BSL Updates for all Bully owners October 2006

BSL Updates for all Bully owners October 2006
Reply to: comm-223352577@craigslist.org
Date: 2006-10-20, 11:04AM

BSL is alive and well across the USA, despite proof that it does not work. However, BSL is being challenged in Federal Court in both Colorado and CA right now at the Federal level. There are still 2 cases in court in CA against SF ordinance, and one case is also against the Los Angeles ordinance. Non dog owners do not understand how canine laws work, the intent may be well intended, but the results are far from what they will want. The laws will encourage more puppymillers, defective dogs and dogs which are not genetically sound.

Registration is not indicative of sound temperament, and a mixed breed is not somehow less worthy than a purebred based on that fact alone.ACF will not stop fighting for the rights of responsible dog owners/the rights of those who raise well-tempered canines. The law in CO will be proven unconstitutional. (The case is in "discovery" stage right now!)

In addition, Kory Nelson took down his statement alluding to the fact that ACF was a strawman for dogfighters, but he still says anyone who is an advocate of BSL promotes dogfighting. Of course he thinks he can get away with saying anything---but just wait.
Thanks to Nick Van Duren and the others that helped,in Parker CO, for tabling BSL in Parker (Kory Nelson lives in Parker) Tellings v. Ohio Update: The only case to find BSL unconstitutional on 3 separate grounds, the case was appealed to Ohio Supreme Court by the "government"......there has been evidence tampering, Plaintiff's exhibits were either missing or damaged. But the briefs are being prepared for the Ohio Supreme Court, and if the court is too "political" and somehow rules against us, then will appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States for discretionary review. (The court chooses which cases to hear, no automatic right to be heard.)

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Pet ban will go further

Published: Sunday October 15, 2006

Pet ban will go further

The Pueblo Chieftain Online

Pit bulls are a common target of breed-specific laws.

Editor's note - La Junta City Council recently voted 4 to 3 to adopt "breed-specific legislation" banning pit bulls from the city.

By NICK VAN DUREN

Tragically, La Junta has joined the growing list of local communities to be targeted by militant animal rights organizations. The proof is that the City Council is flirting with breed-specific legislation.

What everyone needs to understand is that breed-specific legislation is not an end in itself. In fact, it is a "trojan horse" designed to get the extremist agenda of animal rights activism into the language of the law and into the administration of government.

If you're involved with agriculture and ranching, you have a right to be concerned. What everyone needs to understand is that this does not stop with dogs.

Ultimately, the animal rights leadership wants to destroy any and all animal and pet ownership. Their strategy is to squirm into the law by whatever means necessary. And once they get in, the amount of trouble they'll cause is immeasurable.

If you're curious as to why a lot of city attorneys and managers are all for this type of legislation, the reason is that it is designed to appeal to political vanity. Lawyers love the law. The more laws, the better. That is why breed-specific legislation is being paraded around by one of their own: Kory Nelson, a Denver assistant district attorney. He's seduced, misinformed and exploited local governments all over the country.

Where breed-specific legislation is considered, Nelson is almost always behind it. Just as he did in Parker, he'll have no problem embarrassing anyone, so long as it feeds his unending obsession with banning dog breeds. Thankfully, the town of Parker figured it out before it was too late.

Communities should demand answers. Why is your government flirting with an animal rights agenda? Why would lawmakers enact a public relations nightmare, one which has economic consequences which far surpass that of simply restricting dog ownership?

Once a community passes breed-specific legislation, it will gain a bad reputation as unfriendly to families and pets. The best and most responsible of owners will leave, as they've done in Denver and Aurora. They'll take their knowledge, experience and money with them.

The ethics of animal services will be compromised, not because these fine people want to be ruthless, but because they'll have no other choice. Finally, groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the Animal Liberation Front and the image-conscious, but still militant, Humane Society of the U.S., will co-op your city government. Once inside, these socialists will unleash an unending assault on private property and usage rights for their own destructive ends.

No good can come of breed-specific legislation, strict animal ordinances or forcing pet and animal ownership to be less active and open. That is exactly what these groups are banking on. Will your community choose to be fall into their trap?

Nick Van Duren of Parker is Colorado director of Responsible Dog Owners of the Western States.

?1996-2006The Pueblo Chieftain Online

Halloween safety for dogs

http://dogs.about.com/cs/generalcare/a/halloween.htm

From Krista Mifflin,
Your Guide to Dogs.
Just the "Tricks" please ...

Halloween is almost here. And with it comes hundreds of ghouls, goblins, and superheroes, all holding out tempting bags of goodies full of treats and potential chew toys. Is it any wonder that dogs view Halloween as smorgasbord of possibilities?

While sharing their trick or treating booty with their best furry pal may seem like a natural conclusion to a night of revelry to children, I do advise that parents step in and curtail this part of the process. Both chocolate and raisins have serious effects on dogs, from mild to severe, and potentially fatal.

In addition to the treat hazards, not every dog will enjoy this ghoulish knight ... I mean night.

Costumes designed to alter the appearance of their favorite humans can be frightening to dogs.  And forty little ghouls and boys knocking on your door over the span of an hour in the evening darkness can make even the most the stout-hearted flee for cover, or worse, incite him into a play-time frenzy that can be scary for the trick-or-treaters. A loudly barking, over-excited dog might scare off all the costumed children that would otherwise knock on your door.

Putting your pets outside for the evening can also be asking for trouble. Kids who would otherwise be afraid of the consequences may take advantage of the anonymity of costuming to tease animals, or release them into the streets, causing harm to the dogs or worse, other Halloween revelers. A scared and frightened dog may feel cornered, and react with teeth bared, causing much grief for his owner, himself, and whoever has him cornered.

If your Oscar is the type to let you dress him up, please remember to never leave a dog unsupervised in a costume. Make sure that all elastics are accounted for, and loose fitting. A dog that gnaws on his costume can also end up with bowel obstructions and could possibly choke on any small parts. A costume can cause tangling in trees and bushes, so please be careful and watch your pet closely.

Have a fun and safe Halloween everyone!

Why should you adopt a rescue??

Second hand pets?  Someone else's problems?  Why bother?  Wouldn't you rather buy a puppy than an adult dog?  I mean with a puppy, you are assured you are getting just what you want aren't you?

Not exactly.  Rescue groups carefully screen their dogs so you do have a better idea of what you are getting.  Dogs in rescue aren't defective.  Most dogs who come into rescue were not given up because they were “bad dogs” or had behavioral problems. Unfortunately, many people buy dogs without thinking about the time, effort, and expense involved in keeping a dog. These dogs end up in shelters, or along the side of the road, or, if they’re lucky, in rescue. In fact, the most common reasons a dog ends up with a rescue organization include the following:

• The owners don’t have time for the dog. Chances are though, they are bored with the dog,usually by the time dogs are given to rescue they require less time and energy than they did as a puppy.
• The owners find that they can’t afford either basic vet care or the expense involved in treating an illness or injury.
• The owner dies or goes into a nursing home and the remaining family doesn't want to be bothered.
• The owners divorce and neither party can keep the dog. (You would be amazed at how a dog that was once treated as a "child" is quickly thrown out the window)
• A young couple has a child and no longer has time for the dog, or the dog no longer fits into their “lifestyle.”
• The owner is moving to an apartment building that doesn’t allow dogs.  Or the owner is just plain moving and doesn't care to take their dog or take the time to find housing that allows dogs.
• They got a "new" dog and the older dog doesn't care for the new puppy.  I see an influx of older dogs around Christmas time or shortly after especially if the older dog is a little bit grumpy about the addition of a puppy.
• It wasn't what they expected.  Those Christmas puppies start coming to the shelter about the time they would be 5-8 months old and are more to feed, exercise and supervise.

Dogs also come from kill shelters, where they have ended up because they were lost, and from puppy mills, where uncaring owners have used the dogs as breeding machines and don’t need them any more. Some dogs who have been prisoners of puppy mills turn out to be the most loving and affectionate dogs we see; it’s as if they know they have left their miserable pasts behind forever. 

Here are the top reasons to adopt a rescue dog

1.  HOUSEBROKEN! - Most of the time people wanting to adopt are working adults who are gone between 8-5 or a relative set of 8 hour blocks.  Housetraining a puppy can be very difficult. Puppies need consistent schedules and frequent opportunities to go outside to learn proper elimination.  They just can't hold it all day long!  An adult dog or older puppy can hold it much longer and in some cases all day.  Sometimes the dog has been in rescue long enough to be already housebroken and /or crate trained.

This includes getting a full night sleep as older puppies and adults will be able to sleep through the night without a bathroom break.  Little puppies just like little babies will wake you in the middle of the night.  They need to take a midnight or later trip outside to help them get the consistency they need for housebreaking.

2.  INAPPROPRIATE CHEWABLES -   lets face it, puppies chew and they chew everything from shoes, socks, underwear, and furniture.  You can expect holes in cushions, missing magazines, books, pillows, cordless phones, cell phones and don't forget the remotes.  An older dog will destroy less and may get to a point where it can be trusted loose in a home much quicker than a puppy.

3.  LESS EXPENSE AT THE VET - puppies need three sets of shots, worming, physical exams, rabies boosters.  They also have other puppy problems such as chewing inappropriate objects that require a trip to the vet.  When you adopt a rescue, their vetting has usually been completed including spaying and neutering and your adoption donation helps defray the costs of this vetting. 

4.  WYSIWYG - in other words, what you see is what you get.  How big is your puppy going to grow?  Well with a rescue, you already know.  Same with temperament, activity level, personality, ease of training.  Is your puppy going to be everything you hoped for?  With a rescue dog, you will know going into the relationship that this dog is what you want. You can pick everything you want.  Size, shape, color, and personality.  Do you want a high drive dog for active dog sports or are you looking for a low maintenance couch potato?  With a rescue, you can pick that too.  The rescue and foster homes can help you pick just what you really want.  Rescues have lots of dogs that were "failed puppies" in their former homes.  They didn't turn out just like they wanted or they got in over their head.

5.  BREED EDUCATION - The rescue will provide you with all the breed education that they can provide. They want your match to work.  They are out to find permanent homes for their dogs so rescues do their best to educate owners about breed characteristics and general dog behavior.  Rescues will also be available to new dog parents for as long as they need help.  It is in the rescues best interest to be as helpful as possible.

6.  Instant companion - just bring food and water.  Your new pet is automatically going to be what you want.  It won't have to grow into anything.  It is a ready made companion raring to go start a new life with you.  Again, you are going to be able to select the most compatible dog for your lifestyle and personality.

7. You can't beat that bond you have with a rescue.  Dogs who have been in shelters or torn from their homes or haven't had a good start in life are deeply bonded to their new people.  They bond hard and fast and want to please you as best they can.  Rescue dogs truly seem to be thankful for the new start in life and it shows in their happiness.

Dogs in rescue aren't genetically inferior to your papered dog you bought from a breeder.  Chances are, they could be from the same breeders you are buying your puppy from...or had papers at one time.  A large percentage of dogs in shelters are purebred dogs.  It is not uncommon for Rescue to get $500 - $1500.00 dogs that have either outlived their usefulness or their novelty with impulsive owners who considered their dog a possession rather than a friend or member of the family; or simply did not really consider the time, effort and expense needed to be a dog owner. Not all breeders will accept "returns", so choices for giving up dogs can be limited to animal welfare organizations or kill shelters and Rescues, or owners trying to place their own dogs.

Choosing a rescue dog over a purchased pup will not solve the pet overpopulation problem (only responsible pet owners and breeders can do that), but it does give many of them a chance they otherwise would not have. But, beyond doing a "good deed", adopting a rescue dog can be the best decision and addition to the family you ever made. Rescue a dog and get a devoted friend for life.