatal attack of a young boy in Morganza two weeks ago. Councilman Gary Spillman wants to be sure they don't pass a law that groups all dog owners together because "there are some very good dog owners out there. I don't want to penalize those doing the right thing.".
Moses Lake,WA passed an ordinance that began January 1st that established pit bulls, Rottweilers, Presa Canarios as hazerdous dogs. Owners are expected to register the dog for $250, spay or neuter it, get an insurance policy, install a microchip and keep the dog in an enclosed structure. In the first quarter of the year, nearly 1/3 of the dogs that have entered the shelter have done so because of the ordinance --causing the shelter to become overcrowded.
Dog Bites and Attacks
A Boxer/Pointer mix was involved in an attack of a woman and here 2-year old son in Northeast Calgary. Although Calgary has one of the best animal control departments in North America, any city with over 1 million people is bound to have an occassional attack.
Police in Miami shot a dog that acted aggressively toward them. The dog, described as a 'pit bull', which is illegal in Miami, was in an abandoned home that was in foreclosure and was living in its own fecal matter. Laws outlawing certain breeds of dogs, like Miami has, don't get rid of the dogs nor do they end irresponsible ownership.
A 9 year old Pennsylvania girl was attacked this week by a Bull Mastiff that she and a friend were walking by themselves. While they were walking the dog, another at-large dog approached them. The mastiff tried to go after the other dog and then re-directed on the young girl. The girl suffered multiple fractures, torn sinuses, a broken jaw and a punctured skull.
This is some swell reporting, but in Longview, WA, a "Toddler was attacked by a pit bull". However, if you read the story, you'll note that the dog was a stray in the park that people have noticed before. The family allowed the 3 year old boy to feed the dog -- and at some point, the dog ended up biting at the boy and bit the child in the cheek. "It's not a bad dog. It's just hungry," said the boy's great grandfather. Parents, please don't let your young toddlers feed stray dogs.
A 9-year-old Thomasville, GA girl was attacked by a Border Collie and required 163 stitches. Earlier this year Thomasville discussed passing breed specific legislation after a fatal dog attack earlier this year.
A two year old boy in Newport Beach, VA was bitten in the face by a German Shepherd. The dog was tethered to a tree and the boy had initially gone up to pet the dog with no incident, but then approached the dog later to "say goodbye" and the dog bristled and bit him.
Two Labradors who are running at-large in Washington neigborhood and "terrorizing" the neighborhood.
Missouri State Representative Mark Wright's Labrador has now bitten yet another person in Springfield, MO. Two months after the dog bit an eighth grader, the dog now has bitten a 22 year old college student. Springfield, MO passed a ban on pit bulls 3 years ago in the name of 'public safety'....
A Boxer in Raleigh was granted a reprieve after a string of attacks that it was involved in.
A four year old boy in Conyers, GA was severely attacked by what is being called a bulldog mix. The attack was orignially reported to be by a 'pit bull mix" but was later changed.
A 5 year old Bethesda girl was hospitalized after being attacked by a Rottweiler.
More UK Failures
A six year old UK girl was attacked by an Akita that was running at-large in a park where the girl was playing with some other children while her parents watched a rugby match.
The RSPCA has once again called for changes to the UK Dangerous Dogs Act. They claim that the current, ineffective law is too vague and has actually caused an increase in the targeted breeds and and the number of dog attacks in the UK have tripled since 1991.
Abuse cases
A St. Louis man shot a 'pit bull' that was at-large. The man said the 'pit bull' came up and and attacked him and his dog. However, a witness said the dog just approached the man's dog and the dogs were just sniffing each other. "That's just what dogs do, they sniff each other," said the witness.
This could have gone above, but I'm putting it here. An Anderson, IN man beat his dog to death after the dog chased a woman and bit her --the man beat the dog and strangled it to the point where the dog died. Gee, I wonder where the animal learned its aggressive behavior from.
A Richmond, VA sheriff's deputy is being charged in his affiliation with a dog-fighting ring in the area.
A Muncie, IN woman is being charged with animal cruelty for allowing a female pit bull and her 10 puppies to be severely emaciate -- with two of the puppies having starved to death.
Miscellanious
A group of 8th graders in Alaska have been disciplined for taunting and frightening a moose to the point that the Moose inflicted a fatal injury on itself. We really need to work hard in this county to teach our children to respect and appreciate animals.
A good story about a 'pit bull' in Virginia Beach that interrupted two men who entered a print screening shop with an intent to rob the place. The two men shot the dog, which alerted the shop owner that the men were there and gave the shop owner time to escape. The dog's owner credits the dog with saving his life. Although the dog may never regain the vision in its left eye after the gunshot, it sounds like otherwise the dog will be fine.
A really great article about dog bite prevention from Biloxi Sun Herald. Here's a snippet:
The overwhelming majority of morbid wounds and disfiguring attacks are from dogs who haven’t been socialized or who are chained to trees in back yards and get loose. There are not many dogs that are horrible creatures that attack anything. A few exist but not many.
A great article about a pit bull named Brigitte that stole the hearts of so many people with her kind and loving heart.
A group of 'pit bulls' spend their days traveling to hospitals, schools, and homes spreading the love as therapy dogs. Great video with the story.
A Psychologist has a new study that says that owning a dog reduces stress quicker than drugs. Dogs continue to be much healthier for our well-being than anything they do that is unhealthy.
Have a great week!
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