Thoughts on BSL and Dog Ownership

I was off to the shelter yesterday to go over all the details of my new duties handling the internet end of things. Before I left I spent some time playing with the little pit mix, Spumoni...who does have a family interested in her finally. Cute little girl but perhaps no pit involved in that mix. Unfortunately if it appears pit, it becomes pit...and that lessens her chances.

I was also very dismayed to hear that a committee in Oshkosh has been formed to discuss passing BSL to ban pit bulls. It makes me wonder at the type of people who get together to discuss the inherent evil of a breed of dog without thinking about those of us who go above and beyond to insure our dogs are good citizens.

I would be willing to pit myself (no pun intended) against the majority of dog owners when it comes to effort put into my dogs. I live and work in the same building so my dogs are never alone, I work with my dogs every day, my dogs have had 30 weeks of training between them and I make great effort to make sure they are exercised and occupied. They are the only dogs I know that know the command "no bark" because I don't want them even barking at a passerby or showing any sign that could be construed as aggression.

They have playdates to help socialization, they go to Petco regularly where they are very welcomed customers and known by name since they both took their very beginning obedience there. Domino raised money for the shelter on the Shelter Trek where he mixed and mingled with dogs and people of all shapes and sizes. They have both participated in classes off leash with a very mixed variety of dogs, kids, people and situations. They are great at the vet's office.

At home they have absolutely no issues. They do not chew up things other than toys, they play with cats safely, they have no food aggression, toy aggression or dog issues of any type aside from wanting to be lap dogs on occasion and involved in everything I do. They will not devour the sandwich left in reach when they are told to "leave it". They even come running when I say it's bath time! How many dog owners spend the time working with their dogs? How many dog owners have dogs that are a real joy to live with?

So it is more than irritating to me that committees might meet to ban my dogs from going to agility school or enjoying a shopping trip to Petco or participating in a dog walk to raise money for their shelter. Who exactly are they hoping to punish? And why the concerted effort to stretch the ban across Wisconsin city by city? Before we can blink an eye, there will be no safe haven, and our best hope is that we can be grandfathered in so no one will come to take our dogs and put them to death.

Out there, all around me, are dogs left to languish on chains without one iota of reprieve. There are dogs beaten and abused and killed in the most horrendous ways. There are neglected dogs, forgotten dogs, miserable dogs. Breed does not play a role at all in the amount of cruelty man can deliver. He neglects, starves, ignores all breeds equally. But he is quick to point a finger at "evil" when it comes to pit bulls. I think, to me, the big difference between those people and pitbulls is that those people need to examine their hearts and pit bulls don't need to.

Please, support reasonable dangerous dog laws and say no to Breed Specific Legislation.