Busy week (again) this week with some really interesting news stories, blogs and events. I still have a couple of pretty big stories I need to get caught up on this week that hopefully I'll have time to get to.
City/State/Federal Laws
St. Johns, FL just made some changes to their dangerous dog ordinance - -putting harsher restrictions on those people who have dogs that are declared dangerous based on behavior, not breed.
Ft. Collins, Co is looking at a municple ballot initiative that would ban the selling of dogs, cats and other small animals at pet stores. There is only one store in the city that sells puppies.
The federal government has signed a new law that bans animal "crush" videos. This is a much more narrowly focused law than the "animal abuse" video law which incompassed a large variety of videos.
Keego Harbor, MI has passed a new dangerous animal law -- that for dogs, focuses on the bahavior of the dog, not breed.
Sterling Heights, MI seemed primed to pass breed-specific regulations earlier this week, but after listening to consituents, most of whom were against the proposed regulations, the council decided to postpone conversations about the new law for a couple of months because of unresolved issues. Most cities, when they actually take the approach of anylizing both sides of the argument, determine that breed-specific regulations are not an effective approach.
Sheboygan, WI is close to having a final new dangerous dog legsilation -- that will not focus on specific breeds, but will focus on dangerous dogs based on their behavior. Sheboygan initially discussed breed-specific laws but has since decided that there were better alternatives.
Kirksville, MO is still looking at changes to their dangeorus dog ordinance --- the city has moved away from a 'ban' on pit bulls, but is now looking at breed-specific restrictions. Some of these restrictions, the way they are written, may be impossible to comply with for people in the community.
Denver's BSL and the ADA
Earlier this week I noted that the city of Denver has decided against making changes to it's breed ban to comply with the ADA -- some follow-up on that story:
Councilman Charlie Brown says the city wants to send the federal government a message by not complying with the law (because that's how it works?). Note, the Department of Justice is unlikely to make an exception for the city of Denver on a Civil Rights law because the city desires to keep an irrational law.
Paula Sandoval, a councilman who voted in favor of making changes to the ordinance to comply with the ADA, says it may be time for fundamental changes to Denver's rules.
The Denver Post columnist still considers the ruling on the ADA to be a 'loophole' (with more hysterical concern by Charlie Brown about all of the drug dealers who will try to keep their dogs as service dogs) even though if the DOJ ruling does allow for removal of particular animals if they show aggressive behavior.
The Pet Connection takes a look at Denver's decision.
UK Dangerous Dogs Act
A new story out this morning in the UK notes that the number of "dangerous dogs" (labeled as such based on looks, not on behavior) have doubled in the past year -- with one expert noting that the increase has been going on since about 2004. The country's breed ban has been a total failure, not only leading to an increase in dog attacks in the country over the past 2 decades, but also an increase in the number of dogs of the types they were trying to eliminate.
Dog Bites & Attacks
Dogs remain an incredibly safe part of our daily lives, but sometimes attacks do happen. When they do, it is usually a large number of different breeds involved....which is why the circumstances surrounding these incidents should be tracked instead of the type of dog involved.
A man and his 5 year old daughter in Cle Elum, WA were attacked by two Rottweilers. The dogs were literally used as junk yard dogs used for protection purposes. Dogs used for the function of guarding are often involved in these types of attacks.
The mother of a 2 year old that was severely injured after being attacked by 6 of the family's 'pit bulls', has been arrested for felony child abuse. The child's grandmother was charged for child abuse last week - -as officials have looked at the situation and determined that both were neglegent in basic child oversight in the situation. Social service workers had been to the home three times previously.
A woman in Ventura County is suing after she claims that a Swiss Mountain dog ripped off part of her right ear.
A toddler in Elwood, IN was attacked by the family's Thai Ridgeback. According to one family member in the comments section, the dog had a recent bite history.
A small Manchester Terrier was coming out of its sedatives on a flight when the owner took it out of its carrier -- the dog got loose and bit another passenger and a flight attendent. Even though the injuries were not major, the pilot diverted the flight and landed at a non-destination airport (which seems just ridiculous to me).
Shelter/No Kill News
Garland, TX has finally dismantled its gas chamber and will finally use more humane methods of killing vs the gas chamber. Now, if only they'd start looking for ways to stop the killing...
American Dog Magazine's Spring issue will feature the No Kill movement -- filled with articles written by, and about, No Kill leaders and advocates. The movement continues to become more and more mainstream...and as more people learn about it, and succeed with it, the more animals' lives that will be saved.
In Kansas City, MO, overcrowding at the shelter caused volunteers to go to the media to try to make people aware of the reality that many of the dogs wouldn't survive the week at the shelter and would be killed. The end result was that more than 90 dogs were pulled from the shelter in the next two days -- many from adoptions, and many were pulled by local rescue organizations.
A twin-cities area shelter, Animal Humane Society, is now requiring people who want to surrender their pets to the shelter to go through a counciling process -- developed to try to help people overcome solvable problems to help people keep animals in their home.
Animal Haven, an organization in Mission KS, has instituted a lot of programs to help them increase adoptions, and because of their success with these programs (including free cat Fridays), Animal Haven has been able to free up space to take in animals from high-kill facilities throughout the metro.
Media Hysteria
Earlier this week I posted about a new dog bite study by HCUPs and how, in spite of the reality that the # of dog bite hospitalizations per 100,000 people have fluctuated only a little over the past 15 years, the writer of the study (along with the media) have decided to focus only on raw numbers and declare how dog bite numbers are increasing dramatically. Well, the story got picked up by both the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times this week -- and yes, the headlines were doom and despair:
Paw Nation: Dog Bite-Related Hospitalizations Skyrocket over the past 16 years
New York Times: Risks: Hospital Admissions for Dog Bites are on the Rise
At least one other blogger has looked at the numbers from a statistical viewpoint and decided the sky isn't falling
Abuse Cases
A Toledo-area dog breeder gets 100 days in prison for animal cruelty.
Positive Press
This is the second of a three part series on breed specific laws, and pit bulls, done by a journalist in Ohio who has taken the time to dive past stereotypes and look at the actual facts behind the dogs. It is a wonderfully written series so far and worth your time to read.
A rescued 'pit bull' in Oregon saved a blind Cocker Spaniel's life by alerting the person walking her that there was something in a nearby ditch. When the volunteer allowed the 'pit bull' to go investigate, she was alerted to the small dog curled up at the bottom of a ditch, filthy and with ice balls on its feet. The dog, which had recently been adopted from the shelter, escaped its home last week and apparently had found it's way near the shelter.
Blogs
Again, a LOT of great content out there in the blog arena -- if you aren't following most of these blogs, you certainly should be:
There's no "No Kill" without TNR -- Saving Pets takes a look at Trap/Neuter/Release programs and why no shelter should be opposed to them.
Why spay/neuter is like kibble - The Pet Connection argues that spay/neuter, like kibble, helps more people own pets - but it is time we acknowledge the tradeoffs we make in both cases (although she does not think we should make pet ownership more difficult).
The year in review -- from Our Pack
Are you enabling the needless killing of shelter pets? -- a fantasitc post from YesBiscuit!
Winners of the 1st Annual Humanitarian Awards for American Dog Magazine have been announced -- congrats to all of the worthy winners.
Why your shelter is failing -- another great post from YesBiscuit! -- and the reasons the shelter is failing isn't the reason the shelter tells you its failing.
Pets as gifts -- the same old Christmas rot -- Saving Pets takes a look at the archaic idea that people shouldn't give pets for Christmas under any circumstance.
How do you introduce a new or strange dog? -- good advice from Sam The Dog Trainer
Assuming the worst of people is killing animals -- a great post from With Respect to Animals
Would God want this? -- O is for Onward takes a moral and religeous view on our decisions to kill healthy animals in our shelters.
What, if anything, will redeem and reform the American Kennel Club? -- The Pet Connection takes a look at problems with the AKC (and there are many)
Shelters doing good - part 3 -- For the Pit Bulls takes a look at shelters that are doing the right things to save the lives of animals.
Find the Pit Bull Owner game -- from Game Dog Guardian
8 dogs attack, only 'pit bull' gets a mention - For the Pit Bulls has another case of media bias following a situation where 8 dogs, involving mixed breeds, labs, pointers and a 'pit bull' surrounded a jogger and and bit him -- but only the 'pit bull' got a mention.
"Pet overpopulatoin": Meme, Zeitgeist and Myth - from Mike Fry
Ah, Denver...Denver...Denver.
Portland refused to work with Homeland Security because they didn't agree with the Patriot Act, and it nearly got them blown to bits. Just for the record, I don't much care for the Patriot Act, either - but there really are real terrorists out there!
Go ahead and defy the federal government, Denver.
What's wrong with the American Kennel Club? Pure and simple, they operated like they were the only game in town for years and it finally caught up with them. Like everyone else it's time for them to tighten their belts instead of nickel and diming exhibitors and clubs to death. My favorite was having to pay $25 to be a CGC evaluator - yes, we get to pay to volunteer! Bizarre.
As far as the dogs looking weird, well, whatever. That's up to the individual breed clubs, not the AKC. And just because the AKC decides to register your breed doesn't mean you have to go along with it.
I do love the "dog bite epidemic/we're all going to die" studies. that's like saying car accidents have increased dramatically in the last 30 years. yea - there are more people and more cars! I'm glad someone took a statistical look at the situation.
Not only that but I think people are more likely to take children to the hospital than they were, say, 30 years ago because they're concerned about scarring. When I was a kid if you were bitten by a dog you were usually spanked because you MUST have done something to the dog to make it bite you. Hospital trips and plastic surgery were not normal.
Posted by: kmk | December 13, 2010 at 11:55 PM