Like so many other modern day ‘quick fixes,’ Breed Specific Legislation seems to be spreading through towns and cities all across America these days; and I, like many other dog lovers around the country, consider it to be another very tragic modern day trend; and we find it to be both extremely unfair and extremely ill conceived.

Breed Specific Legislation (BSL), in simple terms, is a statute or regulation that bans, or outlaws, one or more specific breeds of dog.  The majority of these BSL initiatives are focused on canine breeds that many now consider to be ‘dangerous,’ and on canine breeds that many now believe have ‘inherent propensities for aggression and violent behavior.’ 

The breeds most often being targeted today for BSL are:  Rottweilers, Bull Terriers (frequently called Pit Bulls), Chows, German Shepherds, and Doberman Pinschers; but the list is growing all the time.

And once a municipality passes such a statute or regulation banning a specific canine breed, both responsible dog owners, and their family pets, suffer horribly.

I know several extremely caring dog owners in Denver who had to sell their homes and move out  when Denver passed its Pit Bull Ban; and I know several other people in other areas of the country who had to very sadly ship their dogs off to another city to live with friends or relatives, rather than comply with their new BSL ordinances to summarily hand over their precious pets to the city pound gas chamber.

I’ve also felt the unfairness and tragedy of BSL myself.  Not that many years ago, while volunteering at a large urban animal shelter, I came across one of the sweetest, and one of the most neglected dogs, I had ever seen.  He happened to be an extremely gentle old ‘Pit Bull’ that had been kept very cruelly chained outdoors in a decrepit automobile junkyard for many years.  He was half starved, mange ridden, and for the past 10 long years, he had never known any kindness or human companionship.

He had quickly tugged at my heart strings, and I had quickly decided to take him home that day, to at least give him a few decent years of life. But I was very promptly informed by shelter personnel that because of a new BSL statute, he was now considered to be ‘unadoptable,’ and they had been instructed to put him down.

I will never forget that extremely sad day, and the extremely pitiful look in that old dog’s extremely sad and lonely old eyes, when I had to eventually walk away from him.  That gentle and abused old dog had deserved much better from me, from that animal shelter, from our so called leaders, and from all of us.

We should have been diligently prosecuting the owner of that junkyard for animal cruelty; not callously persecuting that extremely innocent docile old dog, just because of his particular breed.

And then a few years ago, Hurricane Katrina came roaring in on the Gulf Coast, and many volunteer animal rescuers were astounded at both the extreme friendliness and the extreme ‘attention craving’ that so many of these left behind dogs had so quickly exhibited – including the vast majority of these now so called ‘extremely vicious breeds of dogs.’

One of my favorite rescued dogs in New Orleans was a ‘Pit Bull’ named Red; I’ve penned a few poems about him.  The entire lower half of Red’s body had been paralyzed in the storm; he had lost the use of his two back legs; and yet, he was one of the sweetest dogs that any of us had encountered.

Many of us spent hours playing Fetch with old Red, as he so joyfully scooted along the floor in pursuit of his favorite toy; and some of us even slept with him in his pen at night.  My old pal Red also very proudly led the Barkus Pet Parade in New Orleans, with his brand new set of donated doggy scooter wheels, a year after Katrina’s wrath.  And good old Red wouldn’t have hurt a fly. I was extremely happy when he was adopted by a most compassionate woman, who completely ignored his so called – ‘dangerous breed status.’

Another of my favorite Katrina Pet Rescue stories involves two other ‘Pit Bulls.’  A friend of mine, on our house to house searches for tragically left behind pets, battered down a door, and entered an extremely dark and eerie home.  As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he looked up the home’s long dark staircase and soon spotted two large, foaming at the mouth, ‘Pit Bulls,’ now staring back down at him.

He immediately flattened himself against the wall, truly expecting to be attacked and mauled at any second.  He wasn’t.  These two dogs raced right past him, right out the finally opened front door, and they immediately jumped into his waiting van.  As he raced outside, he found both of them very happily sitting in that van, and looking back at him as if to say, ‘Hey!  Let’s get going, Pal.  We’re very hungry and very thirsty, you know!’  They had been foaming at the mouth not because they were vicious, but because they were completely de-hydrated – they hadn’t had a drop of fresh water, in several weeks.

After my many years of both observing and working with many types and breeds of dogs, I firmly believe that No Canine is born vicious; and that No Breed of Canine is somehow inherently vicious or overly aggressive.  Vicious human beings today make them so.

They beat them; starve them; torture them; and force them to fight to the death in extremely bloody and extremely barbaric Death Matches for money.  They also starve and mutilate and torture these poor animals in an attempt to make them hate all human beings, while they force them to protect their property or their illegal activities.  And many irresponsible, uncaring, pet owners today still allow their woefully neglected dogs to roam free, ignoring any and all leash laws, and allowing their pets to terrorize anyone who comes in contact with them.

What we really need today are much tougher laws against cruel and vicious and inhumane and callous human activity, not much tougher laws against specific breeds of dogs, or against any other type of animal, that we are supposed to be taking care of, and certainly not supposed to be abusing, or neglecting, or training to be vicious threats to our communities.

Today’s dog control and aggression problems are in reality, as most problems are today - people problems - and they are not limited to any particular breed or mixed breed of canine.

Banning a certain canine breed or declaring it ‘inherently vicious’  not only punishes the innocent dog, but it also punishes the very responsible, law abiding, dog loving owner, who is the type of citizen that communities need to keep, not drive away.

And many communities that have passed these BSL bans have found that both the irresponsible dog owner and the vicious human criminal who use their dogs for illegal activities, simply switch to another breed, ignore the new breed ban completely, or turn their now banned dogs loose on society.  And if their now ‘man made’ vicious dogs are then rounded up and euthanized; they simply get some more.  To them, these dogs are merely disposable property, not precious pets.

And banning a specific breed, or a particular mix of breeds, also punishes the marvelous canines that are still extremely reliable and beneficial community contributors today; such as therapy dogs, assistance dogs for the handicapped, search and rescue dogs, drug-sniffing dogs, police dogs, etc., and also drives them, and their very caring trainers and handlers, out of the communities that now pass BSL.

The number one law enforcement drug detecting dog in America today, happens to be a ‘Pit Bull.’  And he was found in horrendous shape during a raid on a drug dealer’s home.

Please help us fight these senseless and tragic and extremely cruel modern day BSL initiatives, in your own community.  And please advocate for much tougher animal abuse laws, not much tougher laws against animals.

If anyone breaks into my home, they are more likely to be bitten by my very protective little Chihuahua than they are by my massive, part Bull Terrier, Junior.  He was also foaming at the mouth when I found him near death, and he’s truly a lovable old ‘Pussy Cat’ today.

And when our illustrious modern day leaders eventually get around to banning protective little Chihuahuas like mine, as I’m sure they eventually will, I’m definitely moving out of my community, and probably out of my state.

Please watch the video linked below of these so called ‘inherently vicious breed dogs’ and decide for yourself who the vicious creatures in society today really are.

And then take a look at the second video linked below, called ‘Yesterday.’

Believe it or not, there was a time in America when we respected all types and breeds of dogs, even these now unjustly vilified Bulldogs and Bull Terriers, which are today all often commonly lumped together and referred to as ‘Pit Bulls’ (which are in actuality, several distinct breeds of dog, and all now ‘branded’ very unfairly, because of their use in human initiated, extremely cruel and barbaric, dog fighting activities for cash).

And many a wonderful Bull Terrier was once a beloved and loyal family member for both the common man, and for our much wiser, and far more compassionate and knowledgeable, prior day politicians.  And many a Bull Terrier was also a very loyal Military and Police and Firehouse Mascot, valiant War Hero, pampered Presidential Pet, and adorable Animal Actor.

A scene stealing little Bull Terrier named Pete the Pup even starred in the old Our Gang and Little Rascal serials, with all those cute little child actors, and he was one of the sweetest mutts around.

But back in those good old days, no one had yet so unjustly labeled that marvelous dog as ‘inherently vicious.’

©2008, Mr. Ed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FV7aLCrgX0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_cBIyuoU4o