Busy week this week -- and not a lot of posting from me. Am just now coming up for air after a busy first part of the year. Some interesting stuff to report -- so let's dive in:
Cities/States and Laws
In the best news of the week, an Ohio Senate committee passed HB 14 that would remove statewide BSL in the state of Ohio (the only state with breed restrictions). The bill now awaits being heard by the full Senate. This would be a huge step as BSL comes out of favor in the U.S. Some good thoughts on this change from the folks at Bad Rap.
BSL has been proposedin Okolona, MS.
Buffalo, MO is looking at a potential ban on certain breeds of dogs or restrictions on those breeds.
Dawson, GA passed strict ownership guidelines for owners of pit bulls -- mandating they keep dogs in pens with concrete or wired bottoms and requiring them to be muzzled when out of the cage. All dogs must also be registered, insured and microchipped. Such laws have typically been very successful at causing responsible owners -- who never would have been a problem anyway -- to have to jump through a lot of hoops but have done a poor job of focusing on people who were the problems in the first place.
St. Louis is still discussing Mandatory Spay/Neuter for all dogs and cats. One alderman who supports this says that she hopes it contributes to solving the stray problem in the city -- even though strays, which are by definition ownerless, will not be able to comply with the law. Such laws have almost never proven to be effective at lowering euthanasia rates or increasing public safety.
A Xenia, OH woman is upset as she is now set to move out of town after the city passed it's new pit bull ordinance. She says she doesn't have the money for the fines or the insurance requirements -- but has no desire to give her dog up. So moving is the only option. This will of course be great for everyone involved as Xenia has nearly 8% of its homes that are currently vacant.
Dog Bites/Attacks
An Australian woman was attacked by a dog in a supermarket parking lot this week. The dog is being described as a "bullmastiff" and comes after the Australian government has spent 6 months talking about banning certain breeds of dogs instead of dealing with aggressive dogs regardless of breed.
Several people in Northwest Indiana have been bitten as a woman who was "thought she was doing the right thing" ended up with 55 dogs at her house and authorities had to come out and get the dogs from the hoarding situation. Many of the dogs in this incident were poorly socialized, and thus aggressive when handled. There are pictures online of many of the dogs and they appear to be a variety of different types of mixed breed dogs.
Authorities in Sacramento shot a 'pit bull' type dog when a 9 year old child was injured after the child accessed the backyard where the dog was.
Miscellaneous
The Rose Brooks Center for domestic violence victims in Kansas City became the first area shelter for domestic violence victims to allow dogs into their shelter. The first dog was a a Great Dane -- and the owner credits the dog for saving her life.
Some Kansas City area dogs are helping to teach children about bullying.
I found this story kind of interesting -- but the York County (PA) Coroner's office issued a final report of the 490 deaths in the county during the year. 75% of them involved falls. A man dying of sepsis from a dog bite was responsible for one of the 490 deaths -- putting into perspective the real risk of dogs in communities.
Kansas City Chiefs player Glenn Dorsey is dong a public service campaign for PETA. While I don't usually support much that PETA does, I do like that they are using a big football star to help reach people about bringing their pets in from the cold.
No Kill
An AP-Petside.com study shows that 71% of pet owners feel that shelters should only be allowed to euthanize animals when they are sick to be treated or too aggressive to be adopted. Only 25% say euthanasia as a means of population control is ok.
Austin, TX celebrated its first year as a no kill community in 2011. Congrats! BTW, here's a great article about Austin Pets Alive Executive Director Dr. Ellen Jefferson from Best Friends Magazine.
A sad reality -- Some Colorado humane societies discuss their attempts to stop euthanizing animals. The real reality is that the featured shelter is very close to becoming no kill and would likely benefit from focusing on solutions instead of all the reasons they're not yet no kill.
Advocates in Minnesota are upset after a woman's cat was euthanized after the woman passed away instead of given opportunities to be rehomed.
Blogs
A lot of dog training info this week from the blogs....
Five Handy Commands for Dogs Living with babies and toddlers -- from Central Ohio Dog Blog
Clicker training: Capturing a behavior and putting it on cue - Dog Spelled Forward
A great PETA infographic -- h/t to Poodle and Dog Blog
What are dogs' lives worth? - Dancing Dog Blog discusses the recent court of appeals ruling in Texas that provides setimental value to pets that are wrongfully killed.
Has HSUS reached a new low? - Humanewatch looks at a new social game sponsored by HSUS. I like the game concept (a lot actually) but am not thrilled with the message that is being conveyed.
The Lost Dogs Home: 3,525 pets adopted, 11,872 pets killed, income $12.4 million -- Saving Pets (Australia) wonders if for a budget that size if expectations for life-saving should be higher.
Reiterating Responsible Pet Ownership -- By Paw Prints the Magazine
It takes two to tension: The foundation for good leash manners -- Raised by Wolves
My dog growled at my child -- now what? -- Doggone Safe has some awesome advice for a common (and scary) problem for new parents
Are you guilty of PASSIVE supervision? -- Dogs & Storks looks at the different levels of child/dog supervision
ASPCA says 41 dogs alive, but not how many were killed -- YesBiscuit! asks the question about how many are not alive
Dumping "Dump" - YesBiscuit discusses adding "dump" to the bannished word list for rescue people in 2012.
Southern Animal Shelter Killed Beloved Lost DOg Shortly after Intake -- YesBiscuit (again) on the story
Canine Agression Issues with Jim Crosby discusses a new Florida Bill that would guarantee rescues open access to shelter animals and more transparency for shelters.
There is also a bill in Florida that would force Miami Dade to repeal its 25 year old breed ban. Save Shelter Pets has the details on how you can help.
That village I mentioned? Yeah, it's awesome -- Our Waldo Bungie discusses the village of supporters who helped rescue a dog from the KCMO animal shelter this week.
This article about Cesar Millan quotes you!
http://petsadviser.com/news/cesar-millan-critics/
BTW I agree with you.
I love the dog whisperer most of the time these days.
Posted by: Dianne R. | January 17, 2012 at 08:47 AM
Uh oh. Thanks Dianne for pointing this out. I guess I can probably expect another round of comments about how wrong I am :)
Posted by: Brent | January 17, 2012 at 09:05 AM
Thanks for the link Brent.
And while I have been complaining about the incessant whining about Cesar, I see I got a link in that article too.
Yes, I dislike his methods, but I think there are a few other things to talk about from time to time.
Posted by: Eric Goebelbecker | January 17, 2012 at 09:44 PM
Yep, the Great Cesar Debate rolls on. It's amazing how polarizing that guy has become. Some of the commenters have likened it to vitriolic politics. On another site (not ours, thank God) someone likened Cesar to Hitler. In the heat of the debate, a lot of nuance gets lost, as Brent has pointed out. Anyway, I'm sure you're all sick of talking about him, but there's something to be said for the sheer staying power of the criticism.
Posted by: Dave Baker | January 17, 2012 at 10:02 PM