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How to Celebrate Pit Bull Awareness Month

October 18, 2016 by Samantha Edwards

October is National Pit Bull Awareness Month! While there is a National Pit Bull Awareness Day as well, there is a bit of uncertainty as to which day it actually is (some sources say October 27, others say October 24, and even others say the last Saturday in October). In any case, we’re going to celebrate all month long.

The purpose of the annual observance is to bring positive attention to and show appreciation for pit bulls and their responsible owners. Here are eight simple ways to do just that:

  1. Share positive stories, photos, videos, and other information about pit bulls. You can do so online via your personal social media accounts or email and when you’re speaking to other people in your daily life. The more positivity and love we spread, the more we will get in return.
  2. Attend a Pit Bull Awareness Month event. Some animal shelters and rescue groups host  pit bull awareness monthfestivals, charity walks, meet-ups, and other celebrations during October. Even if you don’t own a pit bull, it’s a good opportunity to get out and meet some! Check your local shelter or rescue group for upcoming events.
  3. No event near you? Plan your own pit bull party! Invite friends, neighbors, and other community members to come and bring their pits for an afternoon of fun. Check out this site for event planning ideas.
  4. Do something to help. Make this the month you sign up to volunteer at a local animal shelter, commit to fostering a pit bull in need of a home, or donate supplies to a pit bull rescue group. Many rescue organizations rely on donations and volunteers to keep running, so what better month to get in on the action?
  5. Take action in your local or national government. Reach out to politicians about animal rights, especially as it relates to pit bull-type dogs, and let them know that discrimination will not be tolerated. This is particularly appropriate if there is currently any sort of breed-specific legislation pending or already in place in your city. Write a letter, send an email, make a phone call, sign a petition…do whatever you can to make sure your voice is heard.
  6. If you happen to live in area where BSL is not in place or has been turned down in the past, send your local councilmembers a thank you note. Remember that we’re aiming to spread as much positivity as possible this month and it would be nice to recognize those leaders that actively work against BSL.
  7. If you’re a pit bull owner, set an example for others. Be a breed ambassador. Make the choice to gently inform and educate others at any opportunity you might come across.
  8. While this is a time to celebrate pit bulls and other bully breed dogs, make sure you are not bringing down another breed in the process. We are here to end unfair judgment and stereotypes, not to perpetuate new ones. Be kind and loving towards all animals and their owners.

 

Filed Under: Breed Specifc Legislation, Pit Bull Pets, Responsible Ownership, Save A Bull News Tagged With: advocacy, breed ambassador, breed discrimination, breed specific legislation, breed stereotypes, bsl, education, myths, ownership, pit bull awareness month, positive press

Montreal Imposes BSL

October 1, 2016 by Samantha Edwards

It’s been a sad week in the pit bull/bully breed community. On Tuesday, September 27, legislators in a council meeting voted 37-23 in favor of imposing breed-specific legislation in Montreal, Québec, Canada. The law will effectively outlaw any dog that resembles a pit bull – unless owners comply with a strict set of regulations. Perhaps the most heartbreaking part of the new law is that pit bull-type dogs that are currently in city shelters cannot be adopted. They must be euthanized. According to The Dodo, the Montreal SPCA takes about 2,000 dogs into the city shelters it runs every year. About a third of those dogs meet the city’s standard as pit bulls.

For people who already own pit bull-type dogs, the new law allows them until March to undergo a criminal background check and pay $150 for a special permit. They must also have their dog neutered/spayed, vaccinated, and microchipped. Dogs also must be muzzled and on a 4-foot leash at all times in public. For those who cannot or do not follow these rules, their dogs are subject to seizure and euthanasia.

montreal imposes bsl Even further, the bylaw also creates two categories of dogs of all breeds: at-risk and dangerous. At-risk dogs are those that exhibit aggressive behaviour, such as biting. Dangerous dogs are those that have killed someone or are deemed dangerous by an expert. If a dog is “deemed dangerous,” he/she will also be subject to seizure and euthanasia.

The controversial legislation was proposed after a series of dog attacks in the city. One of those attacks lead to the death of a woman in her yard, but it is still unclear if the dog that killed her was even a pit bull at all.

The new law is definitely not supported by everyone, however. The ban has sparked protests throughout Canada and around the world. Rescue groups are working tirelessly to move pit bull-type dogs into other provinces that don’t enforce BSL before the law goes into effect on October 3.

While this news is discouraging for our pit bull-loving community, the fight is not over. Here are a few things you can do to take action:

  1. Sign a petition – here and here.
  2. Write to city officials (especially Mayor Denis Coderre). Here is a list of elected officials you can email:
    mbarbe@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    dimitrios.beis@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    frantz.benjamin@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    richardbergeron@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    michel.bissonnet@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    karine.boivin.roy@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    eric.alan.caldwell@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    richard.celzi@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    harout.chitilian@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    mariecinq-mars@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    jfcloutier@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    catherineclementtalbot@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    russell.copeman@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    francois.croteau@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    cdauphin@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    adesousa@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    mderos@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    richarddeschamps@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    p.desrochers@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    elus.sudouest@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    sterling.downey@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    erika.duchesne@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    suzannedecarie@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    france.st-jean@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    marc-andre.gadoury@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    pierre.gagnier@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    manon.gauthier@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    jgibeau@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    richard.guay@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    ahenault@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    laurence.lavigne.lalonde@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    guillaume.lavoie@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    elsie.lefebvre@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    francois.limoges@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    louise.mainville@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    normand.marinacci@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    justine.mcintyre@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    peter.mcqueen@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    francesco.miele@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    lmiranda@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    real.menard@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    alex.norris@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    sylvain.ouellet@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    lorraine.page@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    jean-francois.parenteau@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    lionel.perez@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    dperri@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    valerie.plante@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    magda.popeanu@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    giovanni.rapana@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    chantal.rossi@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    mrotrand@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    chantal.rouleau@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    richard.ryan@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    aref.salem@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    asamson@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    craig.sauve@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    jeremy.searle@sympatico.ca
    steve.shanahan@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    anne-marie.sigouin@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    emilie.thuillier@ville.montreal.qc.ca
    monique.vallee@ville.montreal.qc.ca
  3. If you are interested in adopting a pit bull, consider doing so from the Montreal SPCA here.

It is okay to be angry about this news, but it is important to not act out in anger or violence. As pit bull and bully breed advocates, we must continue to fight for breed equality in a peaceful manner. It will take time, but our voices WILL be heard.

Filed Under: Breed Specifc Legislation, Laws, Pit Bull Pets, Save A Bull News Tagged With: adoption, advocacy, breed specific legislation, breed stereotypes, bsl, education, montreal, montreal bsl, ownership

Wisconsin Ends BSL Law

September 8, 2016 by Samantha Edwards

Earlier this year Wisconsin lawmakers moved forward in the national fight against breed-specific legislation (BSL) when Assembly Bill 487/ Senate Bill 450 was passed. The bill reduces the holding time for stray and seized animals in the state, and ends the required euthanasia of animal victims seized in dog fighting operations.

wisconsin ends BSL lawUnder the current law, “if the owner of an animal that is being held in custody (by a local governmental unit or other person, such as a humane society, on behalf of a local governmental unit) is convicted of a crime related to animal fighting and the animal is one year old or older or shows indication of having participated in fighting, the animal must be euthanized.” This law did not allow for any kind of behavioral analysis or rehabilitation for the animal in question; it was an immediate death sentence. Under Bill 487, however, “if an animal has been taken into custody because it is believed that the animal has been used in any crime against animals or that it constitutes evidence of a crime against animals, it must be retained in custody.” The bill also allows the local governmental unit or other person with custody of the animal in question to demand payment from the animal’s owner for the custody, care, and treatment of the animal every 14 days.

The passage of this bill is a victory for those who oppose BSL. Pit bulls who are rescued from illegal dog fighting rings in Wisconsin have now been given hope for rehabilitation and a future life full of happiness and love. While the passage of this bill is certainly cause for celebration, we must remember that we are still fighting a far larger war. A number of U.S. states still allow for breed discrimination. Let us use this small victory as motivation to continue the fight against injustice. No dog should be killed simply because of what he/she looks like or because a human decided to commit a crime against him/her.

Filed Under: Breed Specifc Legislation, Laws, Save A Bull News Tagged With: advocacy, breed discrimination, breed specific legislation, bsl, News, positive press, Wisconsin

Pit Bulls Are Four-Legged Time Bombs

May 1, 2012 by z3admin

The title of this post is directly taken from an article written by “journalist” Dan Rodricks, a man who apparently prides himself on perpetuating stereotypes and writes for The Baltimore Sun. In an unabashedly biased, non-factual report titled: “Pit bulls: Own them at your own risk“, Rodricks talks uses his experience as a judge at a costume event for animals as a pedestal to speak out against pit bull ownership.

I realize this article is written as a commentary and Mr. Rodricks is certainly entitled to his opinion. However, most leisurely wanderers of the internet will see this article’s placement on The Baltimore Sun’s website and mistakenly assume that what he has written is a factual account of the pit bull breed, instead of an admittedly skewed perspective.

Prejudice notwithstanding, Rodrick’s poorly constructed article misses the point. The fact that the recent findings of the Maryland Court of Appeals are in agreement with his negative opinion of the pit bull breed does not prove, or even suggest, that there is anything wrong with responsible pit bull ownership. The “if we get rid of the pit bulls no one will get hurt“, brand of logic has grown tired considering its serious lack of factual supporting data.

Want to know the truth?

In places where pit bulls have been banned, dog bite statistics and mortality rates have remained unchanged, as demonstrated in balanced and scientific studies done in Denver, CO, The Netherlands and Spain. Getting rid of the pit bulls didn’t solve the problem, but I guess Maryland wants to find that out on their own. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Breed Specifc Legislation, Save A Bull News Tagged With: advocacy, breed specific legislation, bsl, opinion, ownership

Ohio Passes Law to End BSL

February 21, 2012 by z3admin

Ohio Signs Bill to End BSL

BSL Ended in OhioToday is an exciting day for pit bull owners in Ohio and anti-BSL supporters worldwide. Earlier this morning, Governor Kasich signed Ohio House Bill 14 into law – effectively ending 25 years of discriminatory breed specific legislation geared toward pit bull-type dogs. Click here to read a background on BSL in Ohio

Ohio’s HB 14 not only reverses the previous law, but helps to strengthen current dangerous dog laws by focusing on irresponsible owners, instead of innocent family pets. Dog wardens and those working in animal rescue will now be able to use their time and resources to protect the public from verifiably dangerous dogs, instead of wrongly targeting family pets that simply “look the wrong way”.

Prior to today’s passing of HB 14, Ohio was the only state with laws that permitted the declaration of a vicious dog based only on the dog’s appearance, without taking temperament or other behavioral criteria into consideration.

It is my hope that other states and countries that have looked to Ohio to set the precedent for BSL will now re-evaluate their existing or proposed laws. As Ohio has shown, BSL is an expensive, ineffective way to prevent dog bites and other acts. At the end of the day, as reinforced by Ohio’s new legislation, the only way to truly keep the public protected and safe from the acts of dangerous dogs is to punish the careless, ignorant owners that have allowed and/or encouraged the behaviors.

Filed Under: Breed Specifc Legislation, Laws Tagged With: bsl, ownership, positive press

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