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Anti-dog legislation is gaining momentum at an alarming rate. Unfortunately, in most communities, dog owners do not become
involved until they are faced with the consequences of the legislation. This means that others drive the agenda that affects
their pets. Historically, the response to dog problems has been to fight each proposal one by one, city by city. This approach
no longer works as more proposals are prepared each year. A new strategy with a more penetrating and focused effort is needed.one
that embraces coalitions of informed citizens whose purpose is to guide and steer the course of legislation and the political
future of officials who are bent on eliminating dogs from their community............
Coalitions must begin to collect data of their own that addresses a wide range of subjects. They must develop statistics
to show that “pet overpopulation” is a myth and that, in many instances, the problem is the lack of responsible
dog ownership. There continues to be communities who rely on data collected by the CDC, police and hospitals to craft their
legislation and stigmatize breeds. Those who use CDC data do so based on the assumption that certain breeds are inherently
more dangerous than others. While there is no science to support this approach, this idea has been allowed to stand mainly
because the dog community and all of its recognized organizations have done nothing to disprove it. Data must be developed
to show that breeds should not be characterized based on the behavior of a few and that there are no genes that produce aggression.....
....... They must commit to gathering facts and developing relationships that result in a working relationship between
the elected official and the dog community. The relationship must be cultivated so that the elected official relies on the
dog community for information and facts about dogs. The dog community must learn to do more than lobby against legislation.
They must learn who their representatives are at the city, county, state and federal levels. Coalitions must engage the broader
voting community through education in order to respond with a greater impact that is aimed at the political life of certain
officials if necessary. The dog-owning public must protect their rights to own and control their own destiny and begin to
hold accountable those officials who continue to support legislation adverse to dog ownership. In a democracy, the will of
the people is not irrelevant......................
Anatomy of Anti-Dog Legislation*By Dr. Carmen Battaglia, Please take time and read this article in it's entirety it will help
you understand some of the issues confronting responsible animal owners
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