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Dear (insert name here):
To be useful, legislation must
be effective, enforceable,
economical, and reasonably fair.
Recently, a bill (CITE BILL
NUMBER HERE) has been placed
before (RELEVANT BODY ie., city
council, etc,) that would fail
all of these tests. This
legislation is motivated by fear
and lack of relevant knowledge.
.
The media and the inexperienced
would have you believe that
these breeds are vicious and
should be prohibited. However,
these very breeds as a whole
have proven their stability and
good canine citizenry by
becoming 'Search & Rescue dogs,
Therapy dogs working inside
hospitals, professional Herding
dogs and family companions for
years.
Our Country was not founded on
the restriction and punishment
of the masses based on the
actions of a few....when has
this changed?
A five year study published in
the Cincinnati Law Review in
1982, vol. 53, pg 1077, which
specifically considered both
Rottweilers and "pit bulls",
concluded in part that:
..statistics did not support the
assertion that any one breed was
dangerous, ..when legislation is
focused on the type of dog it
fails, because it is ...
unenforceable, confusing, and
costly. .. focusing legislation
on dogs that are "vicious"
distracts attention from the
real problem, which is
irresponsible owners.
In light of this and other
studies, we urge you to take the
following actions:
1. Reject the current
legislation, which is contrary
to fact and distracts from the
real issue, that of responsible
ownership.
2. Actively pursue legislation
that would render owners liable
for the actions of their pets,
such as a good non-breed
specific dangerous dog law.
We suggest that the appropriate
policy should be "blame the
owner, not the dog." Owners can
and should take responsibility
for their pets.
Bottom line: the legislation
proposed will not only be unfair
for responsible citizens but it
addresses the wrong problem.
Voting for this proposal as it
stands only harms the law
abiding responsible dog owner.
(YOUR NAME) |