It's been a really active week -- with a lot going on - and I have a lot to talk about early this week. I'm going to dive right in...
Cities/states and laws
A North Carolina man is asking the state to push for state laws against 'pit bulls' -- even though such laws have proven themselves to be widely ineffective and are not recommended by experts anywhere.
Sheboygan, WI's city council unanimously approved a new Vicious Dog Ordinance that specifies dangerous and vicious dogs based on behavior. Sheboygan initially sought to regulate based on breeds, but after a lot of discussion realized a behavior-based ordinance would be better for the community.
Barstow, AZ was looking to pass a behavior-based ordinance that defined vicious and potentially dangerous dogs based on behavior, not breeds.
Aberdeen SD has scheduled a work session to discuss a breed-specific ordinance on Monday night of this week.
A Shelby, NC councilman is working to push laws restricting pit bull ownership as a knee-jerk reaction to a tragic attack in a nearby community 2 weeks ago. The Waxhaw city council has also set up a panel to discuss a new dog control law following the same incident.
Some newly proposed legislation in Maine would make landlords jointly liable for damages from dog bites -- instead of the dog's owner being solely liable. The move would likely discourage landlords from allowing pets and thus, eliminate many potential pet owners from pet ownership.
Hamden, CT is talking about a new law that could potentially involve breed specific language.
Dog Bites/Attacks
A ten year old Arizona City, AZ boy was attacked by 3 dogs that were roaming at large in the comunity and ganged up on the young boy.
A four year old girl in British Columbia was attacked by 2 Bull Mastiff's owned by the family. The girl was playing in her back yard and apparently stuck her hands through the fence where the dogs were kept and was grabbed by one of the dogs and pulled partially through the fence. The dogs were clearly kept separate from the rest of the family and not well socialized with the child.
A 4 year old Union City, CA boy was bitten by 3 'pit bulls' after the boy hit a ball over the fence in his back yard and climbed over the fence into the back yard where the dogs were kept.
A 9 year old Jackson, MS boy was bitten by a 'pit bull' in the community -- the dog was described as "malnourished" and said to have "broke free from it's chain" before it attacked the boy. It is impossible to have the conversation about dog bites without looking at how the dogs are cared for.
A two year old boy in the UK was attacked by a Japanese Akita and was treated for facial injuries. The UK of course has a breed ban on four different breeds of dogs - -but there will always be another breed of dog that will be a problem if irresponsible ownership is not addressed.
Miscellaneous
A solid, well-thought out editorial about breed-specific laws in North Carolina: Punishing pit bulls or people.
A group of folks in Philadelphia, including HSUS and the Philadelphia SPCA, launched an anti dog fighting initiative in the city. Obviously the idea of stopping dog fighting is a good one, especially given the recent increases in dog fighting busts in the community, but one has to wonder what role HSUS's promotion of the Eagle's starting QB who was involved in dog fighting has had in the increase in dog fighting in the community. This wouldn't be the first time HSUS has gone out raising money to solve a problem that they helped create. Related: It's not "Problem Solving" if you created the problem
In the "um wow" category for the week, PETA has a new page up asking for donations to them to help 'pit bulls' -- after years of pushing pit bull-killing policies around the country.
Dallas Taxpayers have every right to be pissed about the goings on at the city shelter -- from the Dallas Observer.
Pit Bulls: Vicious Killers or Much-Maligned Breed? - A media outlet in British Columbia takes a look at the 'pit bull' in a very fair way.
The Coachella Valley Animal Shelter (CA) is drawing the ire of folks in the community for its 60% kill rates. It is great that people are starting to demand better from their tax-funded shelters.
A Border Collie in South Carolina has a working vocabular of over 1,000 words. This is a great story about the ability of dogs to learn words and gives some great insights into just how intelligent dogs are (and how little we truly understand them).
A disturbing story from Carson City (NV) where the animal shelter there has decided to suspend its volunteer program in an effort to re-organize. Volunteers can be an incredible source of free, helpful labor for animals in shelters and suspending a volunteer program is almost never good for the animals.
Headlines
What do you expect a story to be about when the headline reads "Police Find 3 dead in Detroit Home, amidst several pit bulls"? Well, the men were shot (which means the dogs weren't guilty of anything unless they now have opposable thumbs) and the dogs clearly weren't much of protection dogs by allowing their owners to be shot. The 11 dogs were removed from the house without incident. There appear to be no real suspects in the shooting. Why were the dogs in the headline again?
Blogs worth reading
Mass Killing at a Georgia Shelter: Tragedy and opportunity - Yesbiscuit! takes a look at a horrible mass-killing (90 dogs) in Georgia and what we can learn from it.
Status update on the Alabama 44 - -YesBiscuit! updates us on the Alabama 44 -- several dogs are missing, the status of several is unknown, and 6 are dead. HSUS continues to be silent on the issue.
Risky Business - Time4Dogs takes a look at what's really in our store-bought pet food.
Dalton McGuinty is responsible for this insanity - Brindle Stick takes a look at an incident involving a German Shepherd that attacked 3 different people and the dog's owner is not facing charges. Meanwhile, someone who merely owns a 'pit bull' type dog can be arrested for walking their dog down the street without a muzzle - and calls for a regime change in the upcoming elections.
Pets on the bed and other media scares -- Dr. Marty Becker at the Pet Connection takes a look at fear mongering statements that pets sleeping in your bed could kill you.
Culture of Cruelty - Winograd takes a look at a culture of cruelty that sadly exists within our shelter system - -noting that for many animals, the first time they experience neglect or cruelty is at the "shelter" that is supposed to protect them from it.
Anatomy of a Dog DNA Test -- more from Pet Tips and Tails on some mixed breed dogs getting DNA Tests - -this one featuring my loving mutt, Grommit. I will post more about this one soon.
Funny visuals of cat sleeping formations -- from I Love Charts
Shelters doing Good 5 - For the Pit Bulls looks at several shelters that are running good programs that are good for animals.
When Vet Bills Bite...it can be a life or death situation -- Paw Prints Magazine has some great helpful tips for help for people facing high vet bills.
Paying the price for police advice -- YesBiscuit! takes a look at an unfortunate situation where police recommended that a woman get a dog to scare away strangers after her home got broken into, and then later shot the dog through a fence because it barked at them.
Interview with Jane Pierantozzi of the Faithful Friends of Delaware -- from Valerie Hayes
As blue as the summer sky: Austin Then & Now - Winograd takes a look at the differences in leadership in Austin and it making a difference for animals.
The Vicktims speak: What dead dogs tell us -- Gina Spadafori fo the Pet Connection takes a look at what canine forensics tell us about the brutality at Bad Newz Kennels.
Have a great week everyone.
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