1/4/08 - BSL silently passed committe in Wash DC! -- BSL Watch

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Date Posted: 05:13:46 01/04/08 Fri
Author: Karen
Subject: 1/4/08 - BSL silently passed committe in Wash DC!

Call to Action
For immediate release For
further information contact:
Adrianne Lefkowitz
_DCDogCoalition@gmail.com_ (mailto:DCDogCoalition@gmail.com)
_http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/DCDogCoalition/join_
(http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/DCDogCoalition/join)
301 693 2256
Good Dogs Don�t Deserve Bad Dog Laws
Neither do their owners.
But that�s what they�re about to get unless we ACT today. The (Washington)
D.C. City Council Health Committee has silently approved a bill that
threatens your dog�s security and your ability to peaceably and responsibly own the
dog of your choice. The bill is now in the Judiciary Committee, chaired by
CM Mendelson.
Bill 17-89 (Animal Protection Amendment Act of 2007), as amended on
September 25th, would authorize the District�s mayor to label any breed of dog as
potentially dangerous. If passed, the mayor will be able to create a list of
bad breeds based on �adverse events� and �breed characteristics� that the
mayor considers to �pose a threat to public safety�� nebulous and undefined
phrases in the bill. As a result, not only could your family dog be at risk of
seizure if his breed is listed, but you would be required to comply with a
host of regulations:
* apply and pay for a separate �potentially dangerous dog�
registration, the amount of which has not even been determined yet;
* obtain written permission from the owner of the property where your
dog will be kept before housing your dog at that address;
* post a sign �warning� of your dog�s presence on the property, which
places your dog at risk of harassment;
* muzzle your dog at all times when outside;
* walk your dog on a leash no longer than four feet; and
* notify the District if your dog has passed away or been moved from
the District.
Should you fail to comply with these provisions�by, for example, simply
walking your friendly, unmuzzled dog on a standard six-foot leash�you would be
subject to the following penalties:
* a fine of up to $500 on the first offense;
* a fine of up to $1000 on a subsequent offense; and
* up to 90 days imprisonment.
In addition, your family dog presumably could be seized and held as evidence
of a criminal violation, if he or she is of the �potentially dangerous�
breeds listed.
Remember, all this just for BEING OF A PARTICULAR BREED; even though you and
your dog are COMPLETELY INNOCENT of any wrongdoing�.
Think of the ramifications:
1. Thousands and thousands of dog owners and their dogs who have done
nothing wrong will be caught by this;
2. Innocent dog owners will be forced to choose between keeping their
dog and losing their homeowners insurance, or even their homes and
apartments;
3. This proposal is FISCAL IRRESPONSIBILITY!! Animal Control resources
will be severely diverted from protecting the public from roaming dogs,
nuisance animals, and actually dangerous animals, to the tens of thousands of
inspections they will need to perform on benign families in order to be granted
a registration. It is estimated that it will take YEARS for animal control
to complete all registrations.
4. This proposal is both OVERREACHING and UNDERACHIEVING!! This law
is NOT about �stopping dangerous behavior before it happens�. Instead of
targeting the behaviors of specific owners and specific dogs, it casts a broad
net over innocent owners and innocent dogs solely because of their breed!!
This law misses the point and affects the innocent!!!
Let's put it in perspective:
In 1967, there were 3361 reported dog bites in the District.
In 2007, there were 183 bites. Ten bites were classified as "severe",
committed by NINE different breeds. (Source: National Canine Research Council)
To contrast and compare, there were 28,000 serious crimes perpetrated in DC
in the first 10 months of 2007 including homicides, sexual assaults,
robberies, arson and assaults with a deadly weapon. Should the city council spend
precious resources on innocent pets?
Having already passed in the Council�s Health Committee, Bill 17-89 now
heads to the Judiciary Committee, whose chair, Phil Mendelson, reportedly
supports it. In the interest of preventing the Judiciary Committee or the rest of
the Council from giving CM Jim Graham�s amendment to this bill any further
consideration, please act now! E-mail, call, write or visit. Say NO to the
proposed breed specific potentially dangerous dog law in 17-89. Contact the
members of the Judiciary Committee first: Phil Mendelson, Jack Evans, Mary
Cheh, Muriel Bowser and Yvette Alexander; then the rest. Their contact
information is below,
For more information contact _DCDogCoalition@gmail.com_
(mailto:DCDogCoalition@gmail.com) or join other likeminded folks on the DC Dog Coalition
yahoogroup at _http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/DCDogCoalition/join_
(http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/DCDogCoalition/join)
Because Good Dogs Don�t Deserve Bad Dog Laws. And nether do their owners!
DC Councilmembers Contact Sheet
Snailmail address:
Council of the District of Columbia
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20004
1st phone number is voice, 2nd is fax
Vincent Gray At-lg (202) 724-8032 (202) 724-8097
_vgray@dccouncil.us_ (mailto:vgray@dccouncil.us)
Carol Schwartz At-lg (202) 724-8105 (202) 724-8071
_schwartzc@dccouncil.washington.dc.us_ (mailto:schwartzc@dccouncil.washington.dc.us)
David Catania At-lg (202) 724-7772 (202) 724-8087
_dcatania@dccouncil.washington.dc.us_ (mailto:dcatania@dccouncil.washington.dc.us)
Phil Mendelson At-lg (202) 724-8064 (202) 724-8099
_pmendelson@dccouncil.washington.dc.us_ (mailtomendelson@dccouncil.washington.dc.us)
Kwame Brown At-lg (202) 724-8174 (202) 724-8156 _kbrown@dccouncil.us_
(mailto:kbrown@dccouncil.us)
Jim Graham Wd 1 (202) 724-8181 (202) 724-8109 jgraham@dccouncil.us
Jack Evans Wd 2 (202) 724-8058 (202) 724-8023
_jackevans@dccouncil.washington.dc.us_ (mailto:jackevans@dccouncil.washington.dc.us)
Mary Cheh Wd 3 (202) 724-8062 (202) 724-4902
_mcheh@dccouncil.washington.dc.us_ (mailto:mcheh@dccouncil.washington.dc.us)
Muriel Bowser Wd 4 (202) 724-8052 (202) 724-0908
_mbowser@dccouncil.washington.dc.us_ (mailto:mbowser@dccouncil.washington.dc.us)
Harry Thomas Wd 5 (202) 724-8028 (202) 724-8076
_hthomas@dccouncil.washington.dc.us_ (mailto:hthomas@dccouncil.washington.dc.us)
Tommy Wells Wd 6 (202) 724-8072 (202) 724-8054
_twells@dccouncil.washington.dc.us_ (mailto:twells@dccouncil.washington.dc.us)
Yvette Alexander Wd 7 (202) 724-8068 (202) 724-0911
_yalexander@dccouncil.washington.dc.us_ (mailto:yalexander@dccouncil.washington.dc.us)
Marion Barry Wd 8 (202) 724-8045 (202) 724-8055
_mbarry@dccouncil.us_ (mailto:mbarry@dccouncil.us)
Clerk of the Committee of the Whole: _cmurray@dccouncil.us_
(mailto:cmurray@dccouncil.us)
An e-mail to contact "all councilmembers" _membersonly@dccouncil.us_
(mailto:membersonly@dccouncil.us)
This announcement brought to you by the DC Dog Coalition, an ad hoc dog
owner advocate group in the District of Columbia with help from the Maryland Dog
Federation and the American Dog Owners Association, two dog owner advocate
groups.

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