BSL Heating up

ECM Publications runs several weekly local newspapers in Central Minnesota. Here in the Savage Lands, the representatives of ECM are This Week Prior Lake and This Week Burnsville. T.W. Buddig, the Capital reporter for ECM gives us part one of a three part series on Rep. John Lesch's (DFL-St. Paul) pending breed ban proposal.

When Kellie Dillner of Andover scooped up Marri, the pit bull showed only tenderness cradled in her owner’s arms.
Tenderness might not be the behavior expected from a breed of dog proposed to be banned from Minnesota.

Tenderness is only an unexpected behavior if all you knew about the breed was what was in the local media.

According to the article, Rep. Lesch is still adamant on proposing this ill-conceived legislation. Thankfully, support for the legislation is not high.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty is inclined to let local communities handle dog-related issues rather than favor a statewide approach, he recently explained.“What happens in a densely populated area of an urban center may be different than if you have a three thousand acre farm,” said Pawlenty this month. “It’s probably an issue that’s best addressed by local units of government,” he said.Animal control officers, too, see problems with a breed ban.The Minnesota Animal Control Association rejected Lesch’s breed ban proposal, said Bill Forbes, an association official and an animal control officer with the Bloomington Police Department.

The article then hits on the main opposition point.

Dog bite statistics, Forbes argues, reflect the popularity of dog breeds. He points to dog owners themselves as a major factor in the dog bite equation. “The breeds have changed, but the people (problem owners) are still the same,” Forbes said.Troublesome dogs tend to belong to certain types of owners, Forbes argues.
These owners tend to have personal histories of violence, substance abuse, run in with the law, he explained. “It’s mostly men — it’s kind of a hormonal thing,” said Forbes. It’s not a racial. It’s not a cultural. These problem owners are found across the socioeconomic spectrum, said Forbes.

Given my previous posts on the issue, I hope you would assume that the above emphasis is mine! After talking to the enforcement officers, Mr. Buddig talks to a veterinarian about the issue.

Dr. Margaret M. Duxbury, a veterinary behaviorist at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Medical Center, doesn’t view certain dog breeds as inherently more dangerous than any other. “Do I support the idea of outlawing certain dog breeds? No,” she said. “The issue is way too complicated to be solved that way,” said Duxbury.
“We see dogs every week for many kinds of aggressions. And many, many, many of them are not pit bulls,” she said. Several factors influence dog behavior, explained Duxbury.
Genetic temperament is one, but it strongly depends on a particular dog’s own direct relatives, she explained.
Within breeds, individuals differ, she explained.
Duxbury also points to socialization as a primary influence on dog behavior.“That starts really early — like three to twelve weeks,” she said.“It’s important what environment the puppies are in at the breeders. If they’re isolated — in a barn or a room and they don’t hear many people — they aren’t handled very much, that puts them at a great disadvantage,” she said.

Again, points I made in my previous posts. However, leave it to Rep. Lesch to ignore facts and base his decision solely on emotion.

But Lesch believes the testimony of dog bite victims will be powerful and compelling.
“I think they’re (A Rotta Love Plus) going to have to take their chances with that one,” Lesch of the idea of his bill lacking legs.

There is no doubt that the testimony of the dog bite victims will be powerful, but if you really want to fix the problem, Rep. Lesch, then listen to the experts. They are trying to tell you what the real solution to this problem is.

The Minnesota Animal Control Association is currently working on ways to give courts more ways of dealing with problem dogs.

To quote Laura Ingraham (when she is talking about illegal immigration) "ENFORCE THE LAW!" It's really that simple!