Legislative Affairs Committee

Mel Bussey, CPDT Board Co-Advisor

E-mail: trainingtracks@yahoo.com

Jane Brydon

E-mail: jane@mydogtrainingcoach.com

Heidi Dixner

E-mail: heidi@redrovercomeover.com

Trish McMillian, MSc, CPDT Board Advisor

E-mail: daldobie@yahoo.com

Dan McNally

E-mail: springk9@early.com

Lisa Potts Haidle, MBA, CPDT

E-mail: lisa@helloworld.sh

Mary Zoller

E-mail: mary.zoller@comcast.net

Current Needs

The Legislative Affairs Committee is looking for committee members. If you would like to join the LAC contact LAC chair Kimberly McNally for more details at doggiemom@dejazzd.com If you want to help create laws that help your profession, we would like you on the LAC!

State Contacts

If you are interested in affecting legislationg on a local or state level, please email Kim McNally at doggiemom@dejazzd.com

ALL APDT MEMBERS -- Localized Information

Contact us to make us aware of legal issues in you area. To volunteer for any open position or for more information or to obtain a copy of the APDT position statements and FAQ's on APDT letterhead, please contact the committee chair:

Breed-Specific Legislation

Dena Creamer from Clarksville provided us the following excellent example of how getting involved can protect dog owners from breed-specific legislation:

“It seems breed-specific legislation is popping up everywhere. Not surprisingly, summer is BSL ‘season.’ Most BSL proposals don't occur in a vacuum. They're usually brought on by some horrible incident in which a child had been bitten or killed by a large dog. This is the time of year when more people are outdoors, especially children, and they're more exposed to dogs and more likely to receive a bite. When these bites cause serious injury, it's all over the news. People are understandably angry and want something done. Too often legislators come up with the knee jerk reaction of some kind of BSL, which we all know is unfair and ineffective against the problem of vicious dogs.

“Last July I picked up a copy of our weekly county newspaper and was shocked to see a tiny announcement on the front page. The city council was holding a special meeting the next Monday evening to discuss the problem of vicious dogs in the community and an ordinance. I have three Rottweilers and it is a breed that is often targeted in legislation, so I was quite alarmed. I had never worked much against BSL before, only sent letters and emails on occasion. Luckily I had some friends to help me out and show the way. One very good friend (an experienced BSL fighter), advised me to prepare a folder with materials for each councilman and that's what I did. One item I included was the non-breed specific California ordinance.

• www.rott-n-chatter.com/rottweilers/laws/california.html

“Another item was the AVMA study on dog bite prevention and community action. This report outlines what works and what doesn't. It specifically points out why BSL does not work. I can't say enough good things about this study. It can be downloaded here. (33 KB - 18 pages)

“It helped that one of my Rotties is a registered therapy dog and rather well known in the community. I included some pictures of her at "work" and also pulling her decorated cart in the local parades. I arrived at the meeting on July 30, 2001, folders in hand, not knowing what to expect. I didn't know of any specific incident that had brought this on and I didn't know if the council was set on passing BSL. I was also concerned that since I lived in the county and not the city limits, the council would ask me to 'butt out'. After all, whatever they passed might not directly affect my dogs.

“The city council, mayor and police chief were all present, as well as a couple of people from the local humane society. Most of the people at the meeting were citizens who were concerned about vicious dogs in the community. You guessed it -- a Rottweiler had been terrorizing a neighborhood. The owners of the dog let it run loose, attack other pets, and even 'sicced' it on neighbors they didn't like. Even though the police had been involved, the citizens were rightfully scared and had pushed a couple of councilmen to bring a meeting to address the problem. This wasn't the only dog problem either, as other dogs were causing trouble and owners seemed to 'disappear'. Something had to be done!

“One councilman brought samples of other communities' ordinances to deal with similar problems. Two of the three had BSL in them and I was very alarmed. I presented my folders of information to the council and explained why I was there. I was interested in helping the community pass a good ordinance; one that protected the residents but also protected the rights of dog owners like me. Much to my surprise, the council received my information with open arms and even thanked me profusely for providing it and getting involved. (I had been afraid they would tell me to 'butt out'.) The concerned citizens were also interested in my information and I ended up giving my own folder to them. After looking the information over for several minutes, the council decided they had much work and study to do. There would be no "rubber stamp" of another community's ordinance. They formed a sub-committee to study the problem in detail and look for solutions. I was invited to attend as well as the police chief and animal control.

“Luckily the committee was not set on BSL and in fact after listening to my arguments said they didn't want it. We had several meetings discussing the different options. A couple of the councilmen put a lot of time and work into this and soon we had something we all considered pretty close to perfect. It addressed the problem of dangerous dogs. It set out a specific procedure of how to deal with a problem animal, giving due process rights all along. (Nobody was going to be railroaded when their dog defended them or killed a roaming cat that happened into their yard.) Most importantly, it was specifically stated in the first section of the ordinance that a dog's breed would not be considered when making a determination that it was dangerous. The community was protected and the rights of dog owners protected. Everyone was happy.

“After a review by the city attorney, the ordinance was passed by a unanimous vote of the entire council on October 8, 2001. It was a very proud day for everyone involved.

“We as Rottweiler owners have a huge stake in seeing that BSL is not passed. It tends to spread like wildfire because of fear and ignorance. You can make a difference. Take the time to write those letters and send links. Get involved when it comes to your community or surrounding ones. Attend the meetings and make yourself heard. Know that when BSL is proposed, there is usually a genuine problem. It's not effective to just say that BSL won't work. You have to give an alternative, one that protects your rights and protects the citizenry of the community. It helps to get involved at the start, before the BSL is passed.

“We all spend a great deal of time with our dogs. Some of us show, some breed Rotties, some are into working activities and some are pet owners. We ALL have a stake in keeping our breed safe from BSL. Please take some time out of your day to protect your Rottie's rights. BSL of any kind, anywhere, affects all of us.”

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