Finally, responsible dog ownership has become a law all over the state of California (not just in selected cities). Senate Bill 250 (also known as the Pet Responsibility Act) has been approved by the California state Senate on a 21-16 vote. And it requires that adult pets (cats & dogs) be spayed or neutered. If you want to keep your dog or outdoor cat “au naturel,” you must obtain a permit.
Ironically the bill got it’s number because the state spends $250 million a year to house & eventually euthanize unwanted pets.
With the economy taking a downturn many people are having to make the choice between putting food on the table and keeping their dog. And in most cases the dog is the loser. An organization in Portland, OR has started a food bank for dogs. F.I.D.O (Friends Involved in Dog Outreach) is a volunteer organization that started in 2005.
Clackamas County dog owners facing financial difficulties can get one month’s supply of dog food for up to 4 dogs. FIDO asks that owners be prepared to show proof of residency, and they ask that all dogs be spayed or neutered. Owners whose dogs are not spayed or neutered will not be turned away, but they will be given information on low-cost spay/neuter programs, microchipping, and rabies vaccine clinics.
Along those same lines…
Many formerly wealthy dog owners are giving up the pooch after losing their jobs. It’s a trend being seen all over the country and moreso in areas of large unemployment. Areas where people routinely used their expensive pure-bred dogs to display their wealth - cities like New York or Los Angeles are seeing an increase in those pure-bred dogs showing up at breed specific shelters. It’s especially sad that these people choose to give up their dogs because in many cases they still have money…the dog was just a status symbol for them.
Unleashed, a 50,000 square foot indoor dog park in Dallas, TX that will offer a café and grooming services, is opening its facilities to all breeds but one: pit bulls. It boils down to insurance.
Insurance companies are reluctant to insure “bully” breeds like Pits due to their reputation. But any dog is now checked for its temperament before it is allowed to join. Pit bulls are still welcome in the grooming and supply centers at the facility - just not the park area.
Speaking of pit bulls and insurance
The House rejected a bill to make owners of dangerous dogs in New Mexico get liability insurance. The bill would have made it mandatory for owners of dogs deemed dangerous to obtain $100,000 of liability insurance to cover any injuries their dogs may cause to other people or pets. The bill was drafted to send a message to irresponsible dog owners. The legislation would have updated a law enacted in 2005.
Owners of barking dogs in Riverside county in Southern California must stop their dogs from nuisance barking or face a fine of up to $500. Owners will receive a warning the first time the police or animal control officers have to come out. But if another complaint is made within a year of the first, the dog owner must go to a hearing & plead their case. The hearing is to determine if the dog is in fact a nuisance.
If the dog is found to be a nuisance barker, the owner has 10 days to do something about it. That could include training, putting it somewhere it can’t be heard or even debarking. If the owner fails to comply, the first violation is $100, a second violation within a year is $200 & any subsequent ones are $500 each!
With today’s economy people are reluctant to pay these kinds of fines. Some are even giving their dogs up. Don’t do that to your best friend. That’s why it’s so important to learn how to stop your dog from barking. Get “The Ultimate Guide to Stop Your Dog From Barking…FAST!”
Animal rights activists seem to have pressured Joe Biden to adopt a shelter dog as a companion to the German Shepherd puppy he bought from a Pennsylvania breeder a couple of weeks ago. Could the activists actually have persuaded Biden to adopt a “pound puppy” or had he always planned to?
I saw a video today about pit bulls but decided not to post that one because it was totally biased against pit bulls. I don’t believe in using a broad brush to condemn a breed of dog.
It’s the owners responsibility to train their dog. If a dog attacks someone, blame the owner first & foremost. A dog that attacks someone will usually be put down, but there should be severe punishment for owners who allow their dogs to become so aggressive that they would attack unprovoked in the first place.
Back in 2005, the Ontario government enacted the Dog Owners’ Liability Act which totally banned the breeding, sale and ownership of pit bulls after several incidents in which the dogs attacked people. Lawyers quickly jumped in to challenge the law. Yesterday (Friday) the Court of Appeals upheld the decision to ban the dogs. Read the story here…
Is a dog owner responsible when their ill-trained dog bites a trainer? A North Platte, Nebraska dog trainer is suing the owner of a 2 year old Rottweiler for $11,857.90 because the dog bit her in the face…even though she is the owner of R’Dogs Obedience and Agility Center.
The sum is seeking medical and dental expenses that were a result of the bite. Her facial wound required 70 stitches. The trainer also says that the dog’s owner never warned her of the dog’s aggression.
The owner is blaming the trainer. She’s saying that as a dog trainer, she should have known better than to put her face down in front of a dog.
Marjorie Knoller, the woman convicted of involuntary manslaughter when her dogs mauled and killed a San Francisco woman eight years ago was given a sentence of 15 years to life for second-degree murder. The judge rejected her lawyers current plea for probation.
Knoller served several years in prison and was recently released, however the judge reinstated the juries murder verdict.
Knoller owned two vicious 100+ pound Presa Canario dogs - known for their aggressive nature. She inherited the dogs from white supremacist inmates that she represented as their lawyer. She refused to muzzle the dogs, even after people had complained about the dogs lunging at them and attempting to bite them.
Is this sentence fair? She was an irresponsible dog owner, she showed no remorse for what her dogs did, and she had the audacity to blame the victim. Fair sentence? Yes, I think so. Especially since she knew her dogs had the capability of doing what they ultimately did - kill someone.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill Saturday that would have banned drivers from holding a pet in their lap while driving. He said the bill was not important enough to pass… it wasn’t high enough priority.
I think that having a pet in your lap while you’re driving around (particularly a small pet) is especially dangerous. Rush Limbaugh the conservative radio talk show host says the bill is stupid and has dubbed it the “Paris Hilton bill” due to her love of pets - dogs in particular.
I say if it’s against the law to talk on your cell phone while you’re driving, or not put your child in a child safety seat, then dog’s should not be allowed to roam free in your vehicle. They are just as much a distraction as a cell phone, as a child, or as someone putting on makeup or texting while they’re driving.
Gov. Arnold recently passed the state budget after over 80 days of stonewalling and he threatened to only pass certain bills. He held true to his word by vetoing 95 bills and signing 114.
Here’s an interesting concept to deal with barking dogs…more to the point, OWNERS of barking dogs that don’t or won’t do anything about it.
