June 28th, 2008
While I’m writing this post there is someone out there somewhere having his/her Pit Bull taken from them. How do I know this? Because anti-dog laws are sweeping our nation.
A few examples of anti-dog laws that target Pit Bulls:
1. Anti-Tethering laws. While on the surface this may seem like a good idea there are a lot people out there who can not have fences and this requires the dog to be tethered. That is just one thing that would cause someone to tether their dog. There are many more.
Tethering, when done properly and with thought is not cruel to a dog. People neglecting the dog and tying it out to a dog house on a 200 lbs chain is cruel. Not all Pit Bull owners do this though. This is just another way of slipping anti-pit bull laws through the cracks.
It is also a way for PETA and animal rights groups to “free” animals. Think I’m kidding? Not by a long shot.
2. Mandatory Spay/Neuter Laws. Again, while on the surface you might be saying, that would be a great thing! I say, no, it would not be great. Funny how some cities have passed this laws with support from Pit Bull owners and dog lovers.
What I don’t get is, why are only Pit Bulls and Pit Bull type dogs targeted here? This is simply a less harsh form of BSL that slips through the cracks.
3. Anti-Penning and Caging laws. These laws will make it illegal to kennel your dog. Period. You will not be able to take them to a boarding kennel (they will be out of business after all) and you will not be able to kennel your dog in your house or outside.
This type of law is an extension to anti-tethering laws. Aka, Freeing the animals from bondage, aka PETA.
4. Changing the wording from owners to guardians. I wrote a blog post a while back about being a guardian to your dog. I was ignorant when I wrote that. While I don’t view my dogs as property but by law they are viewed as my property.
I do believe that being a guardian figure in your dogs life is good. However, I also have come to re-think the situation and now believe that we are dog owners as well.
Let me tell you why I changed my mind. The law. Simple really. If the wording is changed to guardian and we are no longer owners that makes our dogs like foster kids. Not property. In regards to the law you do not have any rights when it comes to foster status. In other words, they can take your dog from you and you can not fight them using the legal system.
The 14th amendment states: ” Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
I put the text that applies to our situation in bold. If we change our status to guardian this no longer applies and we have no legal legs to stand on. A new Pit Bull supporter brought this to my attention and I thank her for that.
Here is a little snippet from the 5th amendment: “nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.”
Again, without ownership this does not apply to us anymore.
I would like you to think about this. How does this affect you? This means that you have rights as a dog lover. This means you can vote and take a stand against these illegal laws that are being passed at an alarming rate.
This means you and I have a legal voice. Now we need to get out there and use it.
I mentioned in my last post one thing you can do is start a blog. That is a great first step. Blogs get attention from search engines and people love to read them. Start one up and get blogging. You can get a blog at Blogger.com or Typepad.com. Starting your own Pit Bull/Dog Lover blog is not that hard and it is a great way to start a campaign to challenge these laws and help the general public understand our side of the story.
So get blogging!
Best Regards,
Jason, Angel, Honey and Mr. Patches
The Most Complete Pit Bull Information Site on the World Wide Web
Categories: Pit Bull Blog |
Tags: anti-dog laws, breed specific legislation, Pit Bulls | 2 Comments
June 28th, 2008
Lexington, Ky – Today it was found that Jason Mann of PitBullLovers.com is a criminal. The following report will prove to you the evidence that we are about to show you is true.
The Evidence:
On October 18, 2000 Mr. Mann purchased an American Pit Bull Terrier and cleverly named her Angel to give us the slip.
On August 15th 2001 Mr. Mann rescued an American Pit Bull Terrier by the name of Honey and again he gave us the slip.
In June of 2006 Mr. Mann rescued another dog by the name of Mr. Patches. Mr. Patches is a mixed breed dog but was suspect he is of “Pit Bull” breeding.
After months of investigative work we uncovered the following facts and according to the Humane Society of the United States Mr. Mann is indeed a dog fighter.
Fact: Mr. Mann has more than one Pit Bull.
Fact: Mr. Mann has a “spring pole” device he allows his dogs to bite.
Fact: Honey has a large scar on her left hind leg or what is known as the stifle.
Fact: People come and go from Mr. Mann’s residence all the time.
Fact: Mr. Mann was known to have a “break stick” at his residence.
Fact: Mr. Mann was clearly seen working his dog on a treadmill.
Fact: Every single fact we have stated is completely LEGAL.
My name is Jason Mann and every single fact above is true. I have owned treadmills and worked my dogs on them, I have built and still have spring poles around the house, I have friends and family coming and going at all hours of the day and night, I do have a break stick for emergencies, I have two American Pit Bull Terriers named Angel and Honey along with a mixed male dog named Patch, and Honey does have a large scar on her stifle from an ACL surgery a few years ago.
According the Humane Society of the United States I am a dog fighter. I am a criminal in their eyes. Not because I am, but because I have American Pit Bull Terriers and have some stuff that helps me exercise them without breaking my own back in the process.
I went on over to the HSUS site to brush up on these facts because I thought they may have changed a few over the years. Nope. Still the same old crap. I did however find an interesting little piece of information that sparked my interest.
On the site it states, “Dogs used for fighting have been bred for many generations to be dangerously aggressive toward other animals. The presence of these dogs in a community increases the risk of attacks not only on other animals but also on people. Children are especially at risk, because their small size may cause a fighting dog to perceive a child as another animal.”
I put the part that caught my interest in bold letters.
Now don’t get me wrong, I am not pro-dog fighting and I am not in any way saying it’s right. I am saying that the “facts” on the HSUS site are indeed not facts but assumptions. They assume because my dog is dog aggressive it will hurt other animals. Not if I don’t let it. They assume my dog will hurt a child or a person. Dog aggression and human aggression are not linked. That is a fact.
American Pit Bull Terriers, when properly bred, and in a responsible home are less likely to bite than nearly any other breed out there. This is based on my experience and my own opinion.
When you get ill bred, ill raised dogs, fighting dog or not, they could be a problem waiting to happen. This goes for all dogs not just Pit Bulls.
HSUS is a great master of media and what I call the, bait and switch routine. Here is an example…
Let’s imagine for a moment a city in a state called Kentucky (my state, easy to remember), this city is called Louisville. Louisville says, hey let’s ban Pit Bulls! Then the public says, “No!” So they say, okay, okay we are not going to ban Pit Bulls, the owners and dog lovers say, Whooopiiii! Then Louisville says, however we do require that you spay/neuter your Pit Bull.
The rescue and shelter people say, Whoooopppiiii! Those backyard breeders are in for it now! yeah! High five! Pit Bull owners are saying, okay we can live with that. I mean look at all the poor dogs in shelters.
Now I got a lot of heat for this next statement when California was doing the same thing.
These laws, are in a word, bullshit. Pit Bull owners in Louisville were hoodwinked with the old bait and switch tactic. Scare them with a ban, don’t ban them, but require mandatory spay/neuter ONLY FOR PIT BULLS <— I used all caps there so you can see where they slid that BSL right in there without so much as a cough from Pit Bull owners.
A wonderful lady I have recently come to know pointed out to me that the HSUS sent a letter to the Louisville city council encouraging this law. Stating that it would help with shelter over crowding and that it is well known that criminals, thugs and gang bangers own these dogs.
Did you see that little secondary hoodwink there? First they lull you in with the shelter problem. Yes, we can finally free our shelter space up for more dogs the city council said. Then they slip that criminal talk in there. The city council says, “cool, you mean we can get rid of crime too!?”
This law is not a myth or a made up story. Louisville did enact it.
My friend this is not made up, this is not something I sit here at 1:30am in the morning writing for my own pleasure. These situations are real and they are happening every single day in our country.
Breed specific legislation is sweeping our nation like an out of control brush fire. A mere 73 miles away from me Maysville Kentucky is going to enact a ban in September of this year. Forcing Pit Bull owners to either move or give up their dog to be destroyed.
Louisville snuck that law in there as well. Two cities witin 100 miles of my city have enacted BSL. Who do you think is next? You better believe it is my city. I can see it coming already and I am working to prepare myself and to get the ball rolling before these idiots try to push something like that down my throat.
We have to start fighting back and remember that lady I mentioned earlier, she gave me a really good idea and I want to share that with you right now.
Start a blog. Blog about your dog. Blogging is not hard. Go to Blogger.com or TypePad.com and sign up for an account and start blogging away. It’s pretty simple to do really. Even if you think you can not write or you have nothing to say you can use pictures and descriptions to share your Pit Bull with the world.
We need to make an effort to get positive Pit Bull’s into the public eye. Aren’t you tired of the media telling everyone your dog is bad? Aren’t you tired of the city law makers telling us what breed of dog we can or can not have in our own home?
If you are as fed up as I am, one thing you can do to start the positive ball rolling is to start a blog and blog your heart out. Speak out what being a Pit Bull owner means to you. Tell the people out there you love your dog and why. Tell people about our breed and tell them about how we are being treated.
Best Regards,
Jason, Angel – American Pit Bull Terrier, Honey – American Pit Bull Terrier, and Mr. Patches – Heinz 57
The Most Complete Pit Bull Information Site On the World Wide Web
Categories: Pit Bull Blog |
3 Comments
June 18th, 2008
I was running though my emails and it was brought to my attention from a fellow Pit Bull owner that Camp Bow Wow a dog daycare franchise does not accept Pit Bulls. The person emailing me was excited to hear about the business because they wanted to drop off their dogs for some socialization with other dogs and take a break. I mean we all need a break sometimes right?
To their dismay they found this at the Camp Bow Wow web site:
“Camp Bow Wow doesn’t accept Pit Bulls. Camp Bow Wow loves and respects all dog breeds. However Camp Bow Wow prohibits keeping, exercising control over, or maintaining a pit bull in any of our Camps. Pit Bulls are a very energetic and playful breed and our facilities are not equipped to keep your pet, as well as our other campers, safe and happy. A pit bull is defined as any dog that is an American Pit Bull Terrier, an American Staffordshire Terrier, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, or any dog displaying the majority of physical traits of any one or more of these breeds. We are happy to recommend alternative facilities that accept Pit Bulls.”
I understand they are a private business and have the right to refuse any breed they feel like or any client they feel like but here is the thing and this is why I am posting this today.
(A) They say they love all breeds.
(B) They say they respect all breeds.
(C) The reason why they do not take them is because they are energetic and playful.
Does that make sense? They operate a dog daycare with a lot of dogs running about playing and being energetic. Am I missing something here?
Now the part to really pay attention to is, “our facilities are not equipped to keep your pet, as well as our other campers, safe and happy.” Now I see the message.
In other words, we are not equipped to keep your high energy, playful Pit Bull, away from our other campers. Again, am I misunderstanding something here? They say they can’t keep your pet (Pit Bull) as well as their other campers, safe and happy.
I wrote the “top dog” Heidi Flammang and asked a simple question. Why are you discriminating against three breeds of dog (American Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier) and an entire group of dogs (any dog that resembles an American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier)?
I don’t know if I will receive a response from Flammang or her “legal beagle” (those really are their titles). I am hoping someone responds to me with a proper answer.
I receive emails all the time asking me, “Why do you bother, they won’t change or they won’t “get it” or they won’t do XYZ” and my response is, because when I see any business, government body or individual making decisions based on the actions of a few examples of a particular breed of dog it is my right, my duty, and my job, to say, hold on a minute (for the Germans) Halten Sie auf einer Minute bitte, that’s not right.
We are never going to see a change in perception if we don’t change it.
I would like you to really sit back and think about that. There is a T.V. commercial and for the life of me I can’t remember what it is about but it ends with, “What have you done lately?”
I pose that question to you. What have you done lately? Wrote a letter? Spoke out at a dog training class? Helped educate someone?
We have to change things or the Camp Bow Wows, PetSmarts, and Cities that tell us we can’t take our dogs there for daycare, boarding, or in the city limits will make the changes and they will see our beloved breeds muzzled and stuffed
in a kennel or the backyard.
Camp BowWow may not be able to handle our breeds, tell us that then, don’t sugar coat your discriminating policy with “they are playful and energetic and our facilities are not equipped to keep your pet, as well as our other campers, safe and happy.”
What really gets me is they evaluate each dog that comes in for their programs. Why couldn’t they do that for Pit Bulls? They are already doing it with every other dog, why not give a Pit Bull a chance. Sure they are known for dog aggression but that does not mean they will be dog aggressive and that does not mean a puppy is going to cause a problem. I mean if I wanted to take a 5-6-7 month old pup there why couldn’t I? Wait, their too energetic and playful.
You can read the policy again on their web site at http://www.campbowwow.com
You will also find that you can contact them. You have to go to the bottom of the home page to see the contact us link. It is sorta of hidden (unless you want to buy a franchise then it’s at the top).
Best Regards,
Jason Mann
The Most Complete Pit Bull Information Web Site Online
Categories: Pit Bull Blog |
6 Comments
June 17th, 2008
Hey folks,
Some of you may be wondering, “why in the hell are my comments not showing up?” Good question and here is your answer. I moderate each comment. I’ll admit I got lazy about checking them and well, when I did, I found over 10,000 spam comments along with reader comments. These spam comments are not easy to get rid of and frankly it’s a pain in the arse.
One reader said I must not care to answer her long puppy question because I didn’t answer. First, it’s called a COMMENT section for a reason and second, weeding through 10,000 junk comment posts takes a bit of time due the way this software is set up.
I will get to your comment I promise.
Thank you for your patience in this matter.
Best Regards,
Jason Mann
The Most Complete Pit Bull Web Site Online
Categories: Pit Bull Blog |
No Comments
