BSL, MSN and other Anti-Dog laws....

For those who are not familiar with the terms I'll give a brief run-down.

BSL= Breed Specific Legislation. BSL is aimed at dogs who fit a certain type considered dangerous. The problem is that there is almost no way to tell a dog's definite breed without a large pedigree listing it's lineage. Rottweilers, 'pit bulls', boxers, Dobermans and such are all under attack. These dogs are judged by the actions of animals owned by uncaring/irresponsible owners which in turn ruins it for the rest of us.

MSN= Mandatory Spay/Neuter. MSN was recently passed in L.A. (I believe, I'll correct it if I'm wrong). It requires early spay/neuter and breeders need to buy a permit in order to have their animals intact. It also requires written documentation of medical reasons if a pet cannot be spayed. This was originally thought of as a solution to BYBs and Puppy mills. Since the people responsible for puppy mills and BYB facilities don't follow laws, MSN only punishes the responsible.

There is a way to correct the dog bite problem and reduce the pet overpopulation problem. It doesn't require laws punishing the responsible and it does work.

http://www.windsorhumane.org/pdfs/Bill%20Bruce.pdf
http://caveat.blogware.com/blog/_archives/2007/1/29/2694938.html

Essentially, Calgary has reduced their dog bite stats, increased licensing and increased owner responsibility. How you ask? Like this:

In grade school, their children are taught the 'Four Pillars of Owner Responsibility'. Their children learn from an early age (which is how it should be) that companion animals are not just throw away toys.

The Four Pillars of Owner Responsibility:

1) Companion Animals need to be licensed and Permanently Identified. This is fairly simple and inexpensive if only people in the US would do it.

2) Companion Animals should be spayed and neutered for their health and to prevent accidental litters.

3) Always provide the necessary food, training, exercise and care for companion animals.

4) Never allow your pet to become a nuisance or danger to the community.

Are these things really that hard?? It seems to me that it's cheaper and less time consuming just to do the above list than to face criminal charges, fines and steep medical bills. Experience should have taught us that criminals do NOT follow the laws. By adding more laws to what we have, only the law-abiding citizens suffer. Please take this to heart and pass it on! Teach your children the Four Pillars and volunteer to do an Assembly at your local schools. By preventing the creation of right removing laws we protect the future of our country.