URGENT !!! I NEED YOUR HELP!

[Taurus and Jada]

The ciy of London is considering a breed specific ban after another pitbull attack last weekend. I have wrote to teh city coucillers, and they have requested that I write a letter stating my point of view on the issue. All letters received will be added to the agenda, and read by the councilors, and taken into consideration.
rcaranci@london.ca

Please email this counciller and state your position on this issue. We need as much help as possible... so the more letters received, the better.

Thank you for your help,

Kara

[Taurus and Jada]

Thank you so much to all who take the time to send an email. It doesn't have to be long.. if you only have 2 mins just to say you are opposed to the ban that woudl be great!! :D
I am terrified more that this is becoming too common in too many centres and this will one day be a world-wide thing where no one will be able to own pitbulls.
I myself live just outside of London, so I would not be affected by teh by-law should one pass.. but man its still scary happening 10 mins from your community. I will fight to the death on this, even though it will not effect my dogs simply because it is wrong... I have several friends in London, some of whom own pitbulls, and they will obviously be affected... :(

[courtnek]

I'll be happy to write, but will they seriously consider the opinion of people outside of Canada? I wrote once for someone else a long time ago that was not in the US, and I got an email back that basically said "why do you care? you're in a different country....."

if you think it will help, I will definitely send my opinion.

:)

[courtnek]

my letter. hope it helps.

While I am not a citizen of Canada, these types of "laws" disturb me greatly.
Many governments here are also trying to enforce them. I have been actively
fighting them, because the dogs are not to blame. ANY dog can bite, doesnt matter the breed. There are alot of issues with dog bites in the news lately. From what i have seen, its only the "known" biters that hit the press. usually the bigger, more powerful dogs. The problem is that little dogs bite too, but their bites are rarely ever reported because they cause much less damage. The statistics are flawed, because they
are based on reported bites.

I also believe the media hype about "dangerous Pit Bulls" is causing alot of the
panic. Are you aware of the fact that MOST people couldnt identify a real Pit Bull if
asked to? There are so many dogs, and mixed breeds that look "kinda like a Pit"
that have given te Pit a really bad name. It seems like every dog, with a somewhat
flattened face, beefy build, etc...is labeled as a Pit. Most of them arent. The media is not helping us with this issue. Anything that may have 9 generations ago of Pit in it,
no matter what else its mixed with, is considered a "dangerous Pit" if it has that certain look....

I believe that if its' suspected to be a Pit, a knowledgable vet or breeder should check the dog. Is it a Pit, really? or is it one of the thousands of badly bred, badly maintained, and badly raised/trained Pit mixes that we see so often?

Pits are not people unfriendly, not the ones well bred and well raised. I hate to see them banned because of back yard breeders who have mated them with other dogs who dont have the "bite inhibition" that real Pits were bred with.

Katy Courtney
Elgin, IL.

[Guest Anonymous]

Letter sent!

[Lucky Chaos]

I'm writing right now! Ontario has no BSL as of now and we can't let that start! :x

[DogPaddle]

Actually there are a number of places in Ontario that have BSL
http://www.goodpooch.com/BSL/cdnbsl.htm

Kitchener and Waterloo:
Both communities have Dangerous Dog bylaws and have banned 'Pit Bulls'. Ban does not include Bull Terrier or English Bull Terrier.


Lakeshore:
The following breeds are PROHIBITED within the city limits: 'Pit Bulls', American Pit Bull Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Bull Terriers, Presa Canarios, and any cross thereof.

Midland:
The following breeds/crosses must be MUZZLED at all times while on municipal property: 'Pit Bull Terrier', American Pit Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Rottweiler, any member of the Mastiff dog family, or any dog of mixed breed including one of the aforementioned breeds.


City of Vaughn:
Automatically considers 'Pit Bull Terriers', American Pit Bull Terriers, and any mixed breed dog crossed with a 'pit bull' to be aggressive. License fees are up to five times higher for these breeds/crosses. Ironically, the City of Vaughn also automatically considers Staffordshire Bull Terriers and American Staffordshire Terriers to be aggressive UNLESS they are registered with either the Canadian or American Kennel Clubs.

Additionally, London has been debating BSL since at least March 1998

I was checking the cities site to get information from them directly but it seems they have been quite lax in updating their website.

[Lucky Chaos]

I honestly thought there wasnt any BSL in Ontario, the last BSL site I was reading said there wasn't much in Canada at all, thats really too bad...

[MajiesMom]

I wrote something quick that I hope will help.

To whom it may concern:

I am writing this letter in the hopes that your position on the banning of Pit Bull Terriers in London will be changed. As an Animal Care worker in Ontario I do not agree with Breed Specific Legislation. I work with Pit Bulls as wells as hundreds of other different dog breeds on a daily basis and I can think of no reason to ban any one breed over another. It all comes down to responsible dog ownership and that is what you should be concentrating your resources on. If you would like some suggestions and information for educating the public on preventing dog bites and responsible dog ownership then please feel free to email me at: leslie_anne_patterson@hotmail.com
Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Kind Regards
Leslie Patterson

[__crazy_canine__]

My letter....

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing as the voice of my friends who dont have one. On the subject of breed bans, which I have learned the city of London is considering, I'd just like to point out some things. People do illegal things everyday but its the "bad" people who go against the law, don't you think these "bad" people will still own pit bulls? If they find it to be more trouble than thought wont they just move on to another breed? Then that breed too will be banned and this will keep continuing until just about every "dangerous" breed is banned. There should be more laws against animal abuse and laws on who can keep pets rather than banning certain breeds, which in the end only punishes the dogs and it's owners. Just my opinion which, I happen to know, many others share.

Angela Isek,
Plano, Texas

Hope I didnt say anything wrong in there.... thats why I dont like writing letters. :-?

[Taurus and Jada]

WOW!! Thank you so much to everyone who wrote a letter. I really, really appreciate it.
There is a rally in London on Saturday against pitbulls, and I will let you know how it turns out. Unfortunatly , it doesn't look like there will be very many pitbull enthusiasts there, but if I can change even one persons mind I will be happy.