Bucky at Waggin' Train Rescue in NYC is a great dog, but he will not be allowed to live in public housing.
I was dismayed to get an alert from the ASPCA that the New York City Housing Authority is implementing a new pet policy, effective May 1 (i.e. Friday!) that bans purebred or mixed breed Pit Bulls, Dobermans and Rottweilers. The new policy also lowers the weight limit for allowable dogs from the previous limit of 40 lbs. to 25 lbs.
The most important thing to note is that, as the ASPCA notes: "Dogs already registered with NYCHA before the implementation of this revised policy, regardless of breed and providing they do not exceed the current 40 pound weight limit, will be grandfathered and allowed to remain in NYCHA housing."
Residents whose pets are not registered have until April 30 to submit a registration form, and have 90 days to obtain veterinarian certification that their dog is spayed or neutered, vaccinated against rabies and licensed by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
For more information and links to all the necessary forms, visit the ASPCA Web site.
While I'm glad this policy requires that pets in public housing be vaccinated and spayed or neutered, I'm dismayed that, in this time of economic crisis, New York City is targeting those pet parents who have managed to keep their pets in their homes despite the expense.
The city is also placing a tremendous burden on the already overwhelmed Animal Care & Control of NYC, which overflows with Pit Bulls and Rottweilers during the best of times. Now not only will there be fewer homes to which they can adopt these dogs, but the AC&C will presumably be the final destination for those dogs forced out of their homes by the new policy.
(While the previous 40-lb. weight limit should have theoretically kept most dogs of those three breeds out of public housing, the limit was, to my knowledge, not strictly enforced -- and how many of us have found the dogs we adopted as puppies unexpectedly grew, Clifford the Big Red Dog-style, well beyond their expected adult size?)
The fact is, breed-specific legislation simply does not improve public safety. Irresponsible pet owners and practices that increase the risk of dog bites, such as chaining, should be the real targets of legislation. (Check out this site, StopBSL.com, which lists alternatives to BSL that really will protect the public from dog bites without targeting responsible pet parents.)
Quite frankly, as a New York City Pit Bull parent myself, it makes me very nervous to see any form of BSL in my hometown. They may not be coming for my dog this time, but I know I could be next.
Previous entries:
Pit bulls, other breeds banned in military housing
Is this breed-specific legislation not such a bad idea?
Happy Tail: Sacrificing to save an abused, overlooked pit bull
Is it natural to fear Pit Bulls? And what can we do about it?
Giving a voice to dogfighting victims: Watch the video
All pit bull blog entries
The city is also placing a tremendous burden on the already overwhelmed Animal Care & Control of NYC, which overflows with Pit Bulls and Rottweilers during the best of times. Now not only will there be fewer homes to which they can adopt these dogs, but the AC&C will presumably be the final destination for those dogs forced out of their homes by the new policy.
(While the previous 40-lb. weight limit should have theoretically kept most dogs of those three breeds out of public housing, the limit was, to my knowledge, not strictly enforced -- and how many of us have found the dogs we adopted as puppies unexpectedly grew, Clifford the Big Red Dog-style, well beyond their expected adult size?)
The fact is, breed-specific legislation simply does not improve public safety. Irresponsible pet owners and practices that increase the risk of dog bites, such as chaining, should be the real targets of legislation. (Check out this site, StopBSL.com, which lists alternatives to BSL that really will protect the public from dog bites without targeting responsible pet parents.)
Quite frankly, as a New York City Pit Bull parent myself, it makes me very nervous to see any form of BSL in my hometown. They may not be coming for my dog this time, but I know I could be next.
Previous entries:
Pit bulls, other breeds banned in military housing
Is this breed-specific legislation not such a bad idea?
Happy Tail: Sacrificing to save an abused, overlooked pit bull
Is it natural to fear Pit Bulls? And what can we do about it?
Giving a voice to dogfighting victims: Watch the video
All pit bull blog entries
As a pit bull owner, and a foster parent for abused pit bulls AND a former New Yorker, I would hate to see BSL implemented in New York.
HOWEVER....
Most dogs that we pull from abuse cases are out of the "ghetto" neighborhoods. Normal, middle class families don't fight their dogs. They don't leave dogs chained to 18 inch chains in the yard. They don't pour motor oil over their mange to "cure" it. Period.
I'm glad to see this. If you are in public housing, it's obvious that you cannot afford to own a pet seeing as you can't afford to take care of yourself.
Here we go again! I am the owner of two pit mixes that I adopted from the City of Buffalo Animal Shelter 4 and 6 years ago. They are the such a great part of our family, wonderful with my grandchildren. It is definitely not the breed but the irresponsible owners. Because of their irresponsibility hundreds of bully breeds are euthanized each year. How sad that the canine suffers for the irresponsible owner.
Are any animal rights attorneys stepping up to the plate and contesting this with an injunction?
This breed ban by New York City Housing Authority directly contradicts the NYS law signed in 2003 by Gov Pataki which prohibited any breed specific laws or policies by municipalities and their agencies in NY State.
BSL is a world wide issue. It makes me angry that sweet innocent dogs are being murdered because someone has a chip on their shoulder. www.BestFriends.org has been fighting BSL. They are a wonderful asset to help fight against BSL. Together we must keep fighting for our Constitiutional Rights (Civil Rights of ownership). These two breeds are just the start. What breed will be next?
It makes me sad that good dog owners and their pets are punished because of irresponsible people. People who have dogs that are vicious or not vaccinated should be targeted, not people who are responsible with their dogs. And a twenty-five pound weight limit? What?
I used to work at a town animal shelter, so this breed ban worries me. I know how many pitbulls, pitbull mixes, and rottweilers were put to sleep because nobody wanted them, and now with the ban, it makes me sad to think of all the dogs that will end up being put down. It's not the breed that's aggressive. It's the way they're treated and raised that makes them aggressive