Ohio Town May Define
Every Dog As ‘Vicious’
HSUS ‘Pit Bull’ Scare Tactic Being Used Nationwide
by JOHN YATES
American sporting Dog Alliance
AVON LAKE, OH – The sky is not falling in this tranquil suburban town on the outskirts of Cleveland, but local animal rights activists are trying to convince the Avon Lake Municipal Council that a tough ordinance is needed to control “vicious dogs.”
What’s happening in Avon Lake this week also is happening now in dozens of communities across America. Thus, we urge dog owners everywhere to read this report and be aware that what’s happening in Avon Lake may – and probably will – happen to you someday.
In the Avon Lake draft ordinance, all dogs are by definition declared “vicious,” simply for acting like dogs. Normal and even desirable canine behavior would entrap a dog of any breed under this doomsday category. Even chasing a chipmunk or barking at a stranger would cause a dog to be declared vicious, under the terms of the latest draft ordinance.
The entrapping language is very deliberate, and reflects one of the current tactics being exploited by radical animal rights groups, such as the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).
HSUS has nothing to do with local humane societies, despite its misleading name. Instead, HSUS is the political arm of animal rights extremist groups. It seeks the gradual elimination of all animal ownership in America, which it sees as exploitation and slavery.
Relying on an emotional campaign and the fear of “pit bulls” that has been carefully cultivated in the media, HSUS supporters are advancing so-called dangerous dog ordinances in many towns, cities, counties and states all across America. HSUS has been very successful at painting a picture of dog owners that is associated with criminal dog fighting rings, the drug and gang underworld, barbaric ethnic traditions, and mauled children.
Facts are not the friend of HSUS, which relies only on emotion in swaying the media and public. The facts show a 200-percent reduction in reported dog bite incidents over the past 20 years, but HSUS does not want you to know this. The facts show that dog bites do not even rank in the top 20 causes of injury or death to children, and HSUS doesn’t want you to know that, either. Nor to they want you to think too hard about a very simple truth: probably 99-percent of all Americans have never even seen a dog fight or even heard of one where they live, and have never seen a drug gang on its home turf.
The HSUS tactic, however, is to exploit emotion and fear to make people feel threatened by a problem that simply doesn’t exist. It’s a canine version of the swine flu pandemic scare, which has millions of people living in terror of a disease that has actually killed fewer people than the average January head cold.
Avon Lake is a portrait of the American Dream. Its streets are lined with trees, and its parks provide islands of tranquility in every neighborhood. In a town of 18,145, the median family income is comfortably middle class at just under $100,000, and its 33 police officers assure that it is one of the safest small towns in America.
It is not a place to find drug gangs, dog fighting rings or large numbers of “pit bulls.” It is heartland America at its best. The town has a dog warden, too, and any problems with pets are promptly addressed, residents tell us.
The sky is not falling in Avon Lake.
Some animal rights activists in Avon Lake would like to ban the so-called “pit bull” breeds from the town, but this has been declared unconstitutional in Ohio and other states. The only permissible dangerous dog laws are based on the actual behavior of a dog, not on its ancestry or appearance.
Moreover, there is no such thing as a “pit bull.” It is a slang term that encompasses several recognized breeds of terriers, as well as various crosses with other breeds that resemble bull breed ancestry. “Pit bull” bans simply cannot adequately define the reality that some dogs are 50-percent bull breed and 50-percent of a different breed, others are only 25-percent bull, and still others only a tiny percentage. But they all might “look” like someone’s idea of a “pit bull.”
In fact, some dogs look the part even though they have no bull breed ancestry at all: Cross a Boston terrier and a Chihuahua, or a pointer and a pug, and the results would look like a “pit bull” to anyone.
Dogs of the bull breeds are popular in America, although they represent far less than 10-percent of the total population of dogs and dog owners. Their owners say they are very loyal and affectionate, and appropriately protective of their families. No evidence exists to suggest that a disproportionate share of bad behavior exists in these breeds, despite HSUS emotional propaganda.
HSUS and its adherents want to sentence bull breeds to death by turning the law into a kangaroo court: No evidence is required, and the jury is always out to lunch.
To get around the unconstitutional nature of breed bans, the Avon Lake ordinance attempts to define a vicious dog by behavior. Unfortunately, the definition is so brad that every dog in America falls under its net.
The draft ordinance defines a vicious dogs as any dog that has "approached in either a menacing fashion or an apparent attitude of attack, or has attempted to bite or endanger any person, cat, other dog, or animal (domestic or non-domestic)."
Under that definition, a dog could be declared vicious if it:
- Chases a chipmunk or squirrel.
- Barks at a burglar breaking through a window.
- Acts threatened if a stranger approaches its kennel.
- Defends its owner from physical attack by a mugger or rapist.
- Chases the neighbor’s cat out of the flower garden.
- Defends itself when attacked by a stray dog.
- Or hunts rabbits legally with its owner.
In other words, all normal and much desirable canine behavior would be defined as viciousness.
Nuts!
Get real!
Moreover, this kind of definition is certain to provoke situations that result in innocent dogs being declared vicious. If two neighbors are having a squabble, for example, it would be tempting for some people to taunt and tease their adversary’s dog into showing aggressive behavior. Yelling at the mildest mannered dog, or throwing stones at it, could prompt behavior that may appear aggressive, even though it really is in self-defense. Other people simply may be irrationally afraid of all dogs, and misinterpret normal barking.
On a more sinister note, animal rights fanatics also could taunt and tease dogs, and then call the animal warden to “prove” that the dog is vicious. Once again, the dog actually would be reacting only in self-defense against someone who has been threatening. This vicious tactic already is being used in some places, and many good and beloved dogs have been unfairly and unjustly euthanized.
The real viciousness in Avon Lake comes from the animal rights fanatics who are trying to deceive Municipal Council into targeting all dogs. The HSUS strategy is to paint dogs and dog owners as threats to public safety that must be eliminated through stigmatization and by imposing scary liabilities and penalties that are irrational and unjust. The proposed Avon Lake ordinance does exactly that.
If a dog is declared “vicious,” the ordinance would require the owner to place a sign in his or her yard stating that a vicious dog lives there, muzzle the dog in public, purchase insurance, fence the yard to a height of five feet and have two more feet of fencing buried underground.
Because the dog chased a chipmunk!
The American Sporting Dog Alliance is very concerned about this ordinance’s impact on every dog owner and all breeds of dogs. However, we are especially concerned about its impact on hunting dogs and their owners. Hunting dogs are specifically bred to pursue wild animals and birds. That is what hunting is all about, and making these traits illegal is in opposition to the tradition of hunting in Ohio and every American state.
This proposed ordinance is both hostile to hunters and deeply offensive. In reality, it is a thinly veiled legal attack on hunting and hunters.
We also remember too well that recent failed federal legislation singled out “hunting dogs” for especially intense regulation and enforcement. Thus, ALL breed-specific legislation concerns us deeply, because it sets a dangerous precedent.
It must be emphasized that Ohio already has tough laws governing dangerous dogs, and that any local ordinances are completely unneeded and redundant. Local police officers and dog wardens already can enforce the state law. Here is a link to the actual state law: http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/955.22 .
The American Sporting Dog Alliance is asking Avon Lake and Ohio dog owners to do several things to help the people in Avon Lake to stop this ordinance:
- Please contact Municipal Council and express reasoned and polite opposition to this ordinance. Contact information for individual council members has been removed from the city website, but a general email address is contactus@avonlake.org .
- Please write a letter of thank you to Councilwoman Jennifer Fenderbosch, who has been very helpful to dog owners. She is opposed to this ordinance. Her email is jfenderbosch@avonlake.org .
- Because the meeting is only two days away, please contact everyone you know in Avon Lake and inform them of this situation. Ask them to get involved. It also is vital to contact members of sportsmen’s clubs in Avon Lake.
- If you can help, please contact Jean Keating of The Ohio Coalition of Dog Advocates, which is helping local residents in Avon Lake. Her email is amstafflover3@yahoo.com .
- And, if possible, attend Thursday’s meeting of the Avon Lake Safety Committee to support local dog owners and voice opposition to this proposed ordinance. The meeting is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. at Municipal Council Chambers, but there have been requests to make it later.
In addition, we urge all dog owners in America to be very vigilant about what’s happening in their own communities. This could happen to you, too!
The American Sporting Dog Alliance represents owners, breeders and professionals who work with breeds of dogs that are used for hunting. We also welcome people who work with other breeds, as legislative issues affect all of us. We are a grassroots movement working to protect the rights of dog owners, and to assure that the traditional relationships between dogs and humans maintains its rightful place in American society and life. The American Sporting Dog Alliance also needs your help so that we can continue to work to protect the rights of dog owners. Your membership, participation and support are truly essential to the success of our mission. We are funded solely by your donations in order to maintain strict independence.
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