BSL Alert in Texas - your help needed

[Lucydog]

Cross-posted from the RPOA mailing list.
Here is the deal, if this bill is passed, your county might be able to declare Chow Chows (or whatever they want) as dangerous and you will have to jump through special hoops to keep your Chows.

Sorry the formatting is so bad. It came in an e-mail
========================================================

TX-RPOA E-News
From Responsible Pet Owners Alliance,
the reasonable voice regarding animal issues in Texas.
Responsible Pet Owners Alliance is an animal welfare organization,
not "animal rights" and, yes, there is a difference.
Permission granted to crosspost.

February 25, 2007
Senate Bill 349 by Ellis has been assigned to the Criminal Justice
Committee; "Relating to the regulation of dangerous pets by certain
populous
counties; providing a criminal penalty." The lists of dangerous dogs
compiled in other cities usually include American Staffordshire
Terriers,
American Pit Bull Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, (or anything
with
the appearance of the above!), and sometimes include: Bull Terriers,
Rottweilers, German Shepherds, Dobermans, Malamutes, Chows, Akitas and
many
other large dog breeds and mixes.

Responsible Pet Owners Alliance OPPOSES this bill.
http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/80 ... 00349I.pdf
Please contact all of the committee members (below) to express your
opposition. Faxes, phone calls and emails are needed. No hearings are
scheduled at this time. Please ask your national breed club to help
Texas
dog owners.

When emailing committee members regarding your position on the bill,
put
"Oppose Senate Bill 349 regulating dangerous pets" in the Subject Line.
If
they don't read your entire message, at least they will get your
position on
the bill before deleting it.

Talking points:

1) While this bill addresses "pets," the actual focus will be on dogs
because Senator Ellis tried to open the door for Breed Specific
Legislation
two years ago and failed.

2) Opens the door for Breed Specific Legislation because it allows the
county commissioners to "prohibit" dogs they pre-determine are
dangerous
without regard to an individual animal's behavior.

3) This is the way to ban certain breeds by allowing the commissioners
to
impose a fee on ownership. The law does not limit the fee, so it could
become too expensive to own certain dogs.

4) Allows for evaluating, confining, and inspecting where the dog is
kept
based on breed rather than the behavior of an individual dog which is
an
unwanted intrusion.

5) Is designed so that the lawmakers can make it unappealing to own
whatever breeds they decide to target regardless of an individual dog's
behavior.

6) Criminalizes failure to comply with any order by the commissioners
court, but since there is no order yet taken, it is impossible to know
what
the law may impose.

Senate Criminal Justice Committee members
Address for all:
PO Box 12068
Capitol Station
Austin, TX 78711

COMMITTEE CLERK: Mahala Price
PHONE: 512-463-0345
ROOM: SHB 470

Chair: Senator John Whitmire
Ph: (512) 463-0115
Fax: (512) 475-3737
john.whitmire@senate.state.tx.us

Vice-Chair: Senator Kel Seliger
Ph: (512) 463-0131
Fax: (512) 475-3733
kel.seliger@senate.state.tx.us

Senator John Carona
Ph: (512) 463-0116
Fax: (512) 463-3135
john.carona@senate.state.tx.us

Senator Bob Deuell
Ph: (512) 463-0102
Fax: (512) 463-7202
don.forse@senate.state.tx.us

Senator Rodney Ellis
Ph: (512) 463-0113
Fax: (512) 463-0006
rodney.ellis@senate.state.tx.us

Senator Glenn Hegar
Ph: (512) 463-0118
Fax: (512) 475-3736
District18.hegar@senate.state.tx.us

Senator Juan Hinojosa
Ph: (512) 463-0120
Fax: (512) 463-0229
leslie.nadelman@senate.state.tx.us

Responsible Pet Owners Alliance
900 NE Loop 410 #311-D
San Antonio, TX 78209
Phone: (210) 822-6763
Fax: (210) 822-9038
Website: www. responsiblepetowners. org
$15 Annual dues (January - December)
To share information, subscribe or unsubscribe,
send an e-mail message to rpoa @ texas.net.

[Me and the Bear]

WOW, good info...I live in Dallas County so I'll be cally my Senator first thing and all day tomorrow if necessary...

Talk about the government getting to intrusive into your life, what will they regulate next, the kind of shoes you where?

[chris]

What in the heck is the country coming to? What happen to "free country" yeah right. don't we have better things to be legislating on than wether or not a county can decide what pet your allowed to have?
What about cats? I have run into a few "dangerous" cats before. And hampsters.. I have been bitten befor you know.
Intrusive on your personal life? you bet your Butt. Like our lives don't have enough government in it. Less is better. GET OUT.
So, does this mean that for example Abbott laboratories houses Great Peranees (spelling?) on one of there lab sites to guard and protect the grounds and lab. OH LORDY NO... "you can not have those around the lab to guard your property and assets... here how about a nice poodle.. er wait a minute... aren't poodles dangerous?... " Well abbot, looks like your S O L.
This really gets my goat.. (Are goats dangerous?)

Besides, it's not the breed, it's all in how you the "responsible owner" treat and bring up and take care of your pet. In most instances, if you miss treat an animal, it's more than likely to REACT to protect it's self, and then will learn to not trust humans. Can you blame it. Then, there are those sweet souls who endure the upmost discusting abuse I have ever seen, yet.. still have the heart to still trust humans and act as though nothing ever happend to them.

I could go on...

[Victory]

I think the politicians in this country have become lazy and think that passing laws like this is making them look like they are DOING good. Truth is these are BS laws and un-necessary waste of time when so much in this country needs some REAL work done on it. Veterins not having places to live and getting lousy medical care, schools underfunded and children not learning, many children (of working parents) having no health care, (because their parents work for employers who don't carry it or make it affordable). Pollution, companies that cheat workers out of retirement funds, unethical companies and the list goes on and on and on. And to top it all off there is a lack of direction in the US, where will we be in the next 10 years, the next 20 or 30 what do the kids coming up today have to look forward to?

I'm very angry at my government right now, and reading about these crap BSL laws that no one but a few idiot politicians wants just ticks me off further.

This ain't the country my Dad fought for and I'm glad he didn't live long enough to see how far down we've fallen!

[SWANCIN]

Thank you for posting this. Consider it furtherly cross posted by me!

[Lucydog]

Here is another update on the dog bills in the Texas Legislature from RPOA.

February 26, 2007
80th Session of the Texas Legislature

For more information on the bills below, go to:
http://www.capitol.state.tx.us
Type the bill number in the Search Box on the home page. This will bring up a new page with all the information on the bill.

HB 408, relating to regulation of barking dogs by certain counties as a nuisance.
PUBLIC HEARING: Held 02/21/2007, left pending in committee.

HB 461, relating to prohibiting mandatory participation in an animal identification system.
PUBLIC HEARING: Scheduled for 02/27/2007

HB 1411, relating to unlawful restraint of dogs.
PUBLIC HEARING: Scheduled for 02/28/2007

SB 254, relating to sale of live animals on a public highway or road,
right-of-way of a public highway or road, or a parking lot.
PUBLIC HEARING: Held 02/19/2007, passed out of committee, sent to "local and uncontested calendar" - meaning it will pass (with a group of bills) on the House Floor, if there are no objections resulting in the bill being
pulled.

Responsible Pet Owners Alliance
900 NE Loop 410 #311-D
San Antonio, TX 78209
Phone: (210) 822-6763
Fax: (210) 822-9038
Website: www. responsiblepetowners. org
$15 Annual dues (January - December)
To share information, subscribe or unsubscribe,
send an e-mail message to rpoa @ texas.net.