Well, there are a couple of "wins" in the area recently as last week, Peculiar, MO passed their new breed-neutral dangerous dog ordinance. I've only seen a draft of the final ordinance -- but there were some really interesting (good) elements in the draft I saw that I will point out if I can ever get my hands on the final ordinance. Peculiar came a long way from their original proposal that declared 6 breeds of dogs as dangerous (and a curious selection of six breeds). So congrats to them for working with the animal welfare community in coming up with a great, fair law.
Meanwhile, Warrensburg, MO just had the first reading of their ordinance last night, and it also appears as if it will be a solid breed-neutral law. It's actually amazing that Warrensburg, MO, the home of the phrase "A man's best friend is a dog", spent so much time contemplating potentially banning some of man's best friends.
Yes, this was news to me, even though I've lived near Warrensburg my entire life, that it was the home to this popular phrase. But the story comes from "eulogy of the dog" that was in honor of a man's dog, Old Drum (a statue of Old Drum stands in the town).
Here is a quick blurb from the Eulogy:
"Gentlemen of the jury, a man's dog stands by him in prosperity and poverty, in health and sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground, where the wintry winds blow, and the snow drives fiercely, if only he can be near his master's side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer; he will lick the wounds and sores that come in encounter with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince. When all other friends desert, he remains. When riches take wings and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens."
Good stuff.
You can read the entire story and eulogy here. And congrats to Warrensburg for not making a mockery of their claim to fame.
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