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I'm always hesitant to support dog fighting legislation. While I'm opposed to dog fighting (of course,) I have seen more than once legislators say "Hmm, dog fighting is a problem. Rather than cracking down on dog fighters, we'll ban the breeds they use for fighting! Genius!" [8|]

I so wish I could support this type of legislation...but too often it seems to lead down a slippery slope to BSL, and that just scares the crap out of me. [&o]  

Thanks shownose, I'm in

Thanks shownose, I'm in

 
 
Thank you.......
 
 
Ratsicles, I really don't see your concerns with this bill.

Oh, it isn't a concern with the bill itself at all! It's simply a concern with the line of thought that many legislators take when presented with these types of bills.


I would LOVE stricter penalties for dog fighting. I think the bill is great. It's just I have seen firsthand, legislators take pressure to do something about dog fighting and instead of cracking down on the people who fight the dogs, they ban the breeds those people use for fighting. Like I said before, it goes something like this: "Hmm, dog fighting is a problem. What breeds do they use? Pits, Rotties? Well, ban those breeds! If they can't get fighting dogs, there will be no dog fighting! Haha!"

Basically, I'm saying many legislators have no common sense. The above happened in a county a couple of hours away from here. It's SO much easier to ban a breed of dog than it is to look for dog fighters, prosecute them, put them in an already overcrowded prison system....etc.

So again, I think the bill itself is great...I just worry about the direction of thought these  types of things lead down. I WISH I could support it...unfortunately, I worry too much about it causing even more BSL.

Ratsicle, I am not trying to change your mind or anything, but steps need to be taken to get the problem under control, all I am saying is you are making a statement on something that is not happening in this case.....
 
The bill is good.

Yep, the bill IS good, and I'm not trying to change anyone's opinion. Steps DO need to be taken to deal with dog fighters.

But my opinion still stands. I wish I could trust lawmakers to do the right thing instead of the easy thing, but as it is, I can't. I'm not trying to discourage people from supporting this bill, and I support it myself, in theory. Unfortunately, I do have to worry about what the introduction of this kind of bill will put into legislator's heads.

Not trying to be argumentative. Just stating my opinion. I've said my bit, so I'll stop now. []

Oy, I don't want to argue, but, those who feel it is worth fighting for.....please, support the bill.

ratsicle, i can ABSOLUTELY see your point.  after reading through the form letter on the ASPCA website, though, i saw that there was a spot to customize the letter.  i used this space to directly address BSL in relation to dog fighting.
 
one of my arguments in favor of this bill is that, naive as it may sound, stiff penalties for dog fighting COULD result in curbing aggression and reducing attacks by breeds normally targeted both for fighting and BSL.  stiff penalties may discourage people for making selections based on aggression.  it may also discourage people who keep these "fighting" dogs from keeping them any longer, and as we all know, they are kept in deplorable conditions that often lead dogs to act out in ways they otherwise wouldn't, just to work out frustration or from going crazy tied up to a stake in a bare yard with nothing but a five gallon bucket of dirty water for company.
 
of course, these are BIG maybes, but hope spings eternal.