Dano
02-12-2005, 11:37 AM
PROTECT YOUR DOG FROM BEING LABELED 'BAD BREED'
author: Linda Wilson-Fuoco
source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.pitbullpress.com/ARTICLES.PICTURES/ARTICLES.GRAPHIC.jpg (http://www.pitbullpress.com/ARTICLES/ARTICLES.HOME.html)
THERE is a knock at the door. A uniformed official says he has come to take your dog. The dog has done nothing wrong, but his breed has been outlawed in the town where you live. You've had this dog since he was a puppy. He is obedience-trained, licensed and vaccinated. He never runs loose. He has never bitten anybody. And you love him. But it's bye-bye, Buffy, if he's the "wrong" breed.
All over this country - and in Allegheny County - owners of pit bull terriers and rottweilers have been ordered to get rid of them or have them seized by authorities. Now, a small but feisty group called American Dog Owners Association Inc. (ADOA.ORG) is battling officials on many fronts to put an end to this madness. The current battleground is Buffalo Grove, Ill., where both breeds are targeted.
Municipal officials don't ban any breed, outright. They just impose rules that the average pet owner can't live with: 8-foot fences, licenses that cost hundreds of dollars per year, proof of $500,000 in liability insurance. "Breed-specific" laws come in response to fear. A couple of well-publicized attacks, and the push is on to ban a breed.
So you say you don't like pit bulls or rottweilers and you would never own one. It's still your fight. They might come after your breed next, especially if it's a breed designed for guard and attack duties. On the local front, those of us who own and love Labrador retrievers should hug them tightly and donate generously to the ADOA. America's most popular purebred dog is also one of the top biters.
In 1995 - the last time I checked bites by breed - Labrador retrievers were No. 3 on the Allegheny County Health Department list. Labs logged 60 bites - right behind the 73 bites reported for pit bulls. German shepherds were No. 1 with 84 bites. There are no bad breeds. There are bad and irresponsible dog owners. There are bad and vicious dogs. Elected officials should go after them. The ADOA will help them devise laws to do so.
The association does not condone or defend bad dogs or their owners. They support laws requiring licenses and vaccinations. They are opposed to dogs running loose. Their main goal is "to promote, protect and defend responsible dog ownership."
"If your breed is banned, the ADOA has no legal standing to help you unless you are a member. And though the group has proved you CAN fight city hall, the cost is high - $20,000 to $30,000 for a full-fledged court fight. The group needs more members and cash donations. "
Their address is 1654 Columbia Turnpike, Castleton, NY 12033. Or check out their Web site, which includes an online membership form, at http://www.adoa.org.
No one bats a thousand, but the ADOA has won in court - usually because proposed legislation violates existing federal and state statutes. The group prefers to avert bad laws before they are put on the books. Pennsylvania has a very good "dangerous dog" law that arms local officials with effective remedies against dogs that bite and dogs that fight.
And Pennsylvania is one of 12 states that has laws specifically banning "breed-specific" legislation.
There are 52.9 million pet dogs in this country, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Most of us have done nothing as dogs lost ground: breeds banned, dogs banned from parks and limits placed on the number of dogs we can own.
We could learn a lesson from what the National Rifle Association has accomplished with big membership rolls, generous donations and well-paid lobbyists. They fight effectively for everyone's "right" to own guns that maim and kill more people than dogs ever could. {HOME} (http://www.pitbullpress.com/ARTICLES/ARTICLES.HOME.html)
©Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, November 11, 1998
author: Linda Wilson-Fuoco
source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.pitbullpress.com/ARTICLES.PICTURES/ARTICLES.GRAPHIC.jpg (http://www.pitbullpress.com/ARTICLES/ARTICLES.HOME.html)
THERE is a knock at the door. A uniformed official says he has come to take your dog. The dog has done nothing wrong, but his breed has been outlawed in the town where you live. You've had this dog since he was a puppy. He is obedience-trained, licensed and vaccinated. He never runs loose. He has never bitten anybody. And you love him. But it's bye-bye, Buffy, if he's the "wrong" breed.
All over this country - and in Allegheny County - owners of pit bull terriers and rottweilers have been ordered to get rid of them or have them seized by authorities. Now, a small but feisty group called American Dog Owners Association Inc. (ADOA.ORG) is battling officials on many fronts to put an end to this madness. The current battleground is Buffalo Grove, Ill., where both breeds are targeted.
Municipal officials don't ban any breed, outright. They just impose rules that the average pet owner can't live with: 8-foot fences, licenses that cost hundreds of dollars per year, proof of $500,000 in liability insurance. "Breed-specific" laws come in response to fear. A couple of well-publicized attacks, and the push is on to ban a breed.
So you say you don't like pit bulls or rottweilers and you would never own one. It's still your fight. They might come after your breed next, especially if it's a breed designed for guard and attack duties. On the local front, those of us who own and love Labrador retrievers should hug them tightly and donate generously to the ADOA. America's most popular purebred dog is also one of the top biters.
In 1995 - the last time I checked bites by breed - Labrador retrievers were No. 3 on the Allegheny County Health Department list. Labs logged 60 bites - right behind the 73 bites reported for pit bulls. German shepherds were No. 1 with 84 bites. There are no bad breeds. There are bad and irresponsible dog owners. There are bad and vicious dogs. Elected officials should go after them. The ADOA will help them devise laws to do so.
The association does not condone or defend bad dogs or their owners. They support laws requiring licenses and vaccinations. They are opposed to dogs running loose. Their main goal is "to promote, protect and defend responsible dog ownership."
"If your breed is banned, the ADOA has no legal standing to help you unless you are a member. And though the group has proved you CAN fight city hall, the cost is high - $20,000 to $30,000 for a full-fledged court fight. The group needs more members and cash donations. "
Their address is 1654 Columbia Turnpike, Castleton, NY 12033. Or check out their Web site, which includes an online membership form, at http://www.adoa.org.
No one bats a thousand, but the ADOA has won in court - usually because proposed legislation violates existing federal and state statutes. The group prefers to avert bad laws before they are put on the books. Pennsylvania has a very good "dangerous dog" law that arms local officials with effective remedies against dogs that bite and dogs that fight.
And Pennsylvania is one of 12 states that has laws specifically banning "breed-specific" legislation.
There are 52.9 million pet dogs in this country, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Most of us have done nothing as dogs lost ground: breeds banned, dogs banned from parks and limits placed on the number of dogs we can own.
We could learn a lesson from what the National Rifle Association has accomplished with big membership rolls, generous donations and well-paid lobbyists. They fight effectively for everyone's "right" to own guns that maim and kill more people than dogs ever could. {HOME} (http://www.pitbullpress.com/ARTICLES/ARTICLES.HOME.html)
©Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, November 11, 1998