From My Google Alerts- September 4, 2010

An American Staffordshire terrier was adopted by Bob and Maryellen Chanda last week. I love it when I see older people adopting pit bull type dogs. It shows that they aren’t ignorant nor do they believe what the media tells them. Kangol and I wish the best of luck to the Chandas and their new family member, Maggie.

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In Lubbock, Texas, a dog has escaped from its backyard and the family is seeking help from the public in finding the dog. The black and brown Belgian Malinois got loose at about 8:30 a.m. today from the backyard on 57th Street between Indiana and University avenues. He goes by the name Rex and looks similar to a German shepherd. The dog was a military dog who served in Iraq and Afghanistan before being discharged for medical reasons. A local marine got to adopt Rex out of the military. I hope you are found safely and soon, Rex!

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Samuel Van Donslear, 19-months old, was attacked by a dog when he wandered into a neighboring yard. The investigation has been closed and nobody will be charged. The investigation declared that no one involved in the incident is guilty of any criminal activity. The dog has been declared vicious and its owners were issued a citation. So why will nobody be charged? Hmmm… I’m going to go out on a limb here and say nobody will be charged because said dog is not a pit bull. Media bias at its brightest. Look at all headlines that appeared when I Googled the boy’s name.

·  Mom: Toddler in 'pretty bad shape' from dog bites

Aug 27, 2010 ... Cheryl Van Donslear said her 19-month-old son, Samuel Van Donslear, suffered 45 puncture wounds, collapsed lungs, a bruised kidney, ...

·  Boy bitten by neighbor's dog is released from hospital

Sep 2, 2010 ... Cheryl Van Donslear, of Sioux City, said her son, Samuel, was in good spirits after he was released from the hospital this afternoon. ...

·  Sioux City boy bitten by neighbor's dog released from hospital

Sep 3, 2010 ... Courtesy Samuel Van Donslear the 19-month-old that was mauled by a dog in an ... Cheryl Van Donslear, of Sioux City, said her son, Samuel, ...

·  Image : Sioux City boy bitten by neighbor's dog released from hospital

Courtesy Samuel Van Donslear the 19-month-old that was mauled by a dog in ... (Photo courtesy Cheryl Van Donslear). Loading… Samuel Van Donslear · dog bite ...

·  19-Month-Old Upgraded To Fair Condition After Dog Attack

Aug 26, 2010 ... (***UPDATE: St. Luke's Hospital confirmed Friday morning that Samuel Van Donslear has been upgraded from serious condition to fair condition ...

Does anybody see a mention of breed in any of those headlines? No, I didn’t think so… Ridiculous!!

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The California state Assembly voted on SB 250 (Florez) tonight, but after multiple attempts, it did not receive a sufficient number of votes to pass.
The final vote – at 11:47 pm — was 28 27 Yes, 40 39 No, 10 12 abstain.   41 Yes votes were required for SB 250 to pass.
SB 250 – mandatory spay-neuter for dogs and cats – is finally and truly defeated.
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Lubbock, Texas also vetoed a bill requiring mandatory spay/neutering of animals. While I am pro spay/neuter, laws such as mandatory spay/neuter takes away the rights of a responsible owner by letting the decision be his or her own. Many responsible owners don’t spay/neuter their animals and never have any issues. Show dogs are not allowed to be altered and if this bill had become law that would affect thousands of dogs and their owners. Phil Marshall said, “Irresponsible pet owners already ignored existing laws that attempted to keep strays off the streets. What makes us think if we pass stricter laws, they’ll obey them?”
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A dog, a black and white pit bull, was dragged behind a truck in the parking lot of an elementary school; it was left for dead. The dog was discovered September 3, 2010 by Beth Bowman. She says, “The pit bull was literally skinned alive, his paws were burned off by the road, his bones broken.” He was taken to the animal shelter and still had the chain around his neck; however, he couldn’t be saved. Police are looking for whoever committed this atrocious act and they are asking for the public’s help. If you hear anyone bragging about the incident or have any information, you are urged to give them a call. The number is 859-745-7400.

Pit Bull Stuffed in Suitcase/Stolen Pit Bull Pups/ New Ordinances

In New Bedford, Massachusetts, a pit bull was found stuffed in a suitcase and floating in the water by a boat ramp. A necropsy will be performed.

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In Dallas, Texas, a car chase involving a burglary suspect alto turned up two pit bull puppies. The man was stopped on suspicion of burglary and he fled the scene when officers approached. He crashed into a pole and tried to escape on foot; however, he had no belt on and he was looking like a fool with his pants on the ground. Along  with the stolen  puppies was stolen lawn equipment.

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In Des Moines, stray dogs were normally euthanized simply for being what they are. Even if a dog didn’t exhibit aggression it would be put down if it was or looked like an APBT, SBT, or AST. Now the city’s ordinance has changed to allow these dogs to become adoptable if deemed suitable. Make sure you do not allow accidents to happen. Please be a responsible owner!

Danish dog breed law takes first innocent victim - a Boerboel

Pet News 101: Danish dog breed law takes first innocent victim - a Boerboel

July 2, 2:25 PM · Libbii Armstrong-Brown - Salt Lake City Pet Products Examiner  

Commencing on 1 July 2010, new breed ban laws were set in place in Denmark. Denmark's new Dog Act bans the following 13 breeds, although dogs said to be pit bull terriers and Tosas were banned in 1991:

• American Staffordshire Terrier
• Central Asian Ovtcharka
• Dogo Argentino
• Fila Brasileiro
• Caucasian Ovtcharka
• Sarplaninac
• South Russian Ovtcharka
• Tornjak
• Tosa (banned in 1991)
• American Bulldog
• Boerboel - South African Mastiff
• Kangal
• Pit bull terrier (banned in 1991)

Under Denmark's law, these dog breeds, as well as dogs that contain the genes of these breeds, are prohibited from being bred, purchased, sold, imported, exported or transferred in Denmark, though there is a long phase in period for breeders, up to June 30, 2015.

Those dogs that are banned dogs in Denmark as of July 1, 2010 may only stay during a phase-in period. However, they have to be kept on a short leash less than 7 feet long, and wear a closed muzzle when off their owner's property.

Interestingly, it lies on the owners to prove to authorities, upon request, that their dog is not one of the banned breeds or even a mix.

Anasha Boerboels, one of Denmark's most prestigious Boerboel breeding kennel, was forced to euthanize the first Boerboel victim of Denmark's cruel breed ban. The reason? Because she was a spayed female for which a home couldn't be found in time.

One of the owners of Anasha Boerboels made the following statement:

"The first Boerboel has to be put to sleep today because of the new dog laws that came into effect yesterday. In about an hour we will take her to the vets and she will be euthanized. She is neutered and therefore cannot be used for breeding, therefore she would have to be placed as a pet. This is now illegal in Denmark and therefore she has to pay the price.

We are a professional kennel, we have vet inspections and the vet noted that she was here. We are not allowed to own pet dogs, only breeding dogs. This is a rule that the tax authorities have enforced so that kennels have to account for all the dog food etc used in their kennel business."

According to the Animal Law Coalition website:

'Denmark is moving in the opposite direction from other European Union countries that have discovered breed discrimination does not work to prevent or reduce dog bite incidents.

In fact, UK's Dangerous Dogs Act was declared a failure in 2007 when it was found that the numbers of dog bites had risen 10% in a year and 50% since 1998-1999. According to the BBC, hospitalizations due to dog bites increased by 25% after 'pit bulls' were banned in Britain.

It was also determined that the Act did not result in any decline in dog bite incidents with 73.9% before and 73.1% after enactment of the law.'

Breed ban laws have considerable, long term effects, as outlined in this article.

Last year Ogden proposed regulations against pit bulls; the same time that Orem was considering banning pit bulls; Springville has had regulations against the breed for years; South Jordan has banned them altogether, including Staffordshire Terriers.

But pit bulls are not the only dog breed being banned.

Did you know that North Salt Lake has banned Shar-Peis and Rottweilers?
Or that Smithfield has stated the following: Declared as vicious and require a special permit; Rottweiler, German Shepherd, Pit Bull, Husky, Alaskan malamute, Doberman Pinscher, and Wolf Hybird?

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This article particularly saddened me because there was NO GOOD reason for this female dog to be euthanized, other than to satisfy a ridiculous law. She wasn’t aggressive and had no history of hurting anyone. She was spayed, which was her death sentence.

BSL is BS!