All Dogs 'Vicious' In Ohio Town?
John Yates
Every Dog As ‘Vicious’
HSUS ‘Pit Bull’ Scare Tactic Being Used Nationwide
by JOHN YATES
American sporting Dog Alliance
http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org
as...@csonline.net
This report is archived at http://eaglerock814.proboards.com/index.cgi?
action=display&board=general&thread=45
AVON LAKE, OH – The sky is not falling in this tranquil suburban town on
the outskirts of Cleveland, but local animal rights activists are trying
to convince the Avon Lake Municipal Council that a tough ordinance is
needed to control “vicious dogs.”
What’s happening in Avon Lake this week also is happening now in dozens of
communities across America. Thus, we urge dog owners everywhere to read
this report and be aware that what’s happening in Avon Lake may – and
probably will – happen to you someday.
In the Avon Lake draft ordinance, all dogs are by definition
declared “vicious,” simply for acting like dogs. Normal and even desirable
canine behavior would entrap a dog of any breed under this doomsday
category. Even chasing a chipmunk or barking at a stranger would cause a
dog to be declared vicious, under the terms of the latest draft ordinance.
The entrapping language is very deliberate, and reflects one of the
current tactics being exploited by radical animal rights groups, such as
the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).
HSUS has nothing to do with local humane societies, despite its misleading
name. Instead, HSUS is the political arm of animal rights extremist
groups. It seeks the gradual elimination of all animal ownership in
America, which it sees as exploitation and slavery.
Relying on an emotional campaign and the fear of “pit bulls” that has been
carefully cultivated in the media, HSUS supporters are advancing so-called
dangerous dog ordinances in many towns, cities, counties and states all
across America. HSUS has been very successful at painting a picture of dog
owners that is associated with criminal dog fighting rings, the drug and
gang underworld, barbaric ethnic traditions, and mauled children.
Facts are not the friend of HSUS, which relies only on emotion in swaying
the media and public. The facts show a 200-percent reduction in reported
dog bite incidents over the past 20 years, but HSUS does not want you to
know this. The facts show that dog bites do not even rank in the top 20
causes of injury or death to children, and HSUS doesn’t want you to know
that, either. Nor to they want you to think too hard about a very simple
truth: probably 99-percent of all Americans have never even seen a dog
fight or even heard of one where they live, and have never seen a drug
gang on its home turf.
The HSUS tactic, however, is to exploit emotion and fear to make people
feel threatened by a problem that simply doesn’t exist. It’s a canine
version of the swine flu pandemic scare, which has millions of people
living in terror of a disease that has actually killed fewer people than
the average January head cold.
Avon Lake is a portrait of the American Dream. Its streets are lined with
trees, and its parks provide islands of tranquility in every neighborhood.
In a town of 18,145, the median family income is comfortably middle class
at just under $100,000, and its 33 police officers assure that it is one
of the safest small towns in America.
It is not a place to find drug gangs, dog fighting rings or large numbers
of “pit bulls.” It is heartland America at its best. The town has a dog
warden, too, and any problems with pets are promptly addressed, residents
tell us.
The sky is not falling in Avon Lake.
Some animal rights activists in Avon Lake would like to ban the so-
called “pit bull” breeds from the town, but this has been declared
unconstitutional in Ohio and other states. The only permissible dangerous
dog laws are based on the actual behavior of a dog, not on its ancestry or
appearance.
Moreover, there is no such thing as a “pit bull.” It is a slang term that
encompasses several recognized breeds of terriers, as well as various
crosses with other breeds that resemble bull breed ancestry. “Pit bull”
bans simply cannot adequately define the reality that some dogs are 50-
percent bull breed and 50-percent of a different breed, others are only 25-
percent bull, and still others only a tiny percentage. But they all
might “look” like someone’s idea of a “pit bull.”
In fact, some dogs look the part even though they have no bull breed
ancestry at all: Cross a Boston terrier and a Chihuahua, or a pointer and
a pug, and the results would look like a “pit bull” to anyone.
Dogs of the bull breeds are popular in America, although they represent
far less than 10-percent of the total population of dogs and dog owners.
Their owners say they are very loyal and affectionate, and appropriately
protective of their families. No evidence exists to suggest that a
disproportionate share of bad behavior exists in these breeds, despite
HSUS emotional propaganda.
HSUS and its adherents want to sentence bull breeds to death by turning
the law into a kangaroo court: No evidence is required, and the jury is
always out to lunch.
To get around the unconstitutional nature of breed bans, the Avon Lake
ordinance attempts to define a vicious dog by behavior. Unfortunately, the
definition is so brad that every dog in America falls under its net.
The draft ordinance defines a vicious dogs as any dog that has "approached
in either a menacing fashion or an apparent attitude of attack, or has
attempted to bite or endanger any person, cat, other dog, or animal
(domestic or non-domestic)."
Under that definition, a dog could be declared vicious if it:
· Chases a chipmunk or squirrel.
· Points a robin.
· Barks at a burglar breaking through a window.
· Acts threatened if a stranger approaches its kennel.
· Defends its owner from physical attack by a mugger or rapist.
· Chases the neighbor’s cat out of the flower garden.
· Defends itself when attacked by a stray dog.
· Or hunts rabbits legally with its owner.
In other words, all normal and much desirable canine behavior would be
defined as viciousness.
Nuts!
Get real!
Moreover, this kind of definition is certain to provoke situations that
result in innocent dogs being declared vicious. If two neighbors are
having a squabble, for example, it would be tempting for some people to
taunt and tease their adversary’s dog into showing aggressive behavior.
Yelling at the mildest mannered dog, or throwing stones at it, could
prompt behavior that may appear aggressive, even though it really is in
self-defense. Other people simply may be irrationally afraid of all dogs,
and misinterpret normal barking.
On a more sinister note, animal rights fanatics also could taunt and tease
dogs, and then call the animal warden to “prove” that the dog is vicious.
Once again, the dog actually would be reacting only in self-defense
against someone who has been threatening. This vicious tactic already is
being used in some places, and many good and beloved dogs have been
unfairly and unjustly euthanized.
The real viciousness in Avon Lake comes from the animal rights fanatics
who are trying to deceive Municipal Council into targeting all dogs. The
HSUS strategy is to paint dogs and dog owners as threats to public safety
that must be eliminated through stigmatization and by imposing scary
liabilities and penalties that are irrational and unjust. The proposed
Avon Lake ordinance does exactly that.
If a dog is declared “vicious,” the ordinance would require the owner to
place a sign in his or her yard stating that a vicious dog lives there,
muzzle the dog in public, purchase insurance, fence the yard to a height
of five feet and have two more feet of fencing buried underground.
Because the dog chased a chipmunk!
The American Sporting Dog Alliance is very concerned about this
ordinance’s impact on every dog owner and all breeds of dogs. However, we
are especially concerned about its impact on hunting dogs and their
owners. Hunting dogs are specifically bred to pursue wild animals and
birds. That is what hunting is all about, and making these traits illegal
is in opposition to the tradition of hunting in Ohio and every American
state.
This proposed ordinance is both hostile to hunters and deeply offensive.
In reality, it is a thinly veiled legal attack on hunting and hunters.
We also remember too well that recent failed federal legislation singled
out “hunting dogs” for especially intense regulation and enforcement.
Thus, ALL breed-specific legislation concerns us deeply, because it sets a
dangerous precedent.
It must be emphasized that Ohio already has tough laws governing dangerous
dogs, and that any local ordinances are completely unneeded and redundant.
Local police officers and dog wardens already can enforce the state law.
Here is a link to the actual state law: http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/955.22 .
The American Sporting Dog Alliance is asking Avon Lake and Ohio dog owners
to do several things to help the people in Avon Lake to stop this
ordinance:
1. Please contact Municipal Council and express reasoned and polite
opposition to this ordinance. Contact information for individual council
members is available from this link:
http://www.avonlake.org/EZ_Staff_List.aspx?d=11 ; also, a general email
address is cont...@avonlake.org .
2. Please write a letter of thank you to Councilwoman Jennifer
Fenderbosch, who has been very helpful to dog owners. She is opposed to
this ordinance. Her email is jfende...@avonlake.org .
3. Because the meeting is only two days away, please contact everyone
you know in Avon Lake and inform them of this situation. Ask them to get
involved. It also is vital to contact members of sportsmen’s clubs in Avon
Lake.
4. If you can help, please contact Jean Keating of The Ohio Coalition
of Dog Advocates, which is helping local residents in Avon Lake. Her email
is amstaf...@yahoo.com .
5. And, if possible, attend Thursday’s meeting of the Avon Lake
Safety Committee to support local dog owners and voice opposition to this
proposed ordinance. The meeting is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. at Municipal
Council Chambers, but there have been requests to make it later.
In addition, we urge all dog owners in America to be very vigilant about
what’s happening in their own communities. This could happen to you, too!
The American Sporting Dog Alliance represents owners, breeders and
professionals who work with breeds of dogs that are used for hunting. We
also welcome people who work with other breeds, as legislative issues
affect all of us. We are a grassroots movement working to protect the
rights of dog owners, and to assure that the traditional relationships
between dogs and humans maintains its rightful place in American society
and life. The American Sporting Dog Alliance also needs your help so that
we can continue to work to protect the rights of dog owners. Your
membership, participation and support are truly essential to the success
of our mission. We are funded solely by your donations in order to
maintain strict independence.
Please visit us on the web at http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org .
Our email is as...@csonline.net .
PLEASE CROSS-POST AND FORWARD THIS REPORT TO YOUR FRIENDS
Bert Hyman
<as...@CSONLINE.NET> wrote:
> HSUS has nothing to do with local humane societies, despite its
> misleading name. Instead, HSUS is the political arm of animal rights
> extremist groups. It seeks the gradual elimination of all animal
> ownership in America, which it sees as exploitation and slavery.
If this is the only thing people learn from this incident, it was worth
the trouble.
--
Bert Hyman St. Paul, MN be...@iphouse.com
newsgroup
news:LISTSERV%20090616170...@LISTSERV.TAMU.EDU...
Ohio Town May Define
Every Dog As �Vicious�
HSUS �Pit Bull� Scare Tactic Being Used Nationwide
by JOHN YATES
American sporting Dog Alliance
http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org
as...@csonline.net
This report is archived at http://eaglerock814.proboards.com/index.cgi?
action=display&board=general&thread=45
Palm Beach County, Florida did a study about 10 or 15 years ago about
vicious dogs in the Palm Beach Post.
They named the top 20 breeds that had the most attacks in one year and how
many of those attacks need hospital care.
Breed attacks hospitalized
German Shepard 300+ 46
Chow
Golden retriever
way down the list at about 12 is
Pit Bull 10 1
Sorry I do not remember all the info. But I had a pit bull at the time and
showed it to all my neighbors and my tenents. What started
the shole thing was drug dealers using pit bulls to guard their house and
the police wanted to put down all pit bulls or force vicious
dog insurance. Dade County did this and the dog owners are still fighting
it. All dogs will bite, even poodles. Poodles are a hunting dog,
and high strung. Poodles were on the list above pit bulls. Wish I knew how
to fing that articale.
So many groups are so concerned about a small percentage of deaths yet
nothing is done about improving our highways, which is the number one
killer, even above wars. But that takes away from the government, and it is
a lot easier to take away from the citizens.