Dusting off some links this week and sharing some of the top stories from the past couple of weeks.
Cities/States and Laws
Chippewa Falls, WI is reworking its animal control laws....and they will not be breed-specific.
Bonner Springs, KS is still wisely looking at repealing their 25 year old law that targets pit bulls.
Forsyth, MO appears to be looking at a new dangerous dog law that is focused on behavior, not breed.
Dog bites/attacks
Major dog bites are rare for the 75 million owned dogs in this country, but they do happen, and when they happen, it is important to focus on the causes of the attacks, not breed. Focusing on breed does not help.
For many years, many states in Australia have played with the idea of targeting specific breeds of dogs, with some of them having passed such laws, in spite of professional opposition to the idea.
Meanwhile, a two year old boy was attacked and killed by a "mastiff cross" when the dog followed the toddler outside without adult supervision.
Meanwhile, in New Zealand, which also has laws targeting pit bulls, an 8 year old boy was badly attacked by two Rottweilers. In the wake of the incident, local experts say that media sources place too much emphasis on breeds instead of ownership and causes.
A 21 month old toddler in Milford, IN had to be airlifted to a hospital after he stepped on the paw of a Great Dane and the dog spun around and bit the child in the face.
A paralyzed man in Trumann, AR had a stray "small white fluffy" dog chew off his testical while he slept.
Dog bites in the UK continue to climb -- 25 years after they passed a law targeting specific breeds. They've seen a 551% increase in two decades and yet still stubbornly hang onto their law.
Animal Shelters
Apparently political disagreement between the County of Kern County and the City of Bakersfield has led to the city evicting the Kern County Animal Control from it's shelter at the end of September. The move would force Kern County AC to remove 900 animals, many of them from the city of Bakersfield, as part of the move. As is usual, when animals end up in the middle of a political controversy, it's the animals that have the most to lose. I'll be following this one in the coming weeks....
Volunteers at the Chester County (PA) SPCA are complaining that the shelter is becoming a "kill factory" because of poor management.
Rick DuCharme, out of Jacksonville and the Target Zero Program, says that Waco, TX is in a position to possibly go No Kill by late 2014. Meanwhile, the city is looking to pass a law mandating spay/neuter for all pets, which is a law that always targets the low-income, and when enforced, leads to more animals coming into the shelter vs less. It's unfortunate that the positive headline gives you hope that they're headed in the right direction, but that the mandatory spay/neuter headline shows they really have no idea how to get there.
BSL
The White House offered its official statement on Breed-Specific Legislation -- calling it "largely ineffective" and "often a waste of public resources" -- and ccalling for a community approach to the prevention of dog bites.
The news from the White House led many others to discuss the topic, including Time, and Brian Lehrer. And the news has called for a petition for the President to end dog breed discrimination in military housing.
Breed Specific Legislation Polarizes the community -- which is opposed to the effectiveness of a community-based approach
Fear and Hysteria
More fear and hysteria out of Detriot this week, where major news outlets began reporting that the city had an estimated 50,000 stray dogs roaming in it, biting people, killing pets, etc. Turns out locals are saying that while stray dogs are a problem in Detroit, the 50,000 number "seems quite inflated". Meanwhile, another local writer noted "Propagating phony-baloney numbers to spike interest in Detroit's strays may attract attention in the short-run, but int he long run it can only harm the cause by undermining credibility".
An Oklahoma Police officer shot accidentally shot and killed a 5 year old boy when he opened fire on a snake and a stray bullet hit the child.
Miscellaneous
Soon, the technology may exist that we can actually talk to our pets. Dr. Doolittle not required. Some days I think this would be great, as I often wonder what they're thinking. Other times I think I'm better off not knowing. More from The Poodle and dog blog.
A Longview, WA man is being charged for animl cruelty after he tried to kill his pit bull with a sledge hammer.
Animals are also getting fatter. While we would expect that cats and dogs are gaining wait, the same is also true in rats and other non-domestic species.
A new study suggests that performing vasectomies and tubal ligations in feral cat colonies may be more effective than spay/neuter becasue it would preserve hormone-driven behavior such as territorial traits in male cats and can help reduce a colony's reproduction rates.
On a related note, Whole Dog Journal is now pushing for Ovariectomy -- removal of just the ovaries -- instead of the complete ovariohysterectomy (removal of Ovaries and the uterus) - as a safer form of altering pets.
Prolonged exposure to Facebook makes you hate your life, study finds -- I'm sure many animal welfare people can identify, but maybe not for the reasons the study suggests.
Blogs
Keep Calm and Stop Reacting - Beyond Breed wonders why may of the popular 'pit bull' memes continue to exist and why in spite of the obvious signs that public perceptions of the dogs has changed, the memes have not.
Why do dogs give chase? -- From DoggyWoof
Such Sadness -- A story of an adopted Beagle that attacked the other family dog in the middle of the night and no one quite knows why, and the sadness that comes from a loving pet not acting out in love. -- From DoggyWoof
I finally acknowledged my senior dog will die soon -- Seattle Dog Spot has a touching story about the exact moment he realized his dog had entered the last stage of his life.
The Cats of Torre Argentina -- This really is a remarkable place that I stumbled upon a decade ago on my honeymoon with my wife. Pound dogs has a bit of the back story, and as usual, great photos.
Dog bites - Debunking the Myths -- From Wisconsin Voters for Companion Animals
Ray, a seven year old dog that was seized from Mike Vick's dog fighting operation and spent the past 5 years with Best Friends Animal Society, has passed his CGC.
Mandatory de-sexing -- saving lives or costing lives? From Saving Pets
Euthanizing Aggressive Dogs: Sometimes it's the best choice -- Vetzinsight has a first hand case of why this is important.
They want them, they really do! -- ASPCA Pro notes that people really do want to adopt pit bulls. Great article, although it's frustrating that this is somehow still a debate given that pit bulls are among the nation's most popular dogs.
Pit bull type dogs featured in National Advertising? Yes Please! -- from Stubby Dog
Good stuff this week, thanks for taking the time with all the work you do with the shelter.
Posted by: Dan Adams | August 25, 2013 at 02:27 PM