Last month, information started coming out about a pit bull "roundup" in Sikeston, MO -- where pit bulls were being seized from homes under the community's breed-specific law. However, local officials denied that any roundup was ever taking place.
However, when breed specific laws are in place, every day has round-up potential.
Earlier this week, the Sikeston Humane Society (which handles all animal control intake for the city, but is a separate organization from animal control) posted their numbers.
According to their records, Sikeston animal control brought in 247 animals to the humane society. Of those, 60 (24%) were pit bulls. All except 7 of those pit bulls were seized for violation of the city's breed-specifc law (the other 7 were cruelty victims or strays).
Meanwhile, Sikeston Humane Society took in 260 animals through their front door -- other 13 of them were pit bulls surrendered by owners because they couldn't comply with the city's laws.
So, in total, 66 pit bulls lost their homes in Sikeston last year purely because of the breed-specific law -- WITHOUT an actual roundup. This is an extraordinary number given the community is small, with only about 16,000 residents.
The good news is that SHS is a compassionate organization -- and last year adopted out 167 animals and transferred another 480 to no kill rescue groups (note, their number of animals saved is higher than their intake because they actually transferred some out of area rescue groups as well). A job very well done by SHS - and great news for the pit bulls that lost their homes unnecessarily because of the breed-specific law.
Sikeston's law is poorly written. I targets the look of a dog instead of its behavior and also does not allow for due process. And because of its breed-specific nature, it is causing animals WITH loving homes to be removed from those homes -- unnecessarily leading them to be homeless.
This needs to change. Because even if the roundups were never going to happen (I still think they were), 66 dogs separated from their family is too many..
Exactly. BSL in any form affects owned dogs. People ask why I say that, ie, why does it matter?
It matters because these are not strays or handovers, they are pets that are seized from good homes for no reason other than their appearance.
Yet at the same time, we are bemoaning the fact that shelters are killing adoptable, treatable animals and have too many inmates.
It's insane.
Posted by: Caveat | January 16, 2013 at 05:02 PM
I've been following dog laws/ordinances since the early 1980s and there seems to be a common thread through all of it - government typically spends far too much time finding ways to control responsible people that are providing good care for their pets and not nearly enough time worrying about the animals that need help.
Pass a law to control/regulate/protect pets and I guarantee you at some point someone will decide it's not enough and they'll start piling on more regulations, higher and deeper, often resulting in pets ending up in worse situations than the ones in which they started.
The only result of BSL is it's killed pets. Period.
Posted by: kmk | January 16, 2013 at 08:13 PM
I just saw this online last night and it made me angry and just sick. What kind of backward justice is going on in Mo. anyhow? I can't even WRAP MY HEAD AROUND THE WHOLE THING BECAUSE IT'S JUST SO CRUEL. The fact that they took the dogs just because of their looks is just so wrong. I just don't get it. There's something really wrong with the town of Sikeston Mo. I am hoping that some good attorney goes in there and sues the snot out them and the state for what they have done. I know that I would. Just awful.
Posted by: Julie Jo | January 19, 2013 at 04:36 AM