Thanks everyone for your comments and feedback after last week's roundup. I may still make a few tweeks to this as we move forward, but for now, I'm going to keep all the major sections.
Cities and laws
One local official in Union County, NC wants to look at a potential ban on 'pit bulls' following a tragic fatality in the community this week -- even though North Carolina law prohibits such legislation. If this official would look beyond the headlines into the entire depth of information about this attack, he'd realize this attack was preventable -- and that a series of bad circumstances all led to the tragic attack.
Saginaw, MI will be voting on a new dangerous dog law on Feb. 21 that lists 10 breeds of dogs ('pit bulls', Rottweilers, German Shepherds, huskies, Alaskan Malamutes, Doberman Pinschers, Chow Chows, Great Danes, St. Bernards and Presa Canarios) that will be required to pay licensing fees and be muzzled on leash. The law will supposedly be enforced by a Code Enforcment Neighborhood Improvement Cooperative - -so what sounds like a group of citizens that ware even more ill-equipped to deal with breed identification issues than even animal control officers. If you live in or around Saginaw, be sure to talk to your city council members to try to educate them on better alternatives than this law.
Lincoln Park, MI is looking at a new law that would ban 'pit bulls' from the community after a 5 year old boy in the community was killed by two dogs in his household -- a Germand Shepherd/Husky mix and a Labrador Retriever mix. Had to figure out how banning a type of dog not involved in the attack is the solution to the problem...but hysteria knows no bounds.
Toronto has gone from doing door to door licensing sweeps is now looking at potentially getting rid of licensing altogether.
Aurora, CO has posponed a decision on what to do with their breed ban which violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. It seems as if there is at least some support for getting rid of the ban altogther while there also appears to some support for doing nothing and following Denver's lead and dealing with the inevitable lawsuits.
Sheboygan, WI is primed to discuss their new dangerous dog ordinance. Several months ago the community was considering a potential breed ban, but after a lot of careful consideration, they now have a very good breed-neutral dangerous dog law to consider.
A dog trainer in Winnepeg is trying to get the city to repeal its 20 year old breed ban.
Smithville, OH has thrown out the idea of a 'pit bull' ban in the community.
Vienna, WV is considering repealing their 26 year old breed ban. If you live in the area please express your support of the repeal.
The Lucas County Dog Warden Committee has submitted its final report on improvements that can be made to the animal control department -- most of the recommendations seem to be really solid - -including creating a volunteer program, upgrades at the shelter, better statistics, extending shelter hours and differential licensing for unaltered dogs. Congrats to the folks in Lucas County for putting together a detailed and well-thought-out plan -- which also included a major change in their animal control director which will probably help the most.
Dog bites and attacks
A Fresno area family is disappointed about how the city is handling a dog that bit their 3 year old daughter. The English Mastiff bit the girl on the face -- and is now under "quarantine" on a chain in its back yard...where it will remain once the quarantine is lifted. The girl apparently tried to hug the dog and was bitten in the face in the process --exposing some of the bone on the girl's face. Dogs don't understand "hugs" in the same way humans do and is part of why children need to be supervised with dogs.
A 17 month old Salina, KS girl was bitten by the family's Labrador Retriever -- for the 2nd time. The dog has only been with the family for 3 weeks, but on two different occassions the child has been left alone with the dog and the dog has bitten the child in the face. I'm glad authorities have realized that the dog really isn't aggressive and would do well in a different environment (although I wonder if the same grace would have been given to a dog of a different breed). And even more evidence of why young children should be supervised at all times when they are with dogs (and they should be separated when not supervised). The family had also previously released a different dog to the shelter for having bitten the child. It's also worth mentioning that Salina has a breed ban.
A North Platte, NE woman received 200 stitches after she was attacked by an American Bulldog. The dog's owner says the attack was provoked after the woman had a 'psychotic" tirade involving some brokenn windows, a broken porch light and screen door.
A 4 month old child in Grain Valley, MO was left alone with a ferret and ended up having 7 of the child's fingers eaten off by the ferret due to the parent's lack of attentiveness.
Miscellaneous
I usually don't post a lot of newspaper editorials, but this one is just ridiculous to post. From the Aurora (CO) Sentinel, the newspaper defends the city's desire to keep their breed specific law in tact, in spite of it violating the Department of Justice ruling on the ADA. According to the editorial: "for The Justice Department to deem itself an expert in canine psychology....is unreasonable and illogical." And yet, the city of Aurora is? And also, "the fact is that Aurora and cities and states nationwide are absolutely withing their right to restrict what each community agrees is a dangerous animal" -- actually, no, no you don't. That is the whole point of the DOJ ruling.
A Memphis area woman committed suicide this week after animal control took away the woman's pets. Apparently animal control ended up with the pets because the woman was ticketed for having the dogs roam at large, were unlicensed and were not spayed or neutered (under Memphis' new MSN law). While the woman's home was apparently a mess, the dogs were reportedly in good shape - but like MSN laws do, they ended up leading to the dogs being taken from the owner -- and in this case, the owner dead.
A "pit bulls" once owned by Michael Vick finds a home in Providence, RI - - showing that in spite of the dog's upbringing -- has been able to adjust to being a family pet -- showing that nurture is an incredibly powerful force in a dog's behavior.
Why did "pit bull" make the headline here? A police officer shot a man who was "armed with a knife and a leashed pit bull" - once the man was shot, he dropped the leash to the 'pit bull' and it should be noted that there is no evidence that the dog actually attacked anyone after the leash was dropped -- but the desire to put "pit bull' in the headline and treat it like a weapon couldn't be resisted by the San Francisco Chronicle.
A pit bull in New York is doing a huge service as it has been trained to sniff out peanuts for a child there who has a severe peanut alergy and could die from exposure to peanuts.
A teenager in Boston that was accused of setting fire to a dog 2 years ago has now been charged with attempted murder. Yes, someone who is so off-kilter that they would set a dog on fire for fun is off kilter enough to try to kill someone. Shocking. And another reason why animal abuse should be taken seriously.
No Kill News
Austin, TX has hired Abigail Smith from the Tompkins County SPCA to be their new shelter director. Smith has experience managing a No Kill Shelter at Tompkins County and her success rate there is what made her a desirable pick for the folks in Austin. Fix Austin has the press release.
Advocates in Allegany County, TN showed up to try to convince the county commission to hire a new shelter director that would embrace the no kill philosophy after the current shelter board voted 4-0 to reject a no kill policy. The reasons they said they didn't want to adpt no kill measures were because shelters were "a walking time bomb for rabies" -- even though statistically, rabies in US dogs is almost non-existent - and because it would be it would be "difficult" to implement and monitor. It's amazing that people who defend the status quo of killing animals still exist in spite of there being a very viable option for not killing them.
The Delaware County SPCA has announced their goal of becoming a truly no kill shelter by July 2012 and they're taking the steps to build the programs necessary to make that happen.
The director at the Central California SPCA in Fresno responded to hopes by the group "Fix Fresno" to make the shelter into a no kill facility -- again, defending the status quo as if there is nothing she can do to prevent the killing.
Austin Pets Alive - an Austin Area rescue group -- helped Town Lake Animal Center achieve an 88% save rate in December.
Blogs worth reading
5 year old child's tragic death and the lessons to be learned -- The Dog News Examiner takes a look at the tragedy in North Carolina this week and what can be learned from looking at the key human players in the event.
Shelter Records from Lincoln County, NC confirm that four dogs "rescued" from a place in Alabama by HSUS were gassed to death at the shelter. YesBiscuit! continues with her excellent detective work on this story.
Montgomery County Dogs are Going to Die - some news about a group of dogs rescued from a dog-fighting bust in Montgomery County, KS that badly need rescue organizations to step up and give them a chance to live.
What's that Mutt? - Pet Tips & Tails has a look at Doggie DNA tests and is getting her One-of-a-kind shelter dog DNA tested.
Mindful moments when toddlers abound -- more great advice from the great folks at Dogs & Storks about easy ways to ensure safe households for both children and dogs (hint, Baby gates can work for both).
Robeson Co Animal Shelter: Bring out your undead - YesBiscuit! looks at the continuing problems in Roberson county -- including the startling discovering that they are dropping off live animals at the landfill that were supposedly dead, but not.
Why we join the National Consensus against Mandatory Spay/Neuter Laws -- Fix Austin has a great report on why they oppose mandatory spay/neuter laws (including links to many of the other national organizations that also oppose these laws.)
Courtus Interruptus - Caveat (in a triumphant return)takes a look at another court win in Mississauga, ON for a dog owner who's dog was mistakenly called a 'pit bull'. Brindle Stick also has a review on the same case -- which has been going on for more than 2 years. Courts are continuing to rule that it is difficult (impossible) to determine breeds for breed bans based on looks.
5 year old child bit by dog - where has common sense gone? -- Another great article from the Dog News Examiner looking at a dog bite and why the talk has been about the breed of dog involved instead of about why a 5 year old child was allowed to "ride" the 85 lbs dog without any supervision.
North Dakota Shelter's Failure to Follow Protocols Results in Dozens of Preventable Dog Deaths -- YesBiscuit!
Compassionate Animal Management - how "the system' can be designed to save pets - -Saving Pets has a great overview on Compassionate Animal Control replacing the catch-and-kill philosophy that is still way too common in many parts of this country (and in Australia too).
By what right? -- The Houston Animal Shelters Examiner wonders by what right shelters have to end the lives of animals without exploring other opportunities for the animals -- or that kill them just because of what breed they are without any hope fo finding a new home.
The Law of Unintended Consequences -- a look at the unintended consequences to HSUS's work to end the horse slaughter in the United States. Not that I approve of the "horse slaughter" per se, but we have to be aware of the unintended consequences of creating bans on things.
One Pit bull Torturer not up for MVP - YesBiscuit! looks at one of two boys who burned a dog in Baltimore that then tried to kill a human while out on bail.
What No Kill means (and the alternatives) - some clarification on No Kill from Ryan Clinton - and a nice note that reminds us that if reasonable people don't get what No Kill means, its our fault for doing poor job educating them.
Compassion, Innovation and Common Sense: Interview with Mitch Schneider -- A great interview by Valerie Hayes of Mitch Schneider who runs a successful and compassionate animal Control department in Washoe County, NV.
Thanks for the nod. I'm trying to get back into things
Great roundup as usual!
Posted by: Selma | January 21, 2011 at 11:29 AM