Pit Bull Owners Defend Breed

Cedar Crest, NM -- Edgewood provided the forum last week for debate on the issue of banning the breeding of pit bulls in New Mexico.


Bob Schwartz, crime adviser to the governor, Sen. Sue Wilson Beffort and Viki Elkey, representing Animal Protection of New Mexico, each spoke at a special Edgewood Town Council meeting Jan. 12.


Schwartz authored "dangerous dog" legislation that Gov. Bill Richardson intends to propose during the 60-day legislative session that opened Tuesday.


Beffort, a Republican senator who recently moved from Albuquerque to her new home in Sandia Park, also intends to propose legislation aimed at penalizing the owners of dogs that threaten, hurt or injure humans or other animals.


Beffort's legislation additionally contains specific provisions against pit bulls.


That specificity has spurred controversy throughout the state.


Elkey and members of other animal rights groups, including several members of Placitas Animal Rescue, attended the Edgewood meeting and defended pit bulls. Other pit bull owners told of their experiences with the dogs they described as affectionate, friendly and bonded to humans.


One Torrance County resident said he owns four of the infamous dogs, keeps them chained when he's not home and is raising his small children with them.


A flier distributed during the meeting asserts that people don't even really know what a pit bull is. Titled "Want to know the truth about pit bulls?", it challenges people to log onto a Web site— www.pitbullsontheweb.com /petbull/findpit.html— and see if they can identify the pit bull from among 25 pictured, pure breed dogs.


Wilson Beffort said her proposal stems from a personal observation that "nothing was happening to protect the states' children from dangerous animals."


"Animal groups are generally against breed specific banning," she said. "I don't take it personally."


Extensive research into the seriousness of pit bull attacks and the unique nature of the dogs' biting techniques in an attack, she said, led her to believe the state needs to reduce the numbers of pit bulls in addition to creating dangerous dog laws.


Her bill includes language paralleling the governor's dangerous dog proposal, but adds provisions that all pit bulls in the state be spayed or neutered, prohibits relocating a pit bull to New Mexico from another state and imposes a $1,000 licensing fee, Wilson Beffort said.


She admonished animal rights groups and alleged they've known for a very long time about the existence of pit bull breeders who breed viciousness into their dogs to make them suitable for dog fighting.


"Had the animal groups been pro-active in protecting the pure (bull terrier) breeds and to introduce legislation against what they knew was going on with dog fighting we wouldn't be at this place today," she said.


Schwartz said the governor has no opinion on the validity of Wilson Beffort's research and proposal against pit bulls, but decided that including a breed ban would result in controversy and bog down the bill's passage.


"There's no state in the U.S. with breed specific bans," Schwartz said. "The governor wanted something to protect people and kids as soon as possible."


Both proposals have similar provisions against dangerous or potentially dangerous dogs, Schwartz said.


A potentially dangerous dog is defined by the governor as a dog the exhibits aggressive behavior toward humans or other animals, but has not hurt anyone, he said.


A dangerous dog is one that has caused an injury.


To keep a dangerous dog, owners would have to be at least 18 years old, attend handling classes and dog socialization classes, register the dog and keep it in a secure enclosure with defined containment parameters.


"It's really a dangerous dog-owner act we're talking about," Schwartz said.


The governor's bill also bans chaining as a permanent method of containing any dog and does not impose spay or neutering requirements. When in public places, the governor's proposal would require dangerous dogs to be muzzled and restrained on a lead 4 feet in length or less.


Any noncompliance on the part of the owner could result in destruction of the animal, Schwartz said.


Schwartz and Wilson Beffort agreed it's possible the two bills could become one before the legislative session ends.


"I just hope some type of dangerous dog legislation passes," Wilson Beffort said.

 

good to see people taking a stand