Wednesday 11 July 2012

Breed Specific Legislation. betraying the bond between man and his so called best friend

I think it was quite late down the line when I heard of Lennox.

but details of the case are quite well covered here


www.dogheirs.com

this dog was seized from his family home, after his ears and legs were measured. like the Nazis used to measure Ears and Noses to ascertain whether someone was a Jew. due to physical characteristics, he was deemed to be a "pit bull type" not even a pit bull. a pit bull TYPE. which can mean anything that the authorities choose it to mean, really. genetic testing revealed him to be American Bulldog crossed with a Labrador.  but he was still considered to be "of type" due to some freak of crossbreeding that led him to have a similar appearence.

Breed specific legislation is a terrible thing. now don't get me wrong, I don't believe that there is a valid cause for owning an illegal breed unless you had them before the change in law. people that after this law change seek out an illegal breed probably don't want them for a good reason.

however this doesn't mean I think that the breeds SHOULD be illegal. I do not believe in dangerous dog breeds. just bad owners. and bad owners can make any breed into a dangerous dog. either through their own ignorance and stupidity, or worse through cruelty, or intentional encouragement of dangerous behaviour.

but when a dog who is proved by genetic testing not to be the illegal breed he resembles can be stolen from his family, imprisoned, and ultimately killed, there's something very wrong there.

his family campaigned for two years to have this non illegal breed dog returned to them. the dog had demonstrated no dangerous behaviour, assessed by several experts as "not a threat" and was known to not have any pit bull in his ancestry. he just LOOKED like one. now Paul Macartney has some very similar features to Ian Brady. should he be locked up on that basis?
should the non venomous scarlet king snake be killed because it has similar markings to the venomous coral snake?

sadly, because of having a similar appearence to an illegal breed, this dog was put to death.

his family were not even allowed to say goodbye to him before the wicked deed was done. what possible justification can there be for refusing this? pure spite. we can take your family member and you will never see them again.
this poor dog was removed from his home, and not even allowed the comfort of his loved ones on his dying day. he NEVER SAW THEM AGAIN. even though they loved him dearly. what must he have thought? how he must have pined for them in all that time. wondering why they had abandoned him, even though they fought for him the whole time. 
they are not even allowed to take his body home. not even to see it. they can't even say their goodbyes now he is gone.
they will be sent "some" ashes. that is all they have left of their beloved family member. no last goodbyes. no last cuddle.

this is cruel and heartbreaking. and if this can happen, where is the line drawn?

day by day we're seeing more and more that the gaze of paranoia has been shifted on to the Staffy. a dog that is known for it's good nature with children. a happy, sweet, maybe not especially bright, but loveable breed.

and when dogs can be stolen away and killed for looking like a staffy, what next? the bulldog? the pug? where will it end?

banning a breed does not stop irresponsible people training their dogs to fight, or neglecting them, or being cruel, or encouraging them to snarl and growl and make them look big and tough. banning a breed doesn't stop the people that will abuse and misuse that breed from obtaining them. responsible dog owners, who would have raised that breed as a loving member of the family get something else. bad dog owners continue to abuse that breed and make their reputation worse, as there is no longer the balance of knowing them as good dogs with responsible and loving owners.

please. write to your MPs. ask them to oppose any Breed Specific Legislation with dogs. these laws do not protect anyone from dog attacks. these laws just allow tragedies like the one that happened to the Barnes family and their loved pet.

Rest In Peace over the Bridge Lennox. the day will come when you will be reunited with your family, and I can just imagine how hard you will wag your tail, the light in your eyes and the smile on your face when that day comes. until then. rest. and play.
you will not be forgotten.

animal lovers MUST stand up and say NO to BSL.
if you tolerate this, then your children will be next

I've found a petition you can sign. please share this.
End BSL Petition. the petition site.