Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Sob

Proposed House Bill 568 of the 127th General Assembly of the State of Ohio:

Sec. 955.111. (A) Beginning ninety days after the effective date of this section, no person shall own, keep, or harbor a dog that belongs to a breed that is commonly known as a pit bull dog.

(B) Not later than ninety days after the effective date of this section, a person who owns, keeps, or harbors a pit bull dog on the effective date of this section shall surrender the dog to the dog warden. Not later than ten days after receiving the dog, the dog warden shall euthanize the dog.

(C)(1) Beginning ninety days after the effective date of this section, if an officer has probable cause to believe that a dog is a pit bull dog, the officer may apply to a court of competent jurisdiction for a search warrant. The court shall issue a search warrant for the purposes requested if there is probable cause to believe that a dog is a pit bull dog.

(2) After obtaining a search warrant, an officer shall seize the pit bull dog and surrender the dog to the dog warden. Not later than ten days after receiving the dog, the dog warden shall euthanize the dog.

(D) As used in this section, "officer" has the same meaning as in section 959.132 of the Revised Code.


Please ... no. Even if this doesn't pass, I am thankful I DO NOT live in Ohio, but I fear that Ohio's actions will set a precedent for other states to follow.



This is not a vicious dog. He's a much loved family pet. I contend he has a right to life as any living thing.

I know pit bulls have attacked and killed. I know some of the victims have been children. The fault lays in the human animal, not the canine. Any dog, ANY dog of any breed, that turns vicious should be humanely euthanized. Any human owner must accept responsibility for the actions of his/her pet and be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. If the law of the community and/or state doesn't have sharp enough teeth to punish the human, change it.

But to irrationally mandate the wholesale slaughter of pets because of the chance of their genetics is cruel and inhuman.

I've poked around the worldwide web on this subject. I read a portion of a forum of concerned parents who want to enact all sorts of Breed Specific Legislation against Pit Bulls because they believe they endanger children. But take a look at some real statistics.

What is the leading cause of death of children in America? Car accidents. So if you're advocating the slaughter of family pets, then ban the automobile. It's only logical.

I better stop now before I break my keyboard. I'm POUNDING here.

Stumble It!

28 comments:

Blackfeatherfarm said...

You will find no arguement here. People are the problem not the dogs. Amstaffs are highly intelligent and playful. The irresponsible owners and bad breeders are at fault. I believe they tried to pass this in one of our cities and it got overturned. I don't have this breed but 6 rescue dogs, all mixed mutts. I am a big dog {animal} lover, and wish the knee jerk, fear biting people would use some rational, common sense when it comes to these things, instead of punishing the dogs and good owners.

followthatdog said...

I hate breed specific bans. Partly because they ban dogs I personally own and love and partly because they point to the ignorance and fear that has been created around this breed. And the ignorance people cling to for no real reason.
As I always say, if they ban pit bulls another breed will be forced to play the "tough dog" role by the people currently abusing pit bulls. Punish the deed, not the breed.

kim* said...

yeah i live in ca and have 3 pitbulls, wish we could take yours :(
mine are sweet but they can be scary as well. but hello! what is ohios intenetion of putting these dogs into extinction????????????

AH said...

We have a pitbull/french bulldog mix we rescued from a shelter that thankfully does not put down pitbulls. She is the sweetest dog ever.
I do not support our local Humane Society because the euthanize any pitbull or pitbull mix that is brought in even if it is a puppy.
That is crazy!

Anonymous said...

Aw I know how you feel. My BF's brother breeds pits and his mother has one. It's the owners and breeders not the dogs. I hope it doesn't pass.

Here's a couple photos and a little blog entry i did about my BF's mothers dog. We were cuddling on the couch. Far from vicious.

http://littlelotusdesigns.wordpress.com/2008/07/09/lazy-wednesday/

adymommy said...

OMG! This is horrible! I can't believe that this could even make it this far. Where were all the dog lovers, animal lovers? Who spoke up for these dogs? Sorry...I am shocked.

Designing Hilary said...

I have no idea how far this amendment has gone ... it doesn't give a lot of info on the Ohio Assembly info page.

I've seen where several APBT owners have taken a number of cities/towns to court, but the courts seem to be ruling in favor of the legislation, not in favor of the dog owners.

I do not live in Ohio, so my Nino is safe (so far). I seriously doubt that Texas would enact such a law, but one never really knows.

My heart hurts for all the APBT lovers in any area where BSL is taking hold.

I saw this earlier this morning on a national talk show and I've been stewing all day.

The Florida Furkids said...

This is horrible. I don't know if there are AKC message groups that you can join, but the Cat CFA groups have done a lot to change legislation on various things...maybe AKC or a breed group can help change this?

Sheila said...

I have met both friendly and mean pit bulls. The mean ones were that way because they were trained to be. I have been bitten more times by German Shepherds than any other dog (none of them mine). I cannot believe that this has been proposed.

I don't even own a dog (cat person here), but this is very upsetting to me as well!

Designing Hilary said...

From what I can gather, there are lawyers representing the SPCA and another organization of the type have presented papers to argue against the various BSL in Ohio.

Currently, Ohio law labels all pit bulls as vicious, regardless of the dog's history. The law was initially overturned by a lower court, but the higher courts have ruled in favor of Ohio's BSL at the beginning of August.

The portion of the bill I posted is a proposed change, but not yet passed into law.

Anonymous said...

OMG!! That's horrible! Don't they have better things to do?

BeanPickleSprout said...

This is absolutely horrible and brought tears to my eyes. I love my dog, he is not a pit bull, but I know how I feel for him and pit bull owners get attached to their pets too. My heart will just ache if this passes...I can't imagine handing my pet over to a warden knowing he would be euthanized :(

ImitationAngel said...

This is awful. I'm glad I'm not in Ohio. I have a dog who is pit bull mix breed and I would hate to have him taken from me. It's really sad to see the government blame the animal when it's clearly the human who is to blame. Pit bulls are a great breed and are very good around people. As usual it's those screwed people who like violence that ruin it for the rest of the folks.

Anonymous said...

This is so horrible. They need to hold the owner accountable not the dog.

Beth said...

Oh no!! I heard about this a while back but didn't know it had gone this far. I have a boxer which is on some lists as an agressive breed. I don't know what I would do. Those poor people. Instead they should focus more on pet adoption and breeding--those are the real culprits for mishandling and abusing dogs.

Victoria said...

We use to live in a town that didn't allow pits. We just told the them we didn't know what he was, but I'm sure if someone complained we would have lost him. Branding a specific breed as "BAD" is ridiculous. Our pit is the biggest baby every. People need to learn this. Me and my mom have tried to get the word out about what great dogs these can be. People fear what they don't know! I really hope this doesn't pass.

Anonymous said...

Wow I didn’t know about this, I don’t live in Ohio either. You are right any dog, not just pit bulls, can attack anyone. I think the PB’s have gotten a bad rap as vicious dogs and yes I’m afraid of them, but I’m afraid most dogs, except the tiny ones. I say if they have teeth, then they can bite. Your dog is cute.

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh. I cannot believe this could pass.

Owners have responsibilities. My beautiful dog Sammy, a love to us all - began violent responses to others. He bit the vet, we explained it away - but I watched him and began getting quite nervous with him around others.

My sister was at my house, he loved her! He attacked her one day without being provoked in any way. He went for her throat!

This was my beautiful puppy - who loved us so much!

The vet said there was something wrong - we had him immediately evaluated. Then, euthanized after hearing he was a victim of a "defect" (there were more technical terms).

I loved him so much, but would never jeopardize anyone ever.

We lost a beautiful pet, and friend. It had to be done.

As a responsible owner, we did what we had to do.

But to pick a breed - and mark them for euthanasia... my gosh, I cannot even imagine!

{{{ hugs }}}

Let's hope that doesn't pass.

BTW my Sammy was not a Pit Bull. It can happen in any breed. He was a black lab we rescued as a little pup from SPCA.

Anonymous said...

I couldn't believe this when I read it as has been stated the owner should be held responsible not the dog. I just found out the other night that it's not against the law in PA to shoot your animal if you so choose. Last year 2 brothers shot and killed 80 dogs I think they were running a puppy mill and as far as I'm concerned I't wouldn't bother me to see them shot, not very charitable of me, but they weren't either.

Our Sadie is a mix pit and she can be hateful at times, but they would have to shot me to get her and they probably would, they tend to shot anyone these days.

My son was attacked by a pit when he was a young adult, but that was because the owner induced the attack, the dog was put to sleep and the owner got nothing. I certainly hope this bill isn't adopted it's horrible.

Hazel Martin Designs said...

That is so upsetting! I do not believe a pit is any more harmful than a yorkie. I think a few owners WANT to make them mean. I think there should be strict rules for all dogs, such as leash laws etc. I think Chows and German Shepherds are actually the #1 and #2 when it comes to attacks. Will they be putting police dogs down? So sad....

People in the Sun said...

It really seems like something that will never happen. It looks more like a political stunt for someone to get his name up there as a child safety crusader. No one will ever go to get a dog euthanized, and no one will ever side with something insane like that. I don't think anyone should worry about that. Not that it shouldn't be publicized and protested, but that's probably all the bill-writer hopes for, anyway.

LizzyT said...

It is a shame when they tar all dogs with the same brush. I do agree it is the owner's who are responsible for the dog's behaviour.

Jenera said...

I hate seeing things like this. I have owned a pitbull as has my husband and other family members. When you see a dog of this breed that has 'attacked' you can typically link the behavior issue back to the owner.

I personally think there are several other breeds that would fall under these guidelines if law makers wanted to nit pick.

Nessa said...

Wow, the Pit in your pic and mine could almost be brothers. I didn't specifically want a pit, but he needed me and i took him in. He was literally starving, had been shot, beat, tied up for other dogs to attack him and he came to my door and laid on my porch in pain, bleeding. I had seen him in the neighborhood and left food and water for him, so when he was injured he came back to where he had found kindness. He allowed me to pick in up and place him in the car, he allowed the vet to poke and prod him, he allowed me to bathe him even though he had open wounds and he'd known me maybe a whole day. Not once did he growl or snap, even though he was in horrible pain. Yeah, they're really awful dogs aren't they?

He now has gained 5 pounds and still is almost half the weight he should be. Vitamins and extra foods are putting some weight on him though. He adores my 12 year old and cuddles with him every night. he's only been a family member for about 2 months but he's an important part. I truly TRULY hope the people of Ohio see that people are the issue, not this breed. After all he's endured, Max is gentle, sweet and well behaved. I could only ask so much from my other spoiled dogs lol.

Michelle said...

So you can't own a pitbull if you live in Ohio?! That is the craziest thing I've ever heard!! It is the people that are the problem, not the dogs! Truly ridiculous!! I am shocked!

Lisa Nelsen-Woods said...

If you live in Ohio I urge you to write your representive and tell them to vote down this bill. We already have laws and ordinances regarding the ownership of pitbulls (ex. the owner must have a fenced in yard and extra insurance) and responsible owners follow these laws and then some. If this bill becomes law it's going to make the thousands of responsible pit bull owners in our state into crimminals. Because I can't imagine giving up my dog,m who we consider a family member, over to a government agency for them to kill for no. good. reason.

It's the irresponsible owners that don't follow our current laws and that's when unfortunately their dog may have attacked someone. Sadly those owners get away with it due to lack of inforcement.

All dogs, not matter what breed can bite. I rescued an abused Pekingese that if he coudldn't run away from a scary situation (he lost an eye and had internal injuries by the hand of a bad human) then he'd try to bite. It took a lot of education on my part and training/rehabilitation to turn my dog around. Today, he's a well adjusted and confident dog who isn't a fear biter. But knowing his past and being a responsible dog owner, I know that there are certain situations that we should avoid with this dog and I do. In my heart, I know that part of the reason my dog lived was because he was small and "cute". If he were a larger or different breed of dog then he wouldn't be given a chance at rehabilitation.

This bill will make the re

Jill said...

that's just awful - maybe we can come up with a new name for the breed - like "lovey dogs" if the words "pit bull" cause so much trauma for some people

it's like the old NRA slogan: pit bulls don't kill, stupid pit bull owners who purposely train them to be vicious kill

Mea Culpa Bath and Body said...

I dont understand this holocaust of Pit Bulls. Its beyond tragic! I blame the owners and the deed, not the breed. There is so many more small viscous dogs that nobody knows about. I have 2 Pit Bulls - males. They listen so good, nobody can believe their own eyes when they see how they act around me and the kids. To them two, even the kids are been seen as a pack leader. Now thats called responsible owner of a powerful breed. Not many of us out there