I'll say.

My guest column in the Mississauga News:

November 25, 2008 06:11 PM - 1. A guest leaves the gate open. Little Rambo goes exploring. Officials tell you to sign him over for death. You refuse and are charged with owning an illegal “pit bull.”
2. You’re walking two puppies before work and are stopped and told your pets must be killed or shipped out of Ontario because they are “pit bulls.”
3. Two Huskies kill a Yorkie in line at a pet supply shop. No action is taken.
4. A visiting child is attacked by a Golden Retriever. The trauma surgeon says it’s the worst mauling he’s ever seen. No charges are laid.

I only had 600 words and they did a bit of creative editing but I sure appreciate the opportunity to get out of the house for a change.

I hope you'll visit the site to read the whole thing.

 

Getting a dog - how to spot a decent breeder   more »

Were as handsome, intelligent, loyal and honest as Luke the Dog.  Maybe they're suffering from (well-deserved) feelings of inadequacy and decided to ban the competition.

Who wouldn't want a dog like this?

h/t Cathy P

Christopher was asking if APBTs the size of Luke are still around.

This is a picture of a lovely American Pit Bull terrier I saw in Kansas City in September, 2007.  She looks a bit funny because it was in the middle of a stunning obedience display across from the hotel.  As you can see, she is small, like Luke in the film. Her owner is around 5' 5".  This is the type of APBT I am used to seeing.

 

 

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Think good thoughts for the folk who are suing Aurora CO over its panic policy-making.

There's a good article in the Denver Post today which presents some facts that prove that 'pit bull' bans are nothing but 'pit bulls**t'.

Let's hope the folk in Aurora get a judge who can look past the hyperbole and snake oil to understand the core issue.  That's obviously the trick.

Florence Vianzon Sasek hopes she can take Isis outside for a walk through her Aurora neighborhood again without strapping a pink leather muzzle over the dog's mouth.

Isis, a 5-year-old American Staffordshire terrier mix, can't ride in the car without being enclosed in a locked crate and is not allowed to roam her backyard without supervision.

Today, Vianzon Sasek's lawsuit challenging the city of Aurora's pit-bull ban goes to trial in U.S. District Court in Denver before Chief Judge Wiley Y. Daniel.

The case was filed on her behalf by the American Canine Foundation, a Washington state-based group focused on protecting the rights of dog owners and promoting responsible dog ownership.

Here's the rest.

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A researcher I know in West Virginia has done some interesting work in the area of animal welfare, animal law and breed-specific legislation.  Note that the link goes to a paper from 1995.  It should still be of interest since it discusses the rise of mandatory neutering as promoted by the animal rights movement.

Data presented at the Canine Legislation Conference in Kansas City last fall by Prof Hunter revealed findings based on a questionnaire.

One thing I found interesting was the table showing who was most likely to support BSL and who was least likely to support it.

Most likely:

1. White middled-aged males

2. Hispanic males

Least likely:

1. Women

2. Black people, both sexes

Dr Hunter is now looking at how BSL affects dog owners and asked me if I could gather some information for her. 

BSL could mean an outright ban, a restriction, mandatory neutering or any maintenance requirements specific to a breed (or non-breed, such as 'pit bull') of dog.  I expect that facing the prospect of BSL would also be of interest.

If you'd like to contribute, please send a short (just two or three paragraphs is fine) writeup to me at:

caveatnewsdesk AT hotmail DOT com

You can put your name on it or if you'd rather not, that's fine.  Your personal information will not be published - the purpose of the project is to look for commonality among dog owners, not to highlight individual cases.

If you have my private email, feel free to use it.  I obviously don't post that address here.

Thanks, please send along your thoughts because the more information we get, the better.  Don't be shy - and tell your friends!

 

 

 

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