I'm a bit behind after missing the weekly roundup two consecutive weeks -- so along with this week's top stories, we'll pick up some from the last few weeks as well. I'm likely going to skip a few to make the length of this more manageable (and because I woke up an hour behind this morning), but if you have links you want to add to the comments, please do. There are a couple from late this past week that I am holding until tomorrow. Let's do this.
Cities/Counties and Laws
The Terrell County, GA shelter says they are "inundated" with pit bulls and pit bull mixes after passing a breed-specific law earlier this year that takes effect next month. Authorities feel like many owners are just turning their dogs free because they cannot afford the high cost of keeping their pets (the county has a nearly 30% poverty rate). As if the shelter being inundated with dogs after passing this ordinance wasn't completely foreseeable...
Ventura County, CA is very close to enacting a new law that would require all 'pit bulls' to be spayed or neutered. They seem to be ignoring the reality that this type of law has NEVER led to a decrease in dog bites in a community and has most commonly led to an increased in dead pit bulls at the shelter.
Whitehall, OH seems content to keep it's breed-specific law in spite of a recent law change in the Ohio Statewide law. However, they do seem somewhat open to the change if local constuents push for one.
Slater, MO has decided against breed-specific laws.
Dunn, NC has decided against breed-specific laws dealing with their dangerous dog laws.
Dog Bites/Attacks
I won't include nearly all the stories that are out there this week, but a few to demonstrate that attacks are NOT a breed-specific issue and that the people surrounding the dogs are usually the main reason for the attack, and not the dog itself. Worth noting, dogs are incredibly safe animals, and attacks are rare compared to the population of dogs, but they do happen - -and when they do, it is important to judge the circumstances surrounding the attack.
Three children were injured, and one airlifted to the hospital, after a Black Lab that was "repeatedly loose" in the neighborhood injured them. The children ranged in age from 9-12.
A political candidate in Lake County, IL was bitten in the face by a Labrador Retriever as he was going door to door campaigning.
Kansas City News
A Blue Summit woman was arrested after authorities found 17 dogs living in pretty rough conditions in her home. The dogs were allegedly ill, had mange, and living in a home with feces all over the floor. The woman was running a "rescue" but without proper state licensing.
Kansas City Pet Project gets help again from North Shore Animal League of America in transporting dogs and cats to their facility in New York.
Scenes from Spay/Neuter Kansas City's Spaygetti and No Balls dinner -- from Paw Prints the Magazine
No Kill News
A USA Today article focuses on No Kill Communities and that many shelters across the country are making No Kill happen -- unfortunately, it also focuses on the higher cost of achieving No Kill (which isn't always the case).
Miscellaneous
A really well done article in how to correctly calculate the "age" of your dog or cat in human years. While "7 years = 1 year" has been the common mantra for dogs, it doesn't take into account their rapid development into adulthood. This formula does.
A pit bull type dog in Ohio was found still sitting beside his owner after his owner was killed in a Tornado last week. Authorities said the dog would not leave his owner's side until authorities discovered her....
Police arrested a 19 year old Newton County, GA man for having sex with his neighbor's dogs.
Beware of pit bull bias, handlers say -- experts almost almost unanimously agree that dog bites are not a breed-specific issue.
A 24 hour tv channel for your dog's viewing pleasure? Apparently so. Pets are definitely playing a major role in our lives.
Want more evidence on the importance dogs are playing people's lives? Divorce lawyer says canine custody cases are increasing.
A Sturgeon Bay, WI woman had her life saved by a cat that she adopted only hours earlier from a local shelter -- the cat woke her up from an insulin reaction that she would have died from. This is an absolutely amazing story.
Blogs
An EXCELLENT look at dog behavior and the subtle signs they give us from Family Paws Parent Education (formerly Dogs & Storks).
Report Card on first quarter at Town Lake Animal Center -- the real numbers from Austin Pets Alive
Politics, Pit Bulls, and the Man Behind the Curtain -- Pit News Legal Bulletin looks at efforts for changes in Miami-Dade's breed ban.
Teenagers are dangerous and Ontario is right to ban them -- Pound Dogs takes a letter to the editor and substitutes "teenagers" for "pit bulls" and "parents" for "owners" and creates a great argument about why breed-bans are ridiculous...
Dog wins case against city of Minneapolis -- Animal Ark discusses a case of a dog being ruled "potentially dangerous" in spite of not ever hurting an individual or other animal. I will be the first to note, that I've been a fan of the type of law that Minneapolis has -- but only if it is enforced in a reasonable and responsible way.
What is animal rescue: Part 1 -- thoughts on disaster relief rescue from Jim Crosby.
HSUS vs Humanewatch again....from VetNewsOnline
Could ecotourism hep solve the wild horse problem? -- From Outside Magazine
My cat lives outdoors, but yours should stay in - - I reallyt like this blog post from Vet Street's Dr. Marty Becker
One lost dog, one Good Sameritan, one broken shelter system -- Honest Dog takes a look at a situation that happened here in Kansas City where some people working to help save a dog kept struggling to find safe placement within the city's shelter system. More on the same topic by YesBiscuit!
I love, love, love this post by Family Paws -- discussing 3 different cases of news anchors being bitten by dogs and what patterns we can see from these incidents.
HSUS top 10 list not so funny -- what do you make of HSUS listing their top 10 rescue partners for places they send animals to after major animal rescues -- that have fairly high kill rates? From Yesbiscuit!
Why dogs? -- Lucky Dog Rescue looks at why she got involved in dog rescue in the first place
A translation for your benefit -- For the Pit Bulls has an entertaining look at a news article abot a non-bite incident that became a major news story.
How PETA is betraying vegans and the animal rights movement -- by Honest Dog
No good deed goes unpunished -- would love to hear people's feedback on this post by Paw Prints the Magazine in which a shelter gets donations from Pet Store (who got donations to help them from their customers) that sells puppies...
Assumptions usually lead us down the wrong path -- more "thinking lost and not stray" from Lost Dogs of Wisconsin.
Some closing thoughts on Ontario's Breed Ban (which passed it's 2nd reading two weeks ago)
Chicobandido runs down a list of Canadian Dog bite fatalities since 1983 - -noting that Ontario's breed ban makes no sense given they types of dogs that most commonly appear on the fatality list.
Speaking of Ontario's breed ban, this is a great article by insideHalton.com noting that if 'pit bulls' were indeed vicious, or indeed breed bans worked, you'd see some expert concensus on the issue. But, in fact, you see the exact opposite. Consensus that such laws are unnecessary and do not work.
Here's more reasons why the law is a bad idea -- from the Windsor Star (anyone else see a trend here?)
For some reason Whitehall has never understood their law. The current Whitehall code 505.14 STATES "The Ohio Revised Code has placed specific requirements and or regulations regarding the definitions of, and the harboring of "dangerous" and/or "vicious" animals. Harborers of such animals within the Municipality shall do so in ACCORDANCE with the Ohio Revised Code. Further definitions of dangerous and vicious dogs within the City of Whitehall as they pertain actionable offenses, NOT SPECIFIC TO BREED, are as follows . . ."
Prior to HB 14 passing, pit bulls within the city should have only had to follow the restrictions listed in the Ohio Revised Code. However, additional restrictions were placed upon them solely due to breed.
With the passage of HB 14, Pit Bull breeds should NO LONGER be singled out as being automatically vicious because Whitehall law piggybacks on Ohio law. Since Ohio law no longer discriminates against breed, then Whitehall law should not discriminate against breed. But for some reason, they just don't grasp this
Posted by: Lisa in OH | March 11, 2012 at 09:09 PM
Hope you'll be able to continue documenting the fallout from Mandatory Spay Neuter and microchip laws in Los Angeles County,CA. The author of this article appears to be another member of the uninformed media:
"According to a press release issued by the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control (DACC), officers from DACC will be checking for current rabies vaccinations in the unincorporated areas in the vicinity of: San Gabriel, Monrovia, Pasadena, and Arcadia. The officers will be verifying that residents are in compliance with licensing requirements in addition to the mandatory spay/neuter and microchip ordinance. California State law requires rabies vaccination and licensing for all dogs and cats over the age of four months..."
http://arcadia.patch.com/articles/department-of-animal-care-and-control-to-check-current-rabies-vaccinations#photo-9262729
Posted by: Chris H. | March 14, 2012 at 04:02 AM