“The Perfect Animal Rights Legislative Defense!” says TheDogPress of
this American Dog Breeders Assoc. letter to MO Mayor and City
Council re BSL.
ADBA’s President has graciously give permission to any legislative
group to use this letter as a sample communication tool when
opposing any animal rights legislation.
Polite, professional, and powerful, the ADBA letter opens workable
solutions for misguided (by animal rights advocates) or
under-informed state and local government agencies. Presented with
such irrefutable facts and figures, what politician would want to
face the repercussions of having failed to represent the best
interests of his constituents? If they reject open discourse, one
can only assume those in power are representing only their own
careers and connections…
Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) or any other unfair imposition upon
the rights of voters can no longer be tolerated if quality purebred
dogs are to be preserved.
We thank Mr. Greenwood and ADBA for truly representing dog owners!

October 8, 2010
Honorable
Mayor and City Council
City of Kirksville, Mo.
Re: Proposed Breed
Specific Legislation (OPPOSE)
Mayor Todd Kuhns
Councilmember Richard
Detweiler
|
Councilmember Carolyn
Chrisman
Councilmember Tony Fajkus |
Honorable
Mayor and City Councilpersons,
Concerned dog owners and citizens of the City of Kirksville have
recently contacted the American Dog Breeders Association Inc. (ADBA)
regarding a pending ordinance that will dramatically affect their
ability to own and enjoy their dogs.
We are respectfully writing to you on their behalf.
The American Dog Breeders Association is an all breed registry
established in 1909 to promote the study, breeding, exhibiting, and
advancement of purebred dogs. The American Dog Breeders Association
supports the adoption of reasonable, enforceable, non-discriminatory
laws to govern the ownership of dogs.
We understand that the City of Kirksville is considering an
ordinance that will allow the banning or restricting of breeds of
dogs or Breed Specific Legislation (BSL). The ADBA believes that dog
owners should be responsible for their dogs and that law should
impose appropriate penalties on irresponsible owners. Communities
must establish a well-defined procedure for dealing with dogs proven
to be dangerous which includes, if necessary, the destruction of
such animals. In order to be effective, such legislation should not
be breed-specific.
BSL has been ruled unconstitutional in court venues across the
United States on grounds ranging from vagueness, to an infringement
of property rights, to equal treatment, equal protection under the
law, to lack of due process. In cities where such legislation is
permitted, enforcement of a breed-related law is difficult because
of inability to accurately identify breeds, unfair negative impact
on model citizens and equally model mannerly dogs, and lack of
attention to the real issue of dog owner responsibility.
BSL is costly to
implement and costly to enforce.
Administrative Costs
Prince George’s County: The Most Thorough Assessment of BSL to Date.
In 2003,
Prince George’s County, Maryland, authorized a task force to examine
the results of a 1996 pit bull ban in the county. The task force
findings were shocking. They estimated that
-
The cost
to the county to confiscate and euthanize a single pit bull was
around $68,000.
-
In the
fiscal year 2001-2002, expenditures due to pit bull
confiscations totaled $560,000. Income from pit bull
registrations during that same period totaled only $35,000.
Therefore, the county spent over half a million dollars
enforcing their ban.
-
The
county had lost an un-measurable amount of both direct and
indirect revenue due to the “dramatic reduction” in number of
dog shows and exhibitions held in the county.
Perhaps over
half a million dollars a year is an acceptable expense to ensure
public safety.
But was Prince George’s County’s ban actually doing what it was
supposed to? Was the community making a sound investment?
Apparently
not. The task force found that:
-
The
“public safety benefit is un-measurable.”
-
Across
the board, dog bites had decreased among all breeds at about the
same rate. The ban did not appear to have had any noticeable
effect on public safety.
-
What’s
more, the task force expressed concern that the ban might
actually be having a negative effect on public safety; animal
control facilities and workers were stretched thin because they
constantly had to respond to “pit bull” complaints and the
housing of “alleged pit bulls”. The task force felt that this
had a negative effect on animal control’s ability to respond to
other types of violations.
Actual
and Estimated Expenses in Other Locations
The Prince George’s County task force findings are typical of
findings in many other locations.
-
In 2008,
Omaha proposed BSL that would cost over half a million dollars
to enforce.
-
The
U.K.’s Dangerous Dog Act, which includes a ban on certain breeds
of dogs, is estimated to have cost well over $14 million to
enforce between the years 1991 and 1996 (no more recent numbers
are available). It has come under fire lately as dog bites
(committed by non-targeted dogs) rise despite the ban.
-
Baltimore, Maryland estimated (in 2001) that it cost over
$750,000 a year to enforce their breed specific legislation, and
they were still unable to enforce the law effectively.
-
Even
small cities and communities can spend tens of thousands of
dollars annually to uphold their BSL.
All this
money spent without any evidence, anywhere, that BSL actually
increases public safety.
Sources
and Resources:
Prince George’s County Task Force Report (PDF) -
http://www.canineadvocatesofohio.org/Docs/Prince_Georges_County0001.PDF
Note: This file is very large and will take some time to download.
The report can also be accessed in HTML format at
Financial and Social Implications of Breed Specific Legislation
(PDF) from The Dog Legislation Council of Canada
http://stopbsl.com/bsloverview/expensive/www.doglegislationcouncilcanada.org/Financial%20Implications.pdf
The Fiscal Impact calculator
(http://www.guerrillaeconomics.biz/bestfriends/) and associated
study is part of Best Friends Animal Society's nationwide campaign:
"Pit Bulls: Saving America's Dog," The online calculator, designed
for city, county and other governmental entities, allows anyone to
estimate by state, county or town the costs for implementing and
enforcing a breed-specific law. For more information on this
campaign visit:
The estimated annual cost for the City
of Batesville will be $23,510.00
Great web site for information on BSL
http://www.understand-a-bull.com
Don't Miss Information Links...
Dog Bites: Problems and Solutions A Policy
Paper by author Janis Bradley Courtesy of Animal Farm Foundation
http://www.understand-a-bull.com/BSL/Research/Bradley%20DogBites.pdf
Pit Bull Education Packet - 2nd Edition: The book has
been updated and added quite a bit to the BSL section. This was
designed to educate legislators about the breed and BSL, complete
with sample laws. It's also being used to educate a new owner.
http://www.understand-a-bull.com/BSL/Research/BSLResearchStats.asp
There are two copies available for free to the
public. They also have high resolution copies available, you may
contact
fightbsl@understand-a-bull.com if you are interested in the high
resolution book.
Positive Pit Bull Press Packet - Without Sample Laws - Document is
46 pages and about 2MB in size.
http://www.understand-a-bull.com/BSL/Research/BSLPacket/bsl_presspack_low2.pdf
Positive Pit Bull Press Packet - With Sample Laws - Document is 67
pages and about 2.4MB in size.
http://www.understand-a-bull.com/BSL/Research/BSLPacket/lawsbsl_presspack_low.pdf
-
CDC Report Facts: This contains quotes from the
CDC and Doctors involved in the infamous fatal attack report
showing the report is inaccurate and that BSL is NOT the answer!
http://www.understand-a-bull.com/BSL/CDCReport/CDCReport.asp
-
Setting the Record Straight!: Pointing out
inaccuracies in news reports and providing the correct
Information. http://www.understand-a-bull.com/Articles/InaccurateMedia/SetRecordStraight.asp
Governments, cities and communities that have repealed or
rejected BSL because it was found to be (1) ineffective (2)
difficult to enforce and (3) too costly:
Govt. of the Netherlands -
http://tinyurl.com/3sg6jc
Govt. of Italy
State of Montana
State of Oregon
State of Hawaii
Oak Harbor, WA
Hot Springs, AR
Clinton, IA
Livonia, MI
Dandridge, TN
Royal Oak, MI
Independence, KY
South Charleston, SC
Jonesville, NC
Fremont county, ID
Belton, MO
Brighton, CO
Ferndale, WA
Sandy, UT |
Watsonville, CA
Grand Island, NE
Sarpy County, NE
Bourbonnais, IL
Detroit, MIit, MI
East Point, MI
Redford, MI
Beloit, KS
Alguna, WA
Hudsonville, MI
Baltimore, MD
Saginaw, MI
Comanche, IA
Farmington, IL
Horry County, SC
Tacoma, WA
Maryville, IL
Anderson, SC
Del City, OK
Topeka, KS |
For these and other reasons, breed-specific legislation is opposed by the
American Dog Breeders Association, United Kennel Club, American
Kennel Club, the American Veterinary Medical Association, National
Animal Control Association, American Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals, and a host of other respected national animal
organizations who recognize the inequities and inherent problems of
such law.
As you consider new legislation, the American Dog Breeders Association and
your constituent dog owners respectfully request that your body
consider the documents that I have included links for with this
letter which includes model laws.
These model laws are far more reasonable than breed specific dog
legislation that assumes that all dogs of a given breed, or
appearance poses a threat to society, and that all of the owners of
those dogs are negligent, careless, or irresponsible.
They are far more reasonable than dangerous dog ordinances that assume that
the dog, rather than it's owner is the culpable party, and confers
the animal a criminal designation, and penalties, while allowing the
owner to obtain another animal with which to be irresponsible. These
model regulations are written to control human behaviors. I have
attached for your convenience information that covers to many of the
points I have addressed.
Please respond to this letter, as we would like to relay your
position on this matter to your constituents.
We know your time is limited and valuable and appreciate your attention. We
look forward to working with you as this issue progresses.
Sincerely,
Hank Greenwood
Hank Greenwood
President /CEO/ Chairman of the Board
American Dog Breeders
Association
http://www.adba.cc
Salt Lake City, Utah
801-936-7513
https://www.thedogpress.com/ClubNews/ADBA-BSL-letter-10102_Greenwood.asp