August 14^th – Is it Time for Legal Pit Bull Ownership in Miami? The Countdown is On.

Hi everyone! Kim here; I’d like to piggy back on Michelle’s posting from last week about the impending Breed Specific Legislation question that is on the Miami-Dade ballot for August 14^th.

Let’s cut to the chase: Breed-specific legislation improves nothing within the community. It does not save people from being bitten; mauled; or maimed by dogs – pit bulls or otherwise. If anything, it lulls residents into a false sense of security. The truth of the matter is you need to exercise caution around any dog, regardless of breed. Anything with teeth has the ability to bite. Of course, a larger dog can inflict more damage, but a dog’s larger size is not automatically indicative of an increased propensity to bite over a small dog.

Truth be told, pit bull-type dogs have never been eradicated from Miami-Dade county. Today, there are an estimated 60,000 “pit bulls” in Miami-Dade’s  almost-2,000 square miles, or a population density of approximately 30 pit bulls per square mile. Take a look at PetHarbor.com, the website that Animal Services uses to log all of the dogs taken into the facility, stray or otherwise. You’ll see MANY dogs who look to be ‘pit bull-type’ labeled as other things, most commonly “terrier mix” or “American Bulldog mix” and other dogs who look nothing like a ‘pit bull-type’ labeled as a pit bull mix; it’s solely up to the discretion of the staff on duty who label the dogs at intake, of which most have zero training in breed identification. And to further muddy things, those who have been trained in breed identification, the so-called “pit bull investigators” each have their own opinion of what constitutes a pit bull “type”.

Are you aware of the annual cost to our county to keep this law on the books? $3,000,000! Nope, that isn’t a misplaced comma or an extra zero - $3 MILLION to enforce a law that is solely based on opinion that differs from person to person. This is a huge waste of our taxpayer dollars that could instead be put toward something important – like our education system.

In place of the pit bull ban in Miami, we need to implement stricter dangerous dog laws for ALL breeds – ones that have been proven effective in other municipalities nationwide.  We’ve had 25 years for this law to make us “safer” – and it hasn’t. I think it’s time to throw in the towel and go with proven methods and get rid of the frivolous expense of enforcing this antiquated piece of legislation, don’t you?

  PITBULLS-UNJUSTIFIED 

As August 14^th approaches I find myself with mixed feelings from the possible repercussions that may come from voting in favor of allowing Pit bulls in Miami Dade County.  Growing up I had two pit bulls, “Budweiser” a short, stubby, black and white male and Tora a red nosed female.  Being a teen and having a brother close in age our familiar faces were something the dogs got used to.  Even with all of the in and out of people and on some days a lot of rough housing our dogs never once showed aggression.  They were sweet, playful and friendly and wouldn’t hurt a fly.  We gave them love and a home full of affection and they showed nothing but appreciation right back.

As time went by more people opened their doors to this loving breed.  Not only friends but close family members had pits.  My uncle and even my grandparents had pit bulls and these were not regular dogs, these were dogs made of “mush” I used to say.  I could grab, pull, squeeze and just about do anything to these dogs and they would let me.  I’ve had many beloved dogs come in and sadly depart from my life each one special in their own way.  Yet the Pit bull breed remains #1 on my list for their outpouring affection.

I believe if you give love and show love that is what your pet will learn and give back.  There are bad people in this world who do bad things to good people just as there are bad people teaching bad things to good dogs just because of their physical attributes and capabilities.

Pit bulls through the years have been in the spotlight and yes bad things have happened and I am sorry for those innocents who have suffered but whose fault is it really?  A couple of days ago I saw a posting and I would like to share it here:

PITBULL JUSTICE

 

So sad yet so true.  People do all these things for selfish reasons.  Maybe we should ban those people, yet we don’t.  Today I own a Pit bull mix and he is well…… My best friend… my “Buddy”.  That dog loves me more than probably anyone ever has and I love him just as much.

Sure the breed has been banned in Dade County but they have found a way to survive and nowadays you will see many dogs are mixed with Pit bull.  People love the affectionate and loyal breed and they have learned to love this beautiful dog.  My concern for the outcome on August 14th is for the breed.  Will we once again ruin it for this breed?  Will we be responsible and spay/neuter our dogs or will we fight them to put extra money in our pockets?

MY BUDDY

I hope we can be responsible and do the right thing. There are too many dogs being euthanized every day and the sadness is overwhelming.  My message is to be a responsible pet owner and understand these are living, breathing creatures that look to us to save them. 

Max and Shannel… Lost and Found.

Here is their story.

I am home with my family and I hear a knock on my door. On the other side is a tearful young woman who was looking for her lost dog. In fact, the dog belonged to her boyfriend that was away serving our country. The dog was frightened from the storm and found a way out of the back yard. I was so moved by her story, by her tears, that my daughter and I got in the car and started looking for Max. It wasn’t until about 6 hours later that I got the call. Max was found…safe. A few little bumps and bruises here and there but safe and sound. I woke up my daughter to tell her the good news. She was so relieved. It’s wonderful to see her love of nature, her love of animals at only 7 years old. So Max got scared… Max ran. Sometimes we find ourselves in the same situation. We get scared, something frightens us and we run. If we’re lucky, people who love and care for us will look for us and not stop until they find us and we, knowing the sound of the voice of those who love us the most, will come running home.

Manny flew home from Boston where he is going to school to look for Shannel who ran away from home. Shannel is 13 years old and has been Manny’s companion for most of his life. The irony is that she has arthritis so bad that “running” was not an option, walking barely was but Manny and his mom took such good care of Shannel that she started to get better. So during another storm, different from Max’s, she ran too.  Manny called me and asked if I could help. Of course I could. I put Shannel’s “missing” poster on my website and Michelle gave Manny tips on how to get her back. She was found, 8 blocks away, in good condition. Imagine your 91 year old grandmother getting lost in a storm… That was Shannel.

Manny went so far as to fly home from Boston to find his beloved Shannel. That is a love that transcends a pet/human bond. It’s something more… you all know what it is…all of you with a pet that is your family… your FAMILY. Sometimes when YOU are lost they are there to find YOU. In the way they look at you, the way they love you unconditionally, the way that they make a bad day better just by being there. It’s a different kind of lost and found. We as humans can get lost down many roads of our lives, something can frighten us and we run and we get twisted and turned around so much that we can’t find our way back home. Sometimes it takes a Max and a Shannel to help us find that way.      

Shannel -Our True Fighter

 

Max