luv_a_bull_girl
12-08-2005, 03:09 PM
Just thought I'd share...
Breed Specific Legislation Laws
Where would this world be without dogs? They are, after all, our (man's) best friend. And the bond’s humans share with their dogs is so strong that many see their dogs as family members, rather then mere pets. But what if it was discovered that you could no longer keep your dog. That because someone else felt your dog was "dangerous," that it would be taken from you. This is an example of what Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) is trying to accomplish in certain communities across the nation. BSL ordinances are laws that have been established in order to control ownership of certain breeds of dogs by spaying/neutering, registration, muzzling, preventing adoption of non-altered dogs, strict leash and containment laws, even expensive insurance coverage for said dogs (napbta.com/bsl). BSL may also outright ban certain breeds or euthanize any of those restricted breeds that come into shelters, puppies included. Many people see these laws as solutions to the problems that these dogs bring about; truth is, it is a lot more complicated then that and, more importantly, these laws do not work. Therefore, BSL is a bad idea because it is hard to enforce, it is an expensive undertaking, and it merely stands as a “quick fix” that, in fact, does not solve the problems. By allowing these laws to go into legislation, we allow the government to start controlling our lives ever so slowly.
BSL laws, the majority of the times, tend to single out a category of dogs known as “pit bulls” which are more commonly a grouping of three breeds of dogs; the American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT), the American Staffordshire Terrier, and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. It is already difficult to distinguish the APBT and the American Staffordshire Terrier seeing that their body types and physical features are so similar (Fogle, pg. 172), but there are many other breeds that people define as “pit bulls” as well. Many believe a brindle colored dog is a “pit bull;” others believe it is a large, blocky headed dog; even crop-eared dogs are thrown into the mix. However, these are just regular people’s perceptions. Surely those educated people that legislate BSL laws know how to distinguish the breeds. Think again. The following is a conversation between a reporter and Toronto politician, Michael Bryant over the ability to distinguish between certain dog breeds:
“Out of all of these dogs, can you tell me which one the pit bull is?”
“16, that one.”
“You say that’s that, that’s actually a Presa Canario. I kinda thought you might know which one; I had our graphics department move the pictures around. Can you point out the picture of the pit bull now?”
“You know, the point here is that, you know, you don’t ask a Health Minister to umm, uh, be, uh, be the surgeon. You don’t ask an Attorney General to be the dog expert…”
“But you’re making a legislation and you yourself can’t tell which dog is the pit bull.”
“I am not gonna be the one to determine, I’m not the judge as to what is a pit bull and what isn’t a pit bull. My job is to put together the legislation to give powers to people to determine what the pit bull is… the bottom line is it’s gonna be up to the experts.”
Oddly enough, Michael Bryant did not even go to experts with his legislation. Instead, he chose to focus more on the people who were on his side, such as dog bite/attack victims, instead of the opposition (pulse.24.com/News/Top_Story).
Breed Specific Legislation Laws
Where would this world be without dogs? They are, after all, our (man's) best friend. And the bond’s humans share with their dogs is so strong that many see their dogs as family members, rather then mere pets. But what if it was discovered that you could no longer keep your dog. That because someone else felt your dog was "dangerous," that it would be taken from you. This is an example of what Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) is trying to accomplish in certain communities across the nation. BSL ordinances are laws that have been established in order to control ownership of certain breeds of dogs by spaying/neutering, registration, muzzling, preventing adoption of non-altered dogs, strict leash and containment laws, even expensive insurance coverage for said dogs (napbta.com/bsl). BSL may also outright ban certain breeds or euthanize any of those restricted breeds that come into shelters, puppies included. Many people see these laws as solutions to the problems that these dogs bring about; truth is, it is a lot more complicated then that and, more importantly, these laws do not work. Therefore, BSL is a bad idea because it is hard to enforce, it is an expensive undertaking, and it merely stands as a “quick fix” that, in fact, does not solve the problems. By allowing these laws to go into legislation, we allow the government to start controlling our lives ever so slowly.
BSL laws, the majority of the times, tend to single out a category of dogs known as “pit bulls” which are more commonly a grouping of three breeds of dogs; the American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT), the American Staffordshire Terrier, and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. It is already difficult to distinguish the APBT and the American Staffordshire Terrier seeing that their body types and physical features are so similar (Fogle, pg. 172), but there are many other breeds that people define as “pit bulls” as well. Many believe a brindle colored dog is a “pit bull;” others believe it is a large, blocky headed dog; even crop-eared dogs are thrown into the mix. However, these are just regular people’s perceptions. Surely those educated people that legislate BSL laws know how to distinguish the breeds. Think again. The following is a conversation between a reporter and Toronto politician, Michael Bryant over the ability to distinguish between certain dog breeds:
“Out of all of these dogs, can you tell me which one the pit bull is?”
“16, that one.”
“You say that’s that, that’s actually a Presa Canario. I kinda thought you might know which one; I had our graphics department move the pictures around. Can you point out the picture of the pit bull now?”
“You know, the point here is that, you know, you don’t ask a Health Minister to umm, uh, be, uh, be the surgeon. You don’t ask an Attorney General to be the dog expert…”
“But you’re making a legislation and you yourself can’t tell which dog is the pit bull.”
“I am not gonna be the one to determine, I’m not the judge as to what is a pit bull and what isn’t a pit bull. My job is to put together the legislation to give powers to people to determine what the pit bull is… the bottom line is it’s gonna be up to the experts.”
Oddly enough, Michael Bryant did not even go to experts with his legislation. Instead, he chose to focus more on the people who were on his side, such as dog bite/attack victims, instead of the opposition (pulse.24.com/News/Top_Story).