My favorite Pitty Cakes!

Miss Maddie is my favorite pit bull! She's a beautiful brindle with an awesome guardian. I got to spend some time with her this morning and am so happy I did. Here are some pics I took on my phone!

She is owned by R3K9S who often blogs about her pets and responsible pit bull ownership. She's an extremely responsible pit bull owner and also has two of our most favorite black lab friends!

Now who could really think a beautiful girl like this should be banned? Really?? Are they afraid she is gonna give them big slobbery kisses????

Sandy City Council Meeting - BSL

The Sandy City Council meeting went well. The issue was tabled until they can do further research on the issue. They are going to have a group that includes a local dog trainer and a veterinarian to provide input on ordinances. There was a big turn out (so much that there were people out in the hall. Many people spoke to the council in opposition to the ordinance. It was an honor to be there and I am so happy that the City Council was receptive to the many many people who spoke in opposition of the ordinance.

I really enjoyed hearing the speakers talk about their beloved dogs who were therapy dogs, assistance dogs, show dogs, and family companions. There was plenty of representation from the dog trainer community and some from the veterinary community as well. Aside from the AC officer who was proposing the ordinance, there was only one person who spoke in support of BSL. Her stories were heart breaking and I wish she were able to understand that it was the fault of irresponsible owners and not the breed itself. She said that a neighbor dog used to jump over the fence when it was still on it's chain. That's not the dog's fault. No responsible person would chain a dog outside like that anyway. That dog has likely had little to no training and has not gotten proper exercise, nutrition, and socialization. How could that possibly be the dog's fault?

All in all I think it was a good step forward. Hopefully they will have a good team including a good trainer (crossing our fingers it's our own NeoMommy) and a good veterinarians to help draw up an ordinance that focuses on education of the public and punishing the deed rather than targeting any specific breeds.

I think BSL is a slippery slope. People will move on to other breeds and the list will continue to grow with time if this passes. I despise the part about dogs bearing pit bull or rottweiler like traits. Most people don't know how to identify different breeds anyway. Just last Monday I was at petsmart and had a pit bull owner if Dylan was part Pit? How on earth people get pit from him I will never know but I've been asked on multiple occasions.

The animal control officer sited several instances of dog bites and dog attacks including attacks on other dogs. Stating that Pitbulls and Rottweilers are responsible for the fatal attacks and mauling's on people and other animals. I do admit that my dear Puck was killed by a couple of pit bull's but I believe that most dogs who aren't socialized with cats are capable of killing them. My dear Marley was nearly killed two months ago by an Austrailian Cattle Dog though. Will they be the next breed to be added to the list?

Article on Sandy City Dog Laws.

Oddly enough in this article they talk about Pit Bulls and German Shepherd's. There is no mention of any Rottie biting anyone one. Yet the restricted breeds they mention are Pit Bulls and Rotties? I wonder if there is a longer list? Or if they are just trying to scare the ignorant into believing this law should be created?

http://deseretnews.com/article/content/mobile/1,5620,700242075,00.html?printView=true

Sandy may change dog laws
City considers adding breed-specific restrictions to animal-control ordinance
By Rebecca PalmerDeseret News
Published: July 10, 2008
SANDY — In early June, a 6-year-old girl was attacked in an apartment complex here by an unattended pit bull that had escaped its fence.
The child's face was mauled before the dog was stopped. She was taken to Primary Children's Medical Center and received sutures in her lip, cheek and chin, said Sandy Animal Control director Rich Bergan. The girl is now home recovering.
"There are truly dangerous situations going on," Bergan said.
Just days after the pit bull attack, a female jogger was bitten by a German shepherd that had recently been adopted by a Sandy family. The woman suffered eight puncture wounds. In the final weekend of June, three fighting pit bulls were quarantined after they bit a man trying to stop them.
These incidents and about 200 per year like them have the Sandy City Council considering breed-specific changes to the city animal-control ordinance.
If approved, the new ordinance would put vicious dogs in three classes: prohibited, restricted and dangerous. Prohibited dogs would include coyotes, wolves, dingos, and wild hybrids — animals already outlawed in the city.
Breeds such as pit bulls and Rottweilers would be in the restricted class. The city could require their owners to take out insurance policies, build escape-proof kennels and pass an inspection by animal control officers.
Restricted dogs could be upgraded to dangerous dogs if they showed a tendency for violence or were classified dangerous by a judge. Those dogs could only be taken in public with short leashes and muzzles, according to the proposed ordinance.
"Animal rights is almost a religion now, but we think we need to bring (this issue) to people's attention," Sandy council member Chris McCandless said in a work meeting. "The main thing is preventive. We're not trying to keep animals out."
Two residents at a City Council meeting July 1 said the ordinance should outlaw pit bulls completely. One woman, who was attacked by a pit bull at the age of 9, said there was no need for Sandy to have such unpredictable and ruthless animals.
Last year in the United States, about 5 million people were victims of dog attacks, according to the nonprofit Web site dogbitelaw .com. Of those, 800,000 needed medical attention and 1,000 were hospitalized. Also in 2007, 32 people died as a result of dog attacks.
Utah has had no recent deaths caused by dogs, but neighboring Wyoming is consistently a leader in dog-related fatalities.
A 2006 study showed that 65 percent of dog-related fatalities nationwide have been caused by pit bulls, Rottweilers, Presa Canarios and their mixes.
Some people acquire vicious dogs as kind of an alter ego, Bergan said. Those people are likely to mistreat their animals. The trend is evident by the disproportionate number of these dogs that wind up in Utah animal shelters, he said.
Pit bulls are particularly dangerous because they have been bred as fighters, said Utah Humane Society animal cruelty investigator John Paul Fox. Other dogs, such as poodles, were bred for their looks.
Disparate breeding practices make pit bulls harder to identify, Fox said, making breed-specific laws hard to enforce.
The Humane Society of Utah generally discourages breed-specific laws but encourages vicious-dog ordinances that restrict individual canines, Fox said.
"It's unfair to those dogs and those owners who are good owners and have never become a problem," he said, saying the laws are as inequitable as a hypothetical law that fined drivers of certain models of cars just because similar cars had crashed.
Sandy's vicious dog discussions are coinciding with similar discussions in Provo. Leaders there had considered a breed-specific ordinance but decided instead to tighten laws on all vicious dogs.
Other Utah cities have gone further. North Salt Lake, for example, requires owners of certain dog breeds to keep their dogs either fenced in or muzzled and leashed and take out $100,000 insurance policies.
"That alone is usually enough of a deterrent," said city recorder LaRae Dillingham. The North Salt Lake law restricts the bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, pit bull, Tosa, and Shar-Pei.
South Jordan outlaws pit bulls except for those acquired before the ordinances changed. For the remaining dogs, a $50,000 insurance policy is required. Several other Salt Lake County cities have rules for dogs deemed vicious but don't specify breed.
Sandy attorneys are considering adding insurance requirements to the proposed breed-specific ordinances. The City Council has scheduled a short presentation on the issue during its regular July 15 meeting.

More BSL laws in Utah?

I can't believe they are actually considering more BSL laws here. There are a few already and I can't believe the number of people who judge a dog by it's breed. I got this announcement today:

Sandy City is considering restricting or banning certain breeds of dogs. Currently this list includes 'Pit Bulls' (not yet defined), Rottweilers and Presa Caranios.

Please attend the public hearing for this new animal ordinance

Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Sandy City Hall
10000 Centennial Parkway
7:00pm

The draft ordinance should be available this Friday, though it may be in paper format only (no electronic copies).

Please forward this email to Sandy City dog owners. Although all those concerned about this type of issue should attend, Sandy City residents will have the most influence on their City Council.


I don't own bully breeds but I still don't think you should be able to completely ban a breed of dog just based on it's breed. There are plenty of wonderful bully dogs out there. There are also plenty of wonderful and responsible bully breed owners. I'm friends with multiple people who own bully dogs. I can't believe these dogs get a such a bad rap just because a few bad people have bred them to be aggressive. It's ridiculous to punish the dogs instead of the bad people who have created the problem.

**PLEASE CROSSPOST**I will there asking some tough questions. I have also started a petition... These breeds are close to my heart as I have been working, training and rescuing them for almost a decade. Please forward this link to everyone you know - I would love to have several signatures by next tuesday!Thank You!Anna SIGN HERE: http://www.petitiononline.com/SandyBB/petition.html

"Until there are none... adopt one!"
www.HappyHealthyPup.com
Anna & The Neo Nectar Gang - Eros & Eudora

**PLEASE CROSSPOST**

It sounds like Provo is considering a dangerous dog law. This would apply to all breeds rather than just the dog's breed. This is a much better option to control problems with dog aggression.

http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700234957,00.html