The Tupelo City Council and the Baldwyn Board of Aldermen will meet tomorrow, Tuesday October 3rd to discuss possible breed bans. The Mississippi Canine Coalition is organizing fanciers and concerned dog owners to oppose these proposals. For further information on how you can help, please contact the Mississippi Canine Coalition directly at 4aussie@bellsouth.net.
Mississippi has been faced with a rash of breed-specific ordinances in recent months. The Mississippi State Kennel Club, the Brandon Kennel Club and responsible dog owners recently defeated a proposed breed-specific ordinance in Jackson and convinced the City of Brandon to rescind an ordinance that would have banned American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, American Pit Bull Terriers, and related breeds. The Clinton K-9 Coalition has sued the City of Clinton over a recently adopted ordinance which bans Rottweilers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, American Pit Bull Terriers and any mixed breed dogs with a parent from one of these breeds.
The Mississippi Canine Coalition is also working to convince the City of Saltillo to repeal a breed-specific ordinance that was enacted in 2005. The ordinance declares Pit Bull Terriers, Chow Chows, Doberman Pinschers, German Shepherds and Rottweilers to e dangerous dogs. These dogs are required to be kept in a specified manner, muzzled and leashed when off the owner’s property and are prohibited from being within 100 yards of a school, daycare or other child services facility.
Your help is needed to prevent more breed bans from being enacted in Mississippi!!
Talking Points for Opposing Breed-Specific Legislation
- Breed-specific laws are not the best way to protect communities. An owner intent on using his or her dogs for malicious purposes will simply be able to switch to another type of dog and continue to jeopardize public safety. The list of regulated breeds or types could grow every year without ever addressing responsible dog ownership. Deeds, not breeds, should be addressed.
- Breed-specific laws are hard to enforce. Breed identification requires expert knowledge of the individual breeds, placing great burden on local officials
- Breed-specific laws are unfair to responsible owners.
- Breed-specific laws increase costs for the community. Shelter costs for the community could rise as citizens abandon targeted breeds, and adoptable dogs of the targeted breeds would be euthanized at the shelter.
- In some instances, breed-specific laws have been overturned on constitutional grounds. Because proper identification of what dogs would be included is difficult or impossible, the law may be deemed unconstitutionally vague. It may also be found to involve the taking of property without due process.
- Strongly enforced animal control laws (such as leash laws), generic guidelines on dealing with dangerous dogs and increased public education efforts to promote responsible dog ownership are all better ways to protect communities from dangerous animals.
- Since dogs must be unaltered to participate in conformation dog shows and other performance events, many responsible dog owners will be forced to give up a sport that both they and their canine companions enjoy.
- Breed-specific legislation is opposed by the AKC, the American Veterinary Medical Association, the National Animal Control Association, the ASPCA, and a host of national animal welfare organizations that have studied the issue and recognize that targeting breeds simply does not work.
What You Can Do
- Attend the Mississippi Canine Coalition Meeting TONIGHT
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
6-8pm
Lee County Public Library
219 N. Madison, Tupelo - Contact the Tupelo City Council members and ask them to oppose BSL.
City of Tupelo
P.O. Box 1485
Tupelo, MS 38802-1485The Honorable Ed Neelly, Mayor
The Honorable Dick Hill, Ward 1
The Honorable Thomas Bonds, Ward 2
The Honorable Smith Heavner, Ward 3
The Honorable Nettie Davis, Ward 4
The Honorable Bill Martin, Ward 5
The Honorable Mike Bryan, Ward 6
The Honorable Berdell Jones, Ward 7
The Honorable Doyce Deas, At Large
The Honorable Carolyn Mauldin, At Large - Contact the Baldwyn Board of Aldermen and ask them to oppose BSL.
City of Baldwyn
P.O. Box 40
Baldwyn, MS 38824The Honorable Danny Horton, Mayor
The Honorable Lee Bowdry, Ward 1
The Honorable Ronald Michael, Ward 2
The Honorable Richard Kolheim, Ward 3
The Honorable Tammie Waters, Ward 4
The Honorable Steve Scales, At Large - Contact the Saltillo City Council members and ask them to repeal the BSL ordinance adopted in 2005.
City of Saltillo
P.O. Box 126
Saltillo, MS 38866The Honorable Bill Williams, Mayor
The Honorable Bill Cherry
The Honorable Beverly Bedford
The Honorable Mitchell Brazeal
The Honorable Terry Glidewell
The Honorable Cliff Nichols
For more information, contact:
Mississippi Canine Coalition
Tere Woody
4aussie@bellsouth.net
AKC's Canine Legislation department
919-816-3720
doglaw@akc.org
The Tupelo City Council and the Baldwyn Board of Aldermen will meet tomorrow, Tuesday October 3rd to…