Bully Tactics - Proposed Pit Bull Ban
New York City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. is pushing for a city ban on pit bulls. This would not only mean it would be illegal to own pit bulls in New York, but it would require a repeal of the current state law that prohibits BSL. Yep! That means other New York cities and towns would be free to ban them as well.
Please email Peter Vallone Jr. and tell him that this is not the answer to the city’s problems. He needs to be educated about the breed and what’s really going on.
If you’re going to go ahead and email (and you should) please try and be civil about it. Sending an email that makes you sound crazy or ignorant only suports this in his mind.
Send us a message if you need some help on what to write.
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From the New York Post
BULLY TACTICS
PROPOSED PIT BULL BAN WORRIES BREED LOVERS
By JULIA SZABO
MAD BULL? The “Unexpected Pit Bull Calendar” shows photos the kid-friendly side of the often stereotyped breed.
January 7, 2007 — ON the day after Christmas, Queens City Council member Peter F. Vallone Jr. called for a citywide ban on pit bulls, explaining that the dogs pose a threat to public safety. “It’s our job to get this done before another child’s face is ripped off,” Vallone said.
Two days later, celebrity chef and red-nosed pit bull owner and lover, Rachael Ray, took a very different stand on her talk show. She held up a copy of the 2007 “Unexpected Pit Bull Calendar,” which features color photographs of pit bulls doing the unthinkable - cuddling with children - and declared, “I support this.” (All proceeds from calendar sales go to New Jersey’s Liberty Humane Society. For more info, go to theunexpectedpitbull.com)
Pit bull advocates like Ray know a different side to the often stereotyped dog, and insist they’re nothing close to the dangerous “weapon” characterized by Vallone, but rather an affectionate, dependable family pet with a long history of gentleness and kindness around children. In fact, Pete, the mascot of Our Gang in “The Little Rascals,” was a pit bull.
Noted children’s book writer-illustrator Dorothy Donohue, author of “Veggie Soup,” has two toddlers - Julia and Joe - and their best friend is a pit bull named Matilda.
I have four rescued pit bulls myself, and shredding kids’ faces is not their style. In fact, they prefer giving wet kisses.
If a breed ban goes into effect, it would mean a death sentence for the thousands of sweet pit bulls in the city’s animal shelters. Even without a ban, potential adopters who are fearful of the breed’s “vicious” reputation routinely overlook these dogs.
So whose side are you on? Contact council member Vallone, and let him know: (718) 274-4500 and vallonejr@council.nyc.ny.us
http://www.nypost.com/seven/01072007/entertainment/bully_tactics_entertainment_julia_szabo.htm
This entry was posted on Monday, January 8th, 2007 at 3:36 pm and is filed under BAD Dogs News, Pit Bull Articles.
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January 8th, 2007 at 5:53 pm
I wrote this, maybe you can use it.
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Dear Mr. Vallone,
As a taxpayer who lives/ works in NYC, I urge you to reconsider your request to ban the American Pit Bull Terrier. Most are loving, socialized family dogs, and it is the owners, not the breed of dog who are to blame. Good people and good dogs should not suffer a penalty.
It is my understanding that if Pit Bulls are banned, another strong breed of dog will simply be used to take their place and the only people to truly suffer are those that love their dogs.
I suggest reading on the issue that may help dispel some of the myths surrounding the breed.
http://www.badrap.org/rescue/myths.cfm
Thank you for your time and consideration.
January 8th, 2007 at 7:01 pm
I would like to send an email to Mr Vallone. It says you can help write something? Do you have something i can follow? Thank you.
Michelle
January 8th, 2007 at 7:32 pm
Here’s a sample letter:
Dear Sirs,
I understand your concern and desire to protect your constituents from the awful tragedy a dangerous dog can cause. You, I am sure, intend to do so with the law you are (INSERT drafting/proposing/enforcing). However, all you will do with such a law is turn thousands of pet loving voters against you personally and you will be viewed as terrible people who will cruelly deprive animal lovers of their well behaved pets.
I am sure this is not your intention. To avoid making such a terrible mistake in your proposed legislation I suggest you contact the American Kennel Club in New York and ask for their draft version of a dangerous dog law. This law has been enacted in several states and provides the general populace ample protection from dangerous dogs while still permitting the people who properly train and socialize their pets to retain them.
The loss of a child is a terrible thing, but many people will claim the loss of a beloved pet is emotionally similar to that. Banning or restricting a specific breed will not keep children or adults from being injured by dogs that have not been properly trained. It will merely change the type of dog that is kept by those who desire the protection of a guardian breed. The owners who control the training and socialization of the puppies they purchase or adopt are the ones responsible for those dogs that learn to bite people.
(INSERT breed/s here) are not dangerous dogs per se; rather, they are breeds that are popular not only with those devoted to them and their proper care, but also those who desire a macho image. Prior to this decade other dog breeds were in similar situations. For instance, Dobermans, German Shepherds and ChowChows were once victims of great popularity and subsequent poor handling by less than competent owners - bringing them an undeserved reputation as a ‘dangerous’ breed. Banning (INSERT breed/s here) will merely hasten the upswing in popularity of some other breed.
Controlling the people who abuse the owner-dog relationship through ignorance or otherwise is a far better and wiser solution to the problem these owners present to their neighbors, no matter what breed of dog they own.
Respectfully,
(YOUR NAME HERE)
January 8th, 2007 at 7:33 pm
Another sample:
(date)
(TO:..insert name here)
(address)
(city, state,zip)
(FROM:..Your name)
(Your address)
(your city, state, zip)
(your area code and phone number)
Dear (insert name here):
Breed-specific legislation punishes certain breeds or classifications of dogs and their owners while overlooking bad behavior in other breeds. While it is true that a few individuals of these so-called “dangerous” dog breeds have done an astonishing amount of damage when they bite, statistically very few have ever bitten a person. Punishing the “pit bulls” and their owners because of their potential for greater damage than a Poodle is like banning all buses in favor of passenger cars. There are advantages and disadvantages to either mode of transportation but we can not expect a car to serve the same purpose as the bus.
We find it horrifying when a person is maimed or killed by a dog, especially when the person is a child. However we rationalize our reaction to the incident, we must remain rational enough to place the responsibility for the tragedy directly on the people involved, not on the animal itself. The circumstances that make a dog bite a person vary with the situation, training, and/or environment which the dog encounters or lives in. This stark fact remains: all breeds and varieties of dogs can, will, and do bite.
The problem lies with the people breeding, owning, or training dogs for purposes for which were not intended. Pit Bulls and their kin were designed and bred to fight each other, not people. Due to the tenacity and physicality of the Bull and Terrier breeds, people have decided to make them one of the primary representations of a bad dog. People use the dog to compensate for their own insecurity and to promote a macho image. These people and their dogs should be avoided. Backyard breeders have caught on to the popularity of these kinds of dogs and are now turning out litter after litter of ill-tempered mongrels just to make a quick buck. The wise buyer avoids these dogs at all costs.
Ignorant, dangerous owners and breeders are attempting to turn the pit bull breeds into vicious guard dogs. The breed standard, however, considers human-aggression in these breeds to be a serious fault. The pit bull that aggresses against a person is not a true representative of the breed. It is entirely the owner’s fault if their mongrel has the chance to bite or attack someone. Responsible owners and breeders work hard to uphold the standard of loyalty and affection that should be present in the bulldog breeds.
Any Bull and Terrier breed that threatens, attacks, bites, or even shows aggression toward a person, other than in defense of its own people, should be neutered at the very least or, preferably, should be destroyed. The danger in owning or being in contact with such animal cannot be over emphasized. If, however, a Teacup Poodle exhibits the same behavior it should receive the same treatment. Aggression toward humans is not a behavior that should be tolerated in any dog. Dachshunds and Chihuahuas, however small, are still capable of inflicting serious wounds, and even killing a baby or child.
Similarly, owners who permit their dog to aggress, bite, or attack any person should pay for it. Breed-specific legislation does nothing to deal with the entire problem of dog attacks. It only focuses on a dog’s appearance, without regard to individual temperament or owner responsibility.
Sincerely,
(signature)
January 10th, 2007 at 10:10 am
[…] [Source] […]
January 10th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
North Shore Animal League has posted an open letter against Vallone’s pit bulll campaign - you can just edit it an sign it:
Read the letter:
http://www.animal-league.org/pitbull
If you are in the camp that agrees with the ban (or know someone who does) please read this:
The Real Problem with Pit Bulls: http://www.nsalamerica.org/pitbull/realproblem.html
Please pass the information on to others who need to know what’s really going on. It matters.
Jorin Hawley
North Shore Animal League America
January 12th, 2007 at 8:20 am
Dear anonymous,
As a manager of an inner-city shelter, I can confirm that the majority of the dogs we hold on bite quarrantine are owned by thugs who have not sterilized or altered their dogs. Do you think that these people who ignore existing laws will say “oh my dog has been banned, I need to surrender it to the shelter for euthanasia so I’m in compliance”? Or do you think these thugs who are responsible for a majority of the attacks/bites on people, will simply hide their dogs - and still not train, neuter, or socialize them? Animal Control agencies don’t have the man-power to enforce bans - they barely have time and resources to catch stray dogs. Breed bans are circuitous and illogical. Please do some research before making such a statement. Education, sterilizaton, and socialization -this is what works.
February 16th, 2007 at 10:06 am
Below was the letter I sent, I am not the best writer but I brought up some good points that Peter is overlooking here:
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You should consider a dangerous dog law for ANY dog that bites someone, to ban Pit Bulls in the city would be disaster. The dogs that bite people the most are GERMAN SHEPARD’S, ROTWEILLERS, and CHOW CHOW’s, maybe you should put those dogs in your bill and see what type of reaction you get from dog owners.
Pit Bulls are not the problem I can tell you with 100% confidence. It is the bad dog owners (criminals) living in NYC that are the problem (you should hire more cops to take criminals off the streets and you will have less of a dog fighting problem and dog abuse problem with Pit Bulls), I have 3 Pit Bulls, they don’t fight, they don’t bite, they’re great. I have owned Pit Bulls for over 12 years without any problems. I used to live downstate near Port Jervis, NY but moved upstate to Mayfield, NY recently. Just last year when one of my old dogs died, I adopted 2 Pit Bulls from the YONKERS ANIMAL SHELTER near NYC. That shelter is very sad, has mostly Pit Bull type dogs, and they do not even let anyone in that area adopt the dogs so it is a very bad situation for the dogs.
Also do you think a Pit Bull ban or similar bill will really stop drug dealers and criminals from getting them? The answer is no, in fact you may create more of a dog fighting problem, and push it further underground. The only people this will hurt is the responsible Pit Bull owners. That is why I suggested to ban or destroy DANGEROUS DOGS after they bite someone.
Also there are some things I beleive you are overlooking. The article I read said that the bill would ban Pit Bull Terriers, but when people refer to a dog as a Pit Bull it rarely is a Pit Bull Terrier.
Did you know the term “Pit Bull” not “Pit Bull Terrier” means many different types of dogs, and even mixed dogs? Here are just a few of the BREEDS of dogs that are considered Pit Bulls. American Staffordshire Terrier, American Bulldog, Doberman, Rotweiller, and of course the American Pit Bull Terrier. Insurance companies and others consider these dogs Pit Bulls. And I know for a fact that some people import Pit Bulls from other countries and they are not American Pit Bull terriers. How are you going to tell what dog is an American Pit Bull Terrier and not a similar breed?
Is your bill set out to only ban American Pit Bull Terriers or all Pit Bull dogs? You should try helping these Pit Bull dogs, they have enough going against them with their bad reputation that is not true.
I will be writing my local and nearby legislators and senators to let them know this bill is complete nonsense and needs to be completely revised (or voted down ) to a Dangerous Dog bill not a Pit Bull Ban Bill. Also I will let them know I fully support the state law which prohibits breed specific bans, I don’t want your NYC law coming upstate to I will fight this bill with all I have to make sure I’m not next.
Almost anyone can go into Wal-Mart or many other stores and purchase guns which can be used responsibly to hunt or for protection, or you can use them ir-responsibly and end up in jail. That is what you should do with bad Pit Bull owners, if they are irresponsible put them in jail, don’t ban the breed it would not help at all.
January 16th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
i love pitbulls, and NO they should not be banned!!! most are abused and neglected, and those are the ones in the news!!! but, ALL are misunderstood! they are a great breed