KC DOG BLOG

Death in the UK highlights the failings of BSL

A four year old boy, John Paul Massey,was attacked and killed by a dog in his grandmother's home in the UK. And the reaction of the media and local authorities has highlighted why the Dangerous Dogs Act of 1991 in the UK has failed -- and failed miserably.

Most of the focus of the media articles, and of the authorites, have involved what breed of dog was involved in the attack. According to one news source:

Police said genetic tests would be carried out to establish the breed of the dog involved.

Added the police spokesman: "The process of identification of whether a dog is illegal under the dangerous dog act takes time.

"It is a complex issue and further forensic examinations are ongoing to establish the type of dog involved in this attack."

The dog, for what it's worth, has been described in the media as a "mastiff", a "bull-terrier" a "bull terrier-type", a "bull dog", a mastiff/Bull terrier cross and even one report of it being a 'pit bull".

And while the authorities have been talking about the breed of dog involved, and the media has been creating sensational images around the attack, not once, in nearly 200 articles about this, has anyone seemed at all interested in the circumstances surrounding an attack that led to a four year old boy to be killed.

And that's where this whole thing has gone wrong.

Anyone with any sense at all realizes at this point that breeds are not responsible for aggressive attacks -- that it takes a series of unfortunate circumstances and a neglegent owner for them to happen. By focusing on breeds of dogs, the authorities in the UK are not only wasting their animal control resources trying to gather up 'pit bulls', but are missing a key element to ending major attacks -- which is educating owners on the causes that lead up them.

The reason this dog attacked is the same -- regardless of what breed of dog it ends up being.  But unfortunately, in the UK, they've chosen to focus on breeds, and throwing the educational piece out the window -- and the citizens in the UK are worse off for it. 

In spite of the breed ban that dates back to 1991 - -and quite likely BECAUSE of the breed ban -- major attacks are becomming almost commonplace in the UK. 

In Bradford, the areas saw 42 people treated in the hospital from dog bites in 2001/02 and 41 in '02/'03. That number has been near or above 90 in each of the past 3 years.

In Lancashire, the number of people hospitalized from dog attacks had doubled in just the past 5 years -- from 36 in 2003 to 75 in 2008.

In West Yorkshire, the number of people treated in hospitals for dog bites had gone up 43% in the past 5 yars.

In Midland, hospitalizations are up 60%.

In Scotland, the number has risen 160% in the past 8 years.

Across the nation, the law has been a failure -- and they continue to just throw more money at the issue vs actually dealing with the problem.  And the problem is that everyone in the country seems too focused on "breeds" to realize that it isn't breeds causing the problems, it's a lack of owner education and a lack of focus on irrepsonsible owners that is causing the problem -- and both problems are actually INCREASED because of their breed ban, not improved.  Because of all of this, there is becoming an increased push across the UK to overhaul the Dangerous Dogs Act. And not a moment too soon.

Folks, BSL is failing -- everywhere.

Gold Coast, Australia learns of difficulties of enforcing BSL

In 2003, a Gold Coast, Australia woman was attacked by a 'pit bull'. The victim appeared before the city council and demanded the city do something to ban 'pit bulls'.  

Like too many cities, the hysteria of the moment was to much to overlook, and they began one of the strictest enforcements of Queensland's state-wide ban on four breeds of dogs: Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, Japanese Tosa and American Pit Bull Terrier.

Years later,the Gold Coast City Council has discovered to its great cost, banning pit bulls is not as easy as it might seem.

The city has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars (likely in the millions)  on court cases pertaining to accurate breed identification -- having lost at least 57 such cases in the past few years.  One such case involved a dog named Rusty that was impounded and sentenced to death by three council experts -- one of whom was Deborah Pomeroy, a Brisbane City Animal Control supervisor who helped devise the 22 point identification system used across Queensland.  During the trial, Pomeroy admitted that she was selft trained, hand no veterinarian qualifications and could claim no scientific basis for the identificiation system she'd helped create.

The case caused a tidal wave of lost breed identification cases, all at substantial costs to the cities and the state of Queensland.

As more and more places rack up experience with BSL, and find that it is way more difficult and costly to enforce than they had thought, it is leading more places to seek breed neutral policies that focus only on the behavior of the dog -- not on some arbitrary "look" that should be outlawed. 

Breed specific legislation has proven to be difficult and expensive to enforce -- and ineffective at dealing with the problem of dangerous dogs around the world -- including Australia, Canada, Puerto Rico, the UK, Germany and in the U.S.

It is a failed idea, based on a failed premise that is not scientifically sound. It is time to move on.

Hat tip: Stop BSL

Weekly Roundup, Week Ending 11/29/09

 Because of the holiday week, it's been a bit slower than usual media week. I'm going to hit a few of the highlights -- with two major holdovers that will go into next week.

 Cities and Laws

The government in Tasmania has decided on some new dangerous dog regulations, that include breed specific regulations.

Three people in Lubbock, TX resigned from their Animal Services Advisory Committee because they said that their recommendations were being ignored by the council and animal control operators. This seems like a common trend I've seen in a lot of other areas where committees are formed to help provide recommendations on improving shelter operations and then ignored.

Des Moines city council members have decided against a ban on pit bulls. The city has a 22 year old law that deems 'pit bulls' as vicious, but were considering an all-out ban but weren't sure they'd be successful if they went that route.

This is a crazy article from out of Erie, PA that is talking about how a series of dog bites/attacks in Millcreek Township, PA has led people to call for regulations of 'pit bulls' and the "need" for breed specific laws -- which are forbidden under Pennsylvania law. Interestingly, there was no mention of a fatal dog attack that happened in Millcreek Township last year when an Old English Sheepdog attacked and killed a 14 month old child.

Dog Bites and Attacks

This is a really interesting article from out of Colorado.  A woman in Camp Hale, CO suffered severe injuries after she was attacked by two "Sheep Dogs". The dogs were doing their job of protecting sheep -- which they were raised to do as in the mountains of Colorado is important where mountain lions, coyotes and bears can kill off herds. We often talk about a dogs function as being a determining factor of major attacks, so it is really not a huge surprise that dogs that are trained to protect and attack would attack someone. But the story I think paints a pretty fair picture of the difference between "old" Colorado, where ranching is very common, and "new" Colorado, which has a ton of hikers and mountain bikers.

A Hingham, MA dog owner is asking for criminal charges against her to be dropped after her English Mastiff bit two women.

A Chow mix is responsible for attacking a letter carrier in South Texas.

In Australia, a 12 year old girl may lose her arm after her dog, a "Bull Mastiff/Great Dane" cross, attacked her.

A Phoenix woman's dog was attacked and killed by a dog believed to be a Rottweiler mix while she was taking her dog out on a walk.

A Plymouth Meeting, PA man will face trial after his German Shepherd, with a known history of biting, attacked a five year old girl there.

In New Zealand, a Shar-Pei mix was put on death row after attacking another dog.

ABoy needed 200 staples to his head after being attacked by two Alsatians (German Shepherds).

An Omaha man was bitten in the face by an unfamiliar black dog -- Omaha continues to have problems with dog bites following the passing of a breed-specific law that everyone with knowledge on the subject recommended against.

Animal Shelters

Keokuk, IA has opened a new shelter that they think will allow them to become a no-kill community.

A Blue Tai Ridgeback is being held in a shelter has been deemed "potentially dangerous" although the dog has never hurt anyone.  Supporters for the dog are seeking help to try to get the restrictions lifted from the dog saying they are unfounded. 

The puppy (left) is looking for a home in Kansas City, unfortunately, he comes with a disclaimer:

 "Hard to say if she’s a pit bull mix or a boxer mix, so municipalities with BSL might need to approve her first."

Isn't it ridiculous that a gorgeous puppy, who has overcome parvo, is struggling to find a home because he is of an unknown breed and MIGHT grow up to look like he should be banned in a city.

More on Oreo's Law

Winograd responds to criticisms about Oreo's law that would require shelters to surrender dogs to another 501c3 organization that wants the dog instead of euthanizing it -- forcing shelters to use other options to killing if they are available. W

More Toledo News

The Toledo Blade has an in-depth feature on the legacy left behind by Tom Skeldon as Lucas County Dog Warden.  It's a long read, but worth the time on what eventually led to Skeldon's resignation in Lucas County.

Lucas County Commissioners have ordered an end to the killing of puppies - even pit bull puppies -- at the shelter. Unfortunately, if they don't change their policy on adopting 'pit bulls' out of the shelter, they will end up just holding the puppies for a period of time before killing hte dogs.

The Blade also ran an editorial calling for updates to the county's dangerous dog laws -- including a call to increase licensing, a call to end the state-wide breed-specific legislation, and a call for harsher penalties for dog fighting.

A solid post on Skeldon from a new animal welfare blog at Change.org. I've been keeping an eye on the new blog and they seem to be doing a solid job there so far -- although they tend to be writing directly from the HSUS playbook.

Mediots

Elizabeth City, NC police raided a house that led to a charges of possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of cocaine with an intent to sell, maintaining a house for drug purposes, possession of drug paraphenalia and possession of marijuana - -the headline: "Elizabeth City officers shoots dog during drug search".  The dog, a "Rottweiler/Labrador mix", didn't bite anyone -- why was it the headline?

This may be the worst such story I've ever seen. In this one from Brantford, Ontario, officials found an illegal revolver, 2234 ecstasy pills, 3 viles of hash oil, and cocaine when they visited a home of a many accused of robbing a tying up an elderly couple and sexually assaulting his wife. The headline, "pit bull removed before search". For the pit bulls has a great take on this. The dog did nothing but be there and made the headline over clear drug violations and violence.

Positive Press

A 'pit bull' named Ruby is shattering breed stereotypes by being a service dog in nursing homes in Scandia, MN.

Cesar Millan has added a new dog, a 'pit bull' named Junior, to his pack. I know that many people don't like or agree with Millan's training methods, but he has been a wonderful advocate for 'pit bulls' and helped dispell many myths about these dogs.

Good editorial about Elkhart, IN "getting it right" by focusing on irresponsible dog owners instead of breeds in their dangerous dog law.

Rottweilers -- The misunderstood breed. A solid article -- Rotties are definitely not the only misunderstood breed.

Miscellanious

A good article from US News and World Report that highlights the value dogs can have as alert dogs for people with seizures.

A family in Fremont, NC is upset after police shot and kille their 7 month old American Bulldog puppy.

A Minnesota Police Dog was euthanized by a shelter accidentally this week. The dog, a drug sniffing dog,  somehow got away from his kennle, ended up at the animal shelter, and because he wasn't microchipped, ended up euthanized at the shelter after his 5 day holding period. The death has caused a change of policy for police dogs that will require all of them to be microchipped.

White Mills, KY Woman Dead from Preventable Dog Attack

Update 12/3: It sounds as if the owner of the dog will be going in front of a grand jury where he will face penalties of between $500 and a year in prison. Also, Hardin County Animal Control Supervisor Jerry Foley has declared the dog to be a White Boxer mix -- however acknowledges that no DNA tests were administered to determine the exact breed of dog.

On Wednesday night, 53 year old Karen Gillespie, a retired librarian,  went out for a walk to go take pictures of an old one-room school house in the area, but she never came home. When she wasn't home after dark, her husband called the authorities and her body was found the next morning.  According to the official coroner's report, Gillespie died of head injuries suffered from a dog attack.

Authorities have found the dog they believe is responsible for the attack. The dog is owned by Howard Miller -- and this isn't the dog's first run-in with a biting incident.

Apparently the dog had previously bitten a US Census Worker who came up to home.  Authorities were notified of the attack, but did nothing. Incidentally, the dog -- described as an "American Bulldog" (although it looks like a white Boxer to me) also bit a firefighter who was involved in the search for Gillespie.

This is obviously a horrible tragedy - -but what makes it even worse, in my mind, is that the dog was KNOWN to be aggressive and yet no restrictions were put on the dog or its owner. The attack was entirely preventable, but even basic steps were not taken to insure public safety. As Karen Delise of the National Canine Research Council likes to say, "a major act of violence by a dog is never its first sign of aggression, it is its last."

This story has been covered by only eight news outlets thus far.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the Gillespie family.

Thankful

   This is a weekend to be thankful. We should always be thankful, but more than any other time, this weekend is a time for us to think and reflect on the things we should be thankful for.

For me, I feel like I have a lot to be thankful for. I'm thankful for having three great dogs that bring joy to my life -- they also prevent me from sleeping in and sleeping my life away, and encourage me to go for walks.

I'm thankful for the many people out there who do rescue and help animals.  You all do great things.

I'm thankful for the many people out there who are getting involved politically for animals and getting animal-unfriendly politicians and shelter employees out of office.

I'm thankful the thousands of people out there who are advocates for the dogs that have no voice -- both in their verbally educating people and in having their dogs be well-behaved advocates for their breeds.

I'm also thankful for the readers and commentors on this blog -- I've learned a lot from you.

And most of all, I'm thankful for my awesome wife who not only tolerates the time I put in on this blog, but is also one of the smartest people I know on the topics I write about. Most of my best stuff on this blog originated from her.  She is a great partner in our advocacy.

London, Ontario struggles with BSL

Four years after Ontario's ban on 'pit bulls', London, Ontario -- the provence's 5th largest city, continues to see a lot of concerns about 'pit bulls'.

"Over the last couple of years, the issues with pit bulls do not support the number of investigations," said City Environmental Director Jay Stanford. "But it's the fear of pit bulls that still with us."

The "fear" is something that was in many ways CREATED by Ontario's breed ban - it certainly isn't because they really are a major cause of th eproblem -- given that there hasn't been a pit bull related fatality in Canada in the past 50 years.  However, the breed ban created fear, as have media reports like this one (how is it, exactly, that a case involving 2,234 ecstasy pills, hash oil, cocain, illegal weapons, a couple tied up in the basement and a sexual assault ends up with 'pit bull' in the headline?)

Of the city's 11,758 animal-related complaints in 2008, more than 2,000 of them were about 'pit bulls'.  However, in many of the cases, the complaints were mistaken about the breed.

This is a common problem -- because residents have irrational fears of 'pit bulls', but can't identify them, they make calls about non-problem dogs, that aren't 'pit bulls', that tie up a lot of animal control resources.  Yakima, WA is just one city that has struggled with this as well.

Another thing that is taking "significant workload" is keeping track of some of the 'pit bulls' when their owners move.  Again, these are dogs that are not problems, but are taking up a lot of resources.

So do we think that the folks in London are "safer" because they are using a large amount of animal control resources -- way larger than the actual "problem" represented by 'pit bulls' -- enforcing the breed ban?

 It should also be noted that Ontario's second largest city, Ottawa, has decided against enforcing the ban and as long as the dog is not a problem, they are leaving them alone -- noting that the law was too costly and difficult to enforce.

So this is two of Ontario's 5 largest cities that have admitted struggles enforcing the provencial breed ban -- one can only hope the MPPs are listening and use this information to strongly support Cheri DiNovo's recently introduced bill that would repeal the breed specific language in the Dog Owner's Liability Act.

For a bit more information about the bill --here is a new radio interview from out of Toronto that features DiNovo talking about the bill -- and includes Bill Bruce, from Calgary, talking about their success because they've focused all of their resources on educating owners on what really causes dog bites and only on dogs and dog owners that really represent problems in their city. (I owe someone a hat tip on this, but can't remember where I snagged it, so sorry).

It's time to focuse our resources on dogs that are actually problems, and put our irrational fears and the idea of breed specific legislation to rest.

Breed Identification Issues - Omaha

Last week, the Nebraska Humane Society had four puppies listed on their website for adoption. Here is the pic -- and here are the descriptions of the four dogs

1) Harriet is now available for adoption. This spayed female, brown and white "Pit Bull Terrier has been at the shelter since November 11, 2009. She is recommended for households with family members aged 5 and older. ID# A695500.

2) Lucy is now available for adoption. This spayed female, brown and white Pit Bull Terrier has been at the shelter since November 11, 2009. ID# A695502

3) Charlotte is now available for adotpion. This spayed female, brown and white Pit Bull Terrier has been at the shelter since November 11, 2009. ID# A695503

4) Hazel is now available for adoptoin. This spayed female, brown and white Labrador Retriever and Pit Bull Terrier has been at the shelter since November 11, 2009. This dog is not required to comply with Omaha's breed specific regulations.  ID# A695501

So, which one is Hazel?  What is it that makes one of these dogs a "lab mix" and the other three 'pit bulls"?  And really, why does it matter?

And there we have an example of why Breed Specific Legislation cannot -- and is not -- enforced equitably.

Here we have four puppies -- by all signs litter-mates (They all look nearly the same, appear to be the same age, and all came into the shelter on the same date) -- three of the four puppies will have to spend the rest of their lives wearing muzzles outdoors (unless their new owner meets a series of requirements), but one, for reasons I cannot even begin the guess, gets to live its life as an ordinary dog.  Why do not all of them get to live the lives as ordinary dogs?  

When it comes to breed identification, especially for puppies and mixed breed dogs, the decision is inevitably arbitrary. It is nearly impossible to judge the genetic background of mixed breed dogs that resemble 'pit bulls'.

The residents of Omaha are becoming increasingly upset and frustrated by the new Omaha law -- as they feel like the fines are too heavy-handed and because the breed identification is arbitrary.

What may make the situation worse for the residents of Omaha, is they have very little recourse right now. The city of Omaha uses the Nebraska Humane Society for the enforcement of all of their animal control laws. Because NHS is a technically a 501c3 organization, and because of the way their contract with the city is written, NHS is not subject to the same open records laws as all of the other city entities. So people don't have any access to their euthanasia statistics, or how many dogs have been confiscated from their homes because of the new breed-specific laws -- and detailed bite statistics are not available.

It should be noted that using the most basic of bite numbers, Omaha saw a 37% increase in dog bites in the first half of 2009 under their new breed specific ordinance.  And if recent headlines are any indication, that isn't improving. NHS continues to spend too much time enforcing the breed specific part of the law, and too little time focusing on the majority of dogs of all other dog breeds.

Beginning in 2009, the city started enforcing its breed specific laws. The cost to the city to enforce went up $75,000. The number of people bitten went up 37%. And the arbitrary nature of enforcing the breed-specific law continues to be a problem.

Back in August, I made some recommendations that I think would dramatically help the city deal with  the problems they're seeing.

Hopefully they will begin listening too.

Here is a screen grab of the entire NHS adoptions page that I snagged while the dog's pictures were up last week. I imagine the dogs' images are down now which is why I did the screen grab. Charlotte is just out of the picture on the screen grab.

Want to increase holiday adoptions? Think like a retailer

Every retail business knows that one key to generating sales is to generate store traffic. And one way to generate store traffic is to be in a high-traffic location.

Unfortunately, a large percentage of the animal shelters in this country don't have the luxury of being in high traffic locations.  Many are stuck in warehouse districts and on the outskirts of town where people seldom travel.

One thing many good shelters do to increase adoptions is to do off-site adoptions in high-traffic areas. And for the next six weeks, one of our local shelters -- one that is doing it right -- Animal Haven, is upping the anty. For the next six weeks they are going to be opening a pet adoption center in a store front in Oak Park Mall -- one of the premier mall locations in Kansas City.

With some help from a local corporation and from the down economy, they were able to rent out an empty store fronts in the mall and will be able to adopt animals in one of the higher-trafficked areas in the city around the holidays.  This is a great deal for them, and something many shelters can do -- particularly in this tough economy.

With the tough economy, most malls -- even great malls -- have empty store fronts. Many would be willing to allow adoption centers for a fairly minimal cost in order to avoid having the empty store front (and a smart mall operator will see tax write-off possibilities). And the high volume of traffic offered at most mall locations can't help but bring in more potential adopters.

In the end, everyone wins -- more animals are adopted. Fewer animals are killed. And more people get the joy of pet ownership. 

Weekly Roundup, Week Ending 11/22/09

Well, the week sure has been interesting.  A bill was introduced to remove BSL from Ontario and Tom Skeldon officially resigned from his post in Toledo. And while there is still a lot of work to be done, it is becoming clear that the general public is becoming more aware that Breed Specific Legislation is based on archaic beliefs from the past, and that science and logic don't support breed specific bills. 

Now, onto the rest of the week's top stories.

Cities/ States and Laws

I could probably write a whole post on this, but the Prescott, AR city council passed a ban on 'pit bulls' in their meeting this week. The bill was passed as an "emergency" bill, so the bill would not have to go through a required second reading. The bill was passed just 19 days after a two year old toddler was staying with a babysitter and walked out of the house, four blocks from the house, and into the back yard with a chained 'pit bull'.  The dog attacked the young child and he died.  While the city of about 4,300 people (35% of whom live below the poverty line) could have focused their emphasis on keeping watch of your children, on not leaving dogs tethered for long periods of time, and socializing their dogs, they decided to make a very emotional decision, without consulting the experts in their community, and passing through an "emergency" bill.  We need to demand that cities take a rational approach to their dangerous dog ordinances, instead of knee-jerk reactions shortly after a major tragedy.

Lincoln, NE is looking at some changes to their dangerous dog ordinance. The authorities there continue to be vigilent in looking for non-breed specific solutions -- and their continually decreasing dog bite numbers are a reflection of their solid approach.

The Las Vegas city council has mandated the spaying and neutering of all cats and dogs over four months of age. The city passed the ordinance after several years of increased intakes at the shelter (it should be noted that Las Vegas has been, for a decade, one of the fastest growing cities in the US which has likely led to some of the increase). I'll be following Las Vegas closely and seeing if they see any success from their ordinance -- even though most places that pass similar ordinances do not find success.

In Pennsylvania, a group is pushing for a bill that would restrict tethering in the state. Under the bill, it would be illegal to leave a dog outside unattended and tied to a stationary object between 10 pm and 6 am. The bill would also put restrictions of the types of chains and collars could be used for tethering -- and has exceptions for a variety of activities. I don't always love anti-tethering laws because many are overly-inclusive, but this one seems fairly done.

The city council in Fremont, OH heard from people in the community regarding what to do about dangerous dogs in the community. It appears as if there is little support from the community or the council for Breed Specific Legislation -- which is what happens when cities take a rational look at dangerous dog laws.

Breed specific legislation off the table in Elkhart, IN. "I think there was a great concern amongst the public that we address the issue of dangerous dogs in total, rather than look at breed or breeds," said Council member Mary Olson.

Animal Shelters

Beleaguered Direction of the San Francisco SPCA Steps down -- after the city SPCA has abandoned many of the measures that made it one of the model cities in the US for saving the lives of animals, the oft-criticised director has announced that she is stepping down.

After the ASPCA in New York euthanized Oreo, a dog that had overcome dramatic abuse but still showed signs of aggression, even though another rescue group was willing to take in the dog, has sparked a law they are calling Oreo's Law, that would require any local shelter to surrender a dog to a licensed rescue that was willing to take the dog instead of killing the animal.  More on the law here.

Charleston, SC passed a bill this week that will allow Trap/Neuter/Release programs in the city.

North Carolina reprimanded 21 animal shelters for euthanasia violations -- including euthanizing without a licensed veterinarian and using the gas chamber for euthanizing.

Dog Bites and Attacks

Police were called to the scene in Lorain, OH and forced to shoot two German Shepherds that we attacking a woman in her own back yard. The woman and her husband were watching the two german shepherds because their daughter had recently moved and was unable to move with her two dogs. The two German Shepherds apparently got out of the room where they were contained and tried to attack the two Austrailian Shepherds the couple owned and the woman was injured trying to protect the smaller dogs.

A six year old Bowling Green, KY girl was attacked by a 'pit bull' while staying at a friend's house. Apparently the dog's owner had put the dog in the bathroom to keep it away from the children, however, the little girl didn't know the dog was in the bathroom and went in and the dog bit her in the face. While the child's parents made the comment that they though all 'pit bulls' should be banned, all the local experts said that this was not an appropriate action.

In Grand Island, NE, a Chocolate Lab was declared potentially dangerous after it bit a next door neighbor over the fence.

In San Antonio, a 10 year old girl was bitten in the face by a Belgian Malinois that the family had rescued as a stray a few days ago. Interestingly, some of the news media decided to leave out he breed of dog involved.

In Ontario, a 77 year old woman was bitten by a Golden Retriever requiring 13 stitches.

In Pennsylvania, a German Shepherd attacked a woman who was walking her 4 1/2 lbs Chihuahua.

In Austraila, a nearly two year old girl was rushded to the hospital after being attacked in the face by a Husky.

Again, in Austrailia, a 7 year old girl was injured after being attacked by the family's Blue Heeler.

Again, in Austrailia, an inquest of feral dogs in some rural areas that have been involved in the deaths of two people in the past year.

Again, I reiterate, I don't post these stories because dogs are dangerous -- dogs continue to be very safe animals and additions to our lives. But it is important to look at these bites because the circumstances surrounding bites are very similar -- regardless of the breeds involved in the attacks.

Some Follow Up on Tom Skeldon

More from the Toledo Blade on Tom Skeldon's Resignation.  Commissioner Ben Konop is now calling for Skeldo to immediately step down from his post, and that the county look into other options other than the shelter director as an interim director. Also, here's Tom Skeldon's resignation letter, and a flyer that was distributed in Tina Skeldon Wozniak's neighborhood after she elected to keep her first cousin in office.

Help Fido has a look at the recent history of problems Skeldon has caused as the Dog Warden in Toledo -- and how these struggles led to his demise.

The folks at PETA actually wrote a letter to the Toledo Blade (PETA's letter is the second one, there is a good one by the former city planner before it)  in Support of Tom Skeldon -- calling him a brave person holding the syringe.  The letter spurred a series of commentary from YesBiscuit! and the Pet Connection on PETA's failings.

The visual image used in this section if from a T-Shirt designed by the Ohio Coalition of Dog Advocates.  They have several t-shirts left and if you would like to buy a t-shirt, feel free to reach out to them .

Abuse Cases

More than 100 Huskies -- including 30 pregnant ones - were rescued from Northern Quebec as they were abused and left tied to trees out in miles of woods. The dogs are gorgeous and I hope they are able to be saved.

Fifteen 'pit bulls' were confiscated from a home in San Antonio -- the dogs were found abused and neglected, the owners were found with 130 grams of marijuana, and two dead dogs were found on the property.

Mediots

In Spokane, a 32 year old man got durnk and threatened to kill his wife and two daughters. When police arrived, they were greated by a 'pit bull' that they had to shoot because it was aggressive. The headlines in all the stories mention the 'pit bull' and not the man who threatened to harm his family.

In Harker Heights, TX, a Beagle was mauled by a neighbor's Cane Cors0 -- however, the media had initially reported the attack to have been by a 'pit bull' -- but then, in follow up stories, the breed was buried deep into the story.

Positive Press

A pit bull type dog, Fletch, from the Humane Society of Greater Kansas City, has overcome adversity to become a finalist in the ASPCA Shelter Dog Photo Contest.

Daisy the pit bull fights stereotypes by being a lover -- from Columbia, MO.

Bully for Cheri DiNovo.

Ontario BSL Repeal Bill Officially Announced, The Landscape is changing

On Wednesday, Ontario MPP Cheri DiNovo officially proposed a bill that would repeal the provincial ban on 'pit bulls' while dog owners assembled in Queen's Park - many (Like the one pictured left) dawning muzzles because of the existing law requiring them for dogs that were grandfathered in under the ordinance.

 She was joined for the ceremony by Lawyer Clayton Ruby.  "The craziness is in thinking how you can judge a dog's dangerousness bay how he looks," said Ruby.

DiNovo noted that the government's ban has had no real impact on public safety and has led to the deaths of thousands of dogs since the ban was put in place. "It's a badly drafted piece of legislation," said DiNovo.  "All breed specific bans do is harm the owners and the dogs. It's kind of a gudge law. Yes, we should have violent dog legislation, but we should go after the dog, not breed specific stuff."

The Liberal party in Ontario still holds the majority of the seats and Premier Dalton McGuinty says he has no plans to revisit the law, so DiNovo's bill has an uphill climb to get passed. However, it is worth noting that a lot has changed since the bill was passed in 2005.  One of the staunchest supporters of the breed ban in 2005 - -then attorney general Michale Bryant - was arrested two months ago after using his car to run over a bicyclist in the streets of Toronto.

Meanwhile, when the bill passed in 2005, there were 44 experts who testified in the initial hearings -- 43 of them opposed the breed specific law. When the ban got sent to court under a plea of it being unconstitutional, Tom Skeldon -- a man that two years later was forced out of his own township for being inadequate at his job -- was the only dog warden in all of North America that Bryant could get to testify about why the bill was needed.

So now, four years later, the biggest proponent of the bill, and his lone "expert" witness, have both been removed from positions of authority -- so the landscape for people opposing the bill has definitely changed.

Best of luck for the dogs and dog owners in Ontario as the bill to repeal their ridiculous law moves forward. More info can be found at Frogdog Blog and more pictures and commentary at One Bark at a Time.