Dog Lovers Start Campaign to End Breed Bans in Michigan

Dog lovers and animal advocacy organizations are coming together to make Michigan the next state to ban laws that discriminate against certain breeds of dogs based solely on their looks.

Breed specific legislation (BSL), or breed discriminatory legislation (BDL), has unfairly targeted dogs based solely on their appearance, without regard to their actual temperament or whether or not they have responsible owners.  These types of laws have mostly been aimed at pit bulls, or pit bull mixes, but other breeds have also been targeted.

The Centers for Disease Control, the American Bar Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association, among dozens of other organizations, have all come out opposing BSL and recommend community-based approaches for preventing dog bites and dealing with dangerous dogs and their owners.

Thankfully, attitudes and laws are changing to reflect reality.  Already 19 states have enacted laws that ban this type of discrimination.  Now, Make Michigan Next (MMN), a newly formed coalition made up of animal advocacy groups and citizens, is taking up the fight to make their state the next to make this common sense change.  According to the group, more than 35 breeds face some sort of discrimination in the state.

Last week an estimated 500 dog loving voters took part in a rally at the state’s capitol to show their support for a state law banning BSL.  Advocates for a statewide ban argue that these types of laws are tearing families apart, killing innocent dogs and have also raised serious concerns about our ability, including that of experts, to properly identify a type of breed based on what they look like.

“Dogs have no control over their environment, but their owners do,” said Courtney Protz-Sanders, a MMN coalition member.  “This rally is about everyone’s right to own dogs and the need to stop discrimination based on appearance.  Right now, because we have no state law to protect us, any breed of dog can be banned from visiting or living in any township, city or county in Michigan.”

Ultimately, their goal is to get lawmakers to make a simple amendment to a state law that will allow municipalities to make any dog-related ordinance they want, just so long as they are not breed specific.  According to MMN, following the rally several legislators expressed interest in introducing a bill.

“It’s time to bring Michigan law into the modern era.  There is no place for discrimination in our society,” Protz-Sanders said.  “We are the voice for those who cannot speak for themselves.  They don’t vote, but we do.”

TAKE ACTION!

Please show your support for ending discrimination in Michigan by signing and sharing Make Michigan Next’s Care2 petition urging lawmakers to repeal existing breed bans and to enact a statewide ban on BSL.

For more info, visit Make Michigan Next and follow updates on MMN’s Facebook page.

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Obama Comes Out Against Dog Breed-Specific Legislation, Joins The Fight For Pit Bulls

Tails are wagging in Washington this week.

Not only did the Obama family introduce Sunny the puppy to her adoring country, but the White House also came out against breed-specific legislation — regulations and laws that restrict ownership of dogs by breed, pit bulls being the most common target.

Groups like the American Bar Association have said for years that these sorts of restrictions do harm — to families, to dogs, to due process and to the economy — without actually improving public safety.

Based on a statement that the White House put out about a week ago, it would seem that Obama agrees.  “Breed-Specific Legislation Is a Bad Idea” begins the White House’s official response to an online petition, signed by more than 30,000 people, asking for laws that target dogs by breed to be outlawed at a federal level.

Obama’s statement doesn’t speak to federal legislative efforts.  But, the White House does adopt the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s community-based ideas for better methods of improving public safety:

We don’t support breed-specific legislation — research shows that bans on certain types of dogs are largely ineffective and often a waste of public resources…  As an alternative to breed-specific policies, the CDC recommends a community-based approach to prevent dog bites.  And ultimately, we think that’s a much more promising way to build stronger communities of pets and pet owners.

Lisa LaFontaine, who is president of the Washington Humane Society (which received a donation from the Obamas in honor of Sunny the puppy) and a longtime opponent of breed-specific legislation, told The Huffington Post she thinks this statement will provide a big boost.

“The White House is such a bully pulpit for important issues,” she says, with her daughter’s pit bull, Lila, napping nearby.  “And certainly for them to come down against this type of discrimination I think will give pause to any communities that are thinking about putting something like this in place, and certainly will fuel the work that’s already being done by advocates to overturn legislation that already exists… It’s a really happy day.”

Indeed, some advocates — like those challenging a ban on pit bulls in Prince George’s County, Md., about 20 miles from the White House — are celebrating.

Others are not quite as ready to give the president a belly rub.

“I think it’s the least he could do,” says Rebecca Corry, an actress and comedian who’s organizing the upcoming Million Pibble March on Washington, which is aimed at spreading public awareness about pit bulls, as well as protesting breed-specific legislation and encouraging federal money be spent on enforcement of animal abuse laws.   “It should have been done a long time ago.”

Another complaint: widespread pit bull bans in U.S. military housing and other installations (read more about this in a White House petition that went up just after the White House issued its response to the first petition).

“I really, really hope that the military takes note that the Commander in Chief has made this statement about there being no place for breed-specific legislation,” says LaFontaine, who says that “there is nothing more difficult”  than seeing families surrender well-loved pets due to wholesale bans on certain types of dogs.

“Discrimination enshrined in law is not OK,” says Corry, whose own dog, Angel, was abused before taking up station in — for real — a pit bull kissing booth.  “And that’s exactly what breed-specific legislation is.”

Here’s the White House’s full statement:

We don’t support breed-specific legislation — research shows that bans on certain types of dogs are largely ineffective and often a waste of public resources.In 2000, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at twenty years of data about dog bites and human fatalities in the United States.  They found that fatal attacks represent a very small proportion of dog bite injuries to people and that it’s virtually impossible to calculate bite rates for specific breeds.

The CDC also noted that the types of people who look to exploit dogs aren’t deterred by breed regulations — when their communities establish a ban, these people just seek out new, unregulated breeds.  And the simple fact is that dogs of any breed can become dangerous when they’re intentionally or unintentionally raised to be aggressive.

For all those reasons, the CDC officially recommends against breed-specific legislation — which they call inappropriate.  You can read more from them here.

As an alternative to breed-specific policies, the CDC recommends a community-based approach to prevent dog bites.  And ultimately, we think that’s a much more promising way to build stronger communities of pets and pet owners.

Let’s end on a cute note (or three).

Here’s a picture of LaFontaine and Lila:

Here’s Corry’s dog Angel, getting political during a recent visit to D.C.: