The
4th of July is, of course, the celebration of the signing of the
Declaration of Independence which adopted and gave birth to a new
nation, an independent nation, a nation free from oppressive rule and
tyranny. The desires that our forefathers laid out in that Declaration
sets forth so well why we have not only the right, but the obligation,
to fight breed specific legislation.
We
hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights,
that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. (Declaration of Independence, adopted July 4, 1776)
Unfortunately, all men [and women] are not created equally. The
situations in which our freedoms waiver vary from community to
community. Discrimination eats at our freedoms based on our gender,
race, religion, community “status”, choice of life partner and, lest I
forget, choice of canine companion. Under these circumstances – and so
many others – all men and women are not equal in our “free” country.
As stated above, one of the main goals of the signers of the
Declaration of Independence was to create a nation free of oppressive
rule and tyranny.
Tyranny: arbitrary or unrestrained exercise of power. (Random House Dictionary)
Let’s face it, tyranny exists in many governments across the U.S.
We are now at the point where local officials are legislating how far
below the waist people are allowed to where their pants. I must admit,
it is beyond me why someone would want to wear their pants so the
crotch hangs down to their knees, but don’t our local governments have
better things to do than use OUR tax dollars to create laws that
require police to enforce city-wide dress codes?
There are many examples of government exceeding its boundaries but,
to be perfectly honest, my biggest concern revolves around responsible
dog owners being denied the
right to own the dog of their choice
because of arbitrary decisions based on nothing more than a dog’s
physical appearance.
Obviously, we do not create laws for dogs – we create laws for
people. Laws are meant to deter behavior and to punish people who
continue to participate in those behaviors. Before we go any further,
lets make one thing perfectly understood…DOGS DO NOT VIOLATE THE
LAW…their owner do. However, when it comes to breed specific
legislation (BSL), that is not the case. BSL targets dogs. More
specifically, it targets dogs because of the way they look. Think
there’s nothing “arbitrary” about that? Think that the breed of a dog
can be easily determined? Well, read on.
Tom Skeldon is a dog warden in Lucas County, Ohio. While his name
is synonymous with unadulterated ignorance and bias in the canine
community, he is considered an
“expert” in breed specific legislation
by those who support such laws. In this capacity, he testified on
behalf of the City of Toledo, in the matter of Toledo v. Tellings.
Regarding breed identifcation, Mr. Skeldon testified as follows:
[t]here
is really no way to tell if a dog is or is not a pit bull, and the
determination is made by animal control officers’ subjective judgment.
(Toledo v. Tellings, 2006 WL 513946 (Ohio App. 6 Dist) (March 2006))
Ok class, time for a quick grammar lesson… The word “subjective” is defined as “particular to a given person, i.e., personal discretion. “ The word “arbitrary” means, among other things, “contingent solely upon one’s discretion; based on or subject to individual judgment or preference.”
In a nutshell, dogs are being singled out and killed for no other
reason than someone made a subjective decision, based on their own
personal experience – which, quite possibly, could be no personal
experience at all, that the dog is dangerous simply because it LOOKS
LIKE a “pit bull.” Not because of the dog’s actions. Not because it
has done anything to pose a danger or threat to the community. Not
because he or she belongs to an irresponsible owner. Dogs are dying
because they have physical characterists that certain people – who may
or may not have any experience whatsoever in dog breed identification –
have assigned to “pit bulls.”
Nevermind that a minumum of 20 other breeds possess the same
physical characterists of bull breeds. Boxers, labrador retrievers,
mastiffs, and a host of other breeds are affected by breed specific
legislation and so-called “pit bull bans” because they were born with
certain physical characteristics that an uneducated group of people
have decided deem a dog dangerous.
It is simply preposterous to decide that any given dog poses a
danger to society based on nothing other than its appearance – yet it
happens every single day in our country that is supposed to be free
from arbitrary governing.
Breed specific legislation is running rampant in this country. It
seems that every week a city is proposing and passing a breed ban
somewhere in the U.S. This is not a new trend, it has been happening
for the last couple of years. More and more local government
officials are turning to arbitrary laws to “cure” their dog problems.
With an increasing number of cities implementing breed specific
legislation, however, it certainly makes one wonder – if BSL is truly
the key to ensuring safer communities and preventing dog attacks – why
the number of reported dog bites has remains the same for the last
several years. In the United States, an astronomical 4 million+ dog
bites are reported every single year – this is IN LIGHT OF the many
breed bans that have been implemented across the country.
How can this be you ask? The focus of local governments has been to enforce
laws against dogs instead of people. More specifically, these laws do
not even focus on dogs who have proven themselves to be dangerous or
problemactic to the community. These laws condemn dogs because of the
way they look. “Problem dogs” are a direct result of “problem dog
owners.” You can remove every single “pit bull” from the United
States, and if the issue of irresponsible dog ownership is not
addressed, communities will experience the same “dog problems.” While
those problems will involve different dogs, they will most certainly
involve the same problem dog owners.
Every dog in every community has an owner. Moreover, dog ownership
is a responsibility, and dog owners – not the dogs themselves – owe a
duty to their communities to be responsible. Breed specific
legislation leaves our communities more volunerable as they give the
sense of false security to residents. After all, all the “bad” dogs
are gone…right??
The 4th of July is an excellent reminder that our forefathers have
vested in us the right to be free from arbitrary government and laws.
It is our duty to make our voices heard when local governments attempt
to take some of our freedoms based on arbitrary and subjective
decisions. Breed specific legislation is arbitrary governing at its
most basic level.
Please do not be silent.
Breed specific legislation is NOT a “pit bull” problem. Dogs with
certain physical attributes – and the responsible owners that love them
– need you to stand united with them and fight breed discrimination
today and everyday.
Jodi Preis
Bless the Bullys