READ FIRST!!!

Educating not Discriminating
Dog Legislation Education (DLE) is for anyone on either side of the Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) fence. I wanted to provide a place where you can ask questions that otherwise might spark debate. This is not meant to be a place to argue the issues, but to help people understand why dogs bite, who's really responsible, and what types of legislation have proven successful in protecting the public and punishing human offenders. Anyone commenting on the blog will be removed from the group for being insensitive. My main focus will be for citizens of Springfield, Mo as the Animal Issues Task Force (AITF) has proposed new legislation, policies, programs to City Council. Because these proposals could help improve the safety of citizens anywhere, the blog is open to anyone.
The Root of Fear is Ignorance.
The one thing I have learned over the years, is that most people who have a problem with a specific breed of dog either had one bad experience or heard bad stuff on the news. Humans are allowed to be afraid...I'm afraid of spiders, hopefully no one faults me for that! What I hope to accomplish with this blog is to help Pit Bull and other Power Breed owners to understand that some people don't know any better than to be afraid. As dog owners we have to take our time and show the public that no one breed stands alone with behavioral issues. I hope to not only educate people who don't know the blessings our dogs bring, but also help educate people who may not know what is appropriate behavior for them and their dog. Though I don't believe Breed Specific Legislation is effective in educating the public, I do believe Potentially Dangerous Dog, Dangerous Dog, and Irresponsible Owner Legislation can not only educate, but improve public safety as well.
Please enjoy the blog, sign up for email updates, keep your filters on when commenting, and hopefully learn something new today.
To ask questions anonymously email at 417pitgirl@gmail.com

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Make a call. Send an Email.

                                        
                                 MAKE A CALL. SEND AND EMAIL.




I'm going to keep this short and sweet. If you haven't met the extremists on the other side of BSL... meaning the people who think Pit Bulls are not a dog, but a wild animal... They are hitting hard right now. Most of them don't even live in our area and they are sending gruesome stories, opinions, and manipulated facts about incidents where Pit Bulls may be or are suspected to be involved.

Email your city and state officials. Tell them all of the amazing stories about Pitties that you know! Tell them and send pictures of bites from other breeds. Show them that all breeds can be amazing, and that all breeds can cause damage when bred, raised, and/or treated wrong.

Pit Bulls are just a breed of dog...

"Dogs should be judged by their actions...not their looks."

Here is a list of Springfield Missouri City Officials:

Bob Stevens (Mayor)       rstephens@springfieldmo.gov
Phyllis Ferguson              pferguson@springfieldmo.gov
Justin Burnett                   jgburnett@springfieldmo.gov
Mike Schilling                 mschiling@springfieldmo.gov
Craig Fishel                     cfishel@springfieldmo.gov
Jan Fisk                            jfisk@springfieldmo.gov
Craig Hosmer                  chosmer@springfieldmo.gov
Kristi Fulnecky                kfulnecky@springfieldmo.gov
Ken McClure                   kmcclure@springfieldmo.gov

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

The time is now for Missouri!!!!!!!

I have a couple of things to talk about today...
   
   First and foremost, is House Bill 1811 that passed the Missouri House last week by a vote of 117-7! This bill could potentially not allow cities to ban specific breeds of dogs, causing municipalities to focus on a dog's behavior instead of their looks. It has been proven over and over again that Breed Specific Legislation is expensive and time consuming to enforce. The United States is trending toward legislation that helps Animal Control officers base their decisions on the dog and the owners behavior instead of the breed/look of the dog. There are currently 20 of our 50 states that have enacted laws that prohibit cities from passing breed-specific laws, according to Bless The Bullys. This new bill, if it is passed in the Senate, it will let law enforcement focus on the offenders instead of the responsible owners and dogs with no behavioral issues.
The Missouri Senate has until May 13th to act on this bill!
Please write your local senator and tell them how you feel about Breed Specific Legislation... as a citizen of their district (with voting rights)!


   Secondly, what I wanted to talk about is an experience I had this weekend in Independence, Mo. 


   I was driving a hurt puppy up to the local shelter. This particular transport was important because we needed to get him to a rescue that could afford to help him feel better, and maybe help him walk right again someday. I almost always travel with my 10 year American Pit Bull Terrier. ***She has her Canine Good Citizen, is a demo dog for many of my classes, has shown in agility in the past, and has no bite record*** Keep in mind that Independence is about 3 hours from where I live here in Springfield. I was about 2 hours into the drive when I asked my co-pilot to check the internet and see if the city of Independence had any breed restrictions. I always travel with all of the essential "Breed Restriction" paraphernalia being as I usually have her with me.  For those of you don't know what items you might need, I carry a muzzle, gentle leader, crate, shot records, rabies tag, and my tag showing she is registered with my local Animal Control. Living in a city that has "Breed Restrictions" on Pit Bulls it should have been old hat to go to another city that had ordinances.

 When he read to me a quote off of Google my heart dropped to my toes and I almost had to pull over. 

"The municipal code of Independence, Missouri makes it unlawful to own, possess, transport, or sell any pit bull...". 

Have you ever had that instant feeling of helplessness for an animal that is being punished or is hurt and did nothing wrong? 

...So my panicked thought process is as follows...
(Keep in mind that I am in a truck with a wrap that says I'm a dog trainer, with a pitbull face on it, and a license plate that says PitGrl...)

 "They could take my baby away from me! Then I thought...#$%# I'm going to end up in jail if someone tries to take my baby! Then my mind went to...If they took her, she is old and has SEVERE anxiety! She could have a heart attack! Next thought was...I'm calling transport! I am not crossing that city's line!"

   So, here I was, doing a good deed...meeting up with people doing a good deed...and because of one ordinance that costs taxpayers extra money, takes time away from offenders, and has been proven to be ineffective... I was having a panic attack and the puppy may not have been able to make it to the transport. 

   End of the story...
The puppy made it to transport, (I'm not going to elaborate on how), I was exhausted for a day after my panic attack, and I learned what other people must feel like when City Officials try to take their family members. That was one of the most disgusting feelings in my life. I can't imagine living that feeling any longer than I did. This experience has made me so much more determined to get all Breed Specific Legislation repealed. This is a crazy piece of legislation that is usually made in a panic by people who have no clue about dogs...sometimes they're even "cat people".


Please help us fight against Breed Specific Legislation!- Carrie Galvan