Turning the Tide

Before I begin chatting away about today's topic, I'd like to get something out of the way.

Sadly, it's been a while since I've posted any meaningful articles. For that, I am sorry. But it means that I have LOTS of new things to share with all of you wonderful readers, so expect several new posts in the next few weeks or so. 

A couple days ago I opened my email and spent several minutes scrolling through the muck that builds up if I don't check in every 5 minutes. One of the emails was from Goggle+, and it listed some of the posts I've missed since I last checked in. One of those posts was shared by a wonderful Google+ member named The Blueminator and it included a link to an online article. 

Roscoe, one of the dogs featured in Madden's article

The article, written by Emily Madden and titled, "Pit bull owners share the softer side of 'bully breeds'", shares the account of different pit bull owners who live in a town called Newark (not sure if that's Jersey or not, it wasn't specific!) which imposes strict restrictions on the owners of "bully breeds". Most of the dog owners choose to keep their dogs regardless of those restrictions, which I find to be wonderful and terrible at the same time. Wonderful because the owners are refusing to give up their cherished pets, and terrible that they are required to maneuver through so much bureaucracy in order to do so. 

I found myself having a great deal of mixed feeling over this article. The reporting, in itself, was wonderful. Ms. Madden does an excellent job of describing the breed, from their origins in the old country to their eventual stigmatizing use as fighting dogs. I wanted to stand up and cheer when Ms. Madden mentions how critical the negative media hype has been in demonizing our beloved breed of dog. 

A member of the media declaring the media has played a large role in misrepresenting pit bulls? Can you say, "Score for Team Pit Bull?"!!! Whooo-Hooo!!

But back to my mixed feelings. I most definitely felt angry and sad for those dog owners in Newark (and in every county that has enacted BSL) who are forced to spend time, money, and an overt amount of effort to own the type of dog they want to own. But at the same time, I started getting this burning feeling of hope and victory in the pit of my stomach.

Hope? Victory? Many of you are probably wondering how in the world I could possibly feel these things when I was reading yet another story about pit bull owners being punished for owning pit bulls. 

The reason is simple, really. Overall, this article was about how loving pit bulls are, and what great pets they make.

WE ARE TURNING THE TIDE!!! The voices, like ours, that are telling the world all the wonderful things about the breed known as pit bulls are being heard!! Want proof? Google pit bulls. The amount of articles, websites. and blogs in support of the breed are beginning to out-number the negative websites and articles. Pit bull lovers are everywhere. Each time I try and use PitbullMama or PitbullParent as a username somewhere, it's taken. (Along with just about every other pit bull related name I could think of!). Celebrities are speaking out and sharing their personal stories of pit bull ownership. And more importantly, everyday people like you and me are spreading the word. 

Granted, we in the pit bull community have a long way to go. There are still far too many close minded individuals out there who believe that pit bulls are dangerous and vicious dogs. But minds and hearts are being changed every day. The data keeps coming in that proves the BSL isn't an effective way to manage dog attacks and more and more communities will continue to vote No on BSL. 

So keep on spreading the word! Use your Breed Ambassador to change those hearts and minds. And use your knowledge and experience to educate someone who may have only heard negative things about pit bulls. I'm often surprised by how easy it is to change someone's mind about pit bulls when they have no personal experience with the dogs and have gotten all of their "information" from media hype. A few minutes of petting Con, a few facts from me, and usually those individuals leave our encounter bewildered, wondering why they ever thought pit bulls were dangerous. 

Let's keep on fighting the good fight for our four legged best friends. Let's keep turning the tide. 

BSL: What Is It and Why Should You Care?

Some of you may have heard of Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) and wondered what it was, but never seriously looked into exactly what it is. Others reading this may already be advocates to ending BSL. And if anyone reading this is in favor of BSL, I hope this article can help persuade you towards changing your mind.

BSL is a form of legislation that bans, or restricts, certain types of dog based on their appearance, those which are generally characterized as a “dangerous” looking breed.  These bans, or restrictions, are typically applied to dogs that look to be part of the pit bull, shepherd, or Rottweiler families.

The website stopbsl.org gives readers a wonderful overview on what, exactly, BSL is. If you’re not 100% up on the facts of BSL, you should give this website a once-over to beef up your knowledge.

Some people might think, “hey, let’s get rid of every dog that we think could be dangerous to ourselves and our children”. What a great idea! Let’s keep the neighborhood safe!

In response to that great idea I would have to ask a few questions. Who gets to decide what dogs are dangerous? I think Chihuahuas are vicious little beasts, does that mean I get to ban them from my neighborhood? What happens to the responsible dog owners who already own Chihuahuas? Do they have to put their dogs down in order to stay in this neighborhood? What do we do about a vicious dog who may not meet the BSL requirements? Does that dog get to stay while other, more well behaved dogs have to go?

Those are just a few holes that can be poked into BSL. I’m sure those of you reading this could come up with quite a few more. If so, please post them in the comments section, I’d love to read them!

Communities across the US should know the facts about BSL before they consider enacting it. Much independent research has been done on Breed Specific Legislation, and it all points towards one glaring fact: It just doesn’t work! And as that fact is slowly gaining momentum, neighborhoods across America are throwing out their BSL restrictions and bans.

The ASPCA, The American Humane Society, and The Humane Society of the United States have all come out against BSL, recognizing that it is an ineffective tool when dealing with dangerous dogs.

Recently, even President Obama made public comments against BSL, stating that, “it’s a bad idea”, and a “waste of public resources”.

I understand that some people harbor a fear of certain animals. But instead of trying to ban those animals, perhaps they should attempt to understand them instead.

It wasn’t too long ago that some people feared other cultures, and their perceived effect on our society. If we had allowed that line of thinking to dominate our country, our world would be a much different place today.

Let’s stop that fear from turning our communities into a place where poor legislation punishes responsible dog owners. It’s up to people like us, those who understand and love the breeds that BSL targets, to educate as many people as we can about BSL and why it’s not right for our neighborhoods, or any neighborhood in America. Let’s get our voices out there. Together we WILL be heard!