Who cares about THOSE dogs?
by Jackie Marshall
For a year and a half, I have been dreading the inevitable: the criminalization of dog ownership. At first, I approached the members of my German Shepherd training club and asked them to support my pit bull friends by opposing SB 861. They would have no part of it. "It's just THOSE dogs; it'll never happen to our breed." No matter what I wrote or said, such as "I guarantee that our dogs are next," nobody would support me in my anti-BSL campaigning because nobody would bother with a bill that didn't affect them personally.
Then, all of a sudden, the powers that be wanted to criminalize dog breeding in Sacramento County (with Sac City close behind), but this time it isn't breed specific; it's dogs of any breed. I spent quite a bit of time opposing that, too, but I couldn't get any of my German Shepherd buddies to support those efforts either. This time they said, "That law will never pass." And of course it's no surprise that it did.
None of the dog people at those meetings would support each other; they just bickered in a "Well, why would I support poodle/spaniel/mutt breeders? Those dogs are useless anyway." In other words, who cares about THOSE dogs, and who cares about the people who love them?
So now California wants mandatory spay and neuter laws statewide, which everybody says will never pass. It does not make exception for ranch dogs, unless they are registered AKC, which pretty much guarantees that they won't work. All the people who swear by mutts will be out of luck forever. Breeders will have to pay fees. Breeders will have to get permits. Dogs will have to have paperwork about their shots, breeding, and residence addresses formally registered with the State.
All of a sudden, again, no surprise, the German Shepherd people are up in arms! Please, everyone, take action! They are going to make laws about breeding OUR dogs! Please help immediately! Fight this new bill! But I for one do not care to participate any more. I have no sympathy for dog owners who don't care a damn about other dog owners. Maybe the "Nazi" in German Shepherd lineage has finally kicked in...well sure, make those dogs illegal, they are just show dogs or family pet mutts! Uh huh. Not the important kinds of dogs: OURS. The ranchers with long lines of working dogs find them important, and so do people like me who have had a blessed experience with a mutt, and all the people who swear that their best dogs have been of indecipherable lineage and they'll always adopt mutts from the shelter.
It's my opinion that MY dogs are important, as they are police K9 candidates (which may not matter to you if you're a criminal). But it sure as heck is also my opinion that the State shouldn't be determining what kinds of dogs THEY will let US find important. Who cares? It won't be happening to MY dogs, because everybody wants my dogs. In fact, it just drives my puppy prices up, as they will be in demand when only Germans can breed them. So the rest of the GSD people are out of luck, as far as finding support here. They let too many pit bulls go under the needle, so I no longer care about their rights to hobby breed. As far as I'm concerned, they're on their own, like pit bull people have been for a long time. And I've learned a valuable lesson in modern self-centeredness.
(copied with permission)
Cover Y'all Productions is conducting an online fundraiser for Beyond the Myth: A Documentary About Pit Bulls and Breed Discrimination.
While there is not a breed of dog formally known as a "pit bull," those who have irresponsibly and inhumanely bred, trained, fought and treated Staffordshire Terriers, American Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, and many other closely related breeds have turned what was once recognized as an American icon, representing loyalty and honor, into a image synonymous with viciousness.
Breed specific legislation, or BSL, is growing at an alarming rate. During the past year, I have spent countless hours researching this issue and I have interviewed many people who feel very strongly that BSL is wrong and gives a false sense of security to the public. Opponents see BSL as an immoral and discriminatory act, and fight it with passion. Some of these people have lost their dogs to a ban. Their dogs were killed for nothing more than looking a certain way. One such story is that of Desiree and Coco, shared by Desiree on this website.
BSL doesn’t just affect pit bulls. On the left side of this page, you may read a letter that Jackie, in Sacramento, wrote to her German Shepherd association. BSL has the potential to affect all dog owners, regardless of their breed of choice. The point is that BSL, no matter which breed is targeted, is a form of animal profiling. Don’t be naïve to think it will never happen to your favorite breed. For instance, Italy currently has many restrictions on dog breeds, and in 2003 passed restrictions against 92 breeds. Is that a principle you agree with? BSL is an issue of principle, not breed, per se.
Advocates (usually legislators), on the other hand, seem to think they are protecting the public by targeting a breed of dog, more recently, the "pit bull." What’s most interesting to point out here is that very few municipalities that have passed BSL provide scientific evidence to support it. The Humane Society of the United States has more information on BSL.
Are these laws making the public any safer? Or are they just politically charged attempts at making lawmakers look proactive and good in public light. Does a pit bull ban help put dog fighters and animal abusers behind bars? Does a pit bull ban protect your family against an attack from another breed? Does a pit bull ban actually decrease the number of pit bulls in the given area? Cincinnati is one city that provides evidence to the contrary. The chairman of the Cincinnati law and public safety committee even admits, "there are more pit bulls here now than there were when the ban first took effect".
The funds raised will go towards three different efforts:
1. To help fund an important public opinion survey that aims to measure people's perceptions on pit bulls and BSL. This survey will shed light on why so many people have negative views of pit bulls and show whether or not the media has contributed to the negative opinion. The survey will be used in the documentary and after the movie's release, it will be made available to animal rights and advocacy groups. Coupled with other independent research from the University of North Carolina, this survey will hopefully substantiate the legal fight against BSL.
2. To help offset the cost of this project’s archival and post production fees. This documentary is entirely independent and has been funded through private means of the producer and owner of Cover Y’all Productions, Libby Sherrill.
3. To establish a legal defense fund for those struggling to keep their dogs due to BSL. While responsible dog owners whose dogs (whether they are pit bulls or other breeds) have never harmed anyone should never have to face giving up their dogs simply because of their physical traits, many do when faced with a ban, simply because of a lack of financial means. This fund will hopefully grow into a much larger entity after its initial establishment and provide financial assistant to those who are struggling with this issue.
By donating, you are not only helping this documentary reach millions of people, you are also helping establish a fund that will enable people to fight unjust laws like the pit bull ban in Denver, Colorado that has legalized the killing of over 2,000 dogs, including Coco. If you care about this issue and want to help me reach my goal of being accepted to film festivals across the country and reaching a large national audience, please consider donating.
Give what you can: $5, $10 or $20. All support is appreciated. And, if you or your company is interested in becoming a corporate sponsor, please email us at fundraiser@coveryall.com.
Sincerely,
Libby R. Sherrill
Filmmaker
