Hello Honorable Mayor and Perryville City Council,
My name is Matt Hay and I am a Councilman, Ward 1 in the City of Arnold, Missouri (Jefferson County) and wanted to share my thoughts on this issue with you in the hopes you will rely this note in the Council packets or in some other way forward to your council members as I hear this issue will be up for public hearing this evening. I often pass through your community, as I frequent both Cape and St. Gen regularly, and love to bring my dogs hiking. Under the overly broad proposed revised ordinance, I could be cited should I stop along 55 in your community to fill my car with gas, or grab some lunch.
I am the proud owner of 3 rescued American Pit Bull Terrier mixes. All of which would be banned in your City and classified as "Pit Bulls". All have received the American Kennel Club's Canine Good Citizen Award. I have a wife, a 2 year old daughter, a college degree, am a business manager for a publicly traded corporation, as well as an elected official in my municipality, just as you are. I am probably not what you would think of as the stereotypical "pit bull" owner, but then again, you might not think of Helen Keller, Rachel Ray, Jessica Alba, Linda Blair, Theodore Roosevelt, or Michael J. Fox either, who all own/owned them as well.
Breed specific ordinances, like you are proposing, are "quick" feel good fixes and not a sufficient long term solution for the following reasons:
1. Dog problems are generally problems with owner responsibility and are not limited to breeds. When breeds are singled out as dangerous or vicious, responsibility is removed from the dog owner which is where it belongs. Irresponsible people are also less likely to follow the law - and as a result, everyone has to suffer.
2. By limiting the ability of citizens to own certain breeds, responsible law abiding citizens will shy away from those breeds. These are the types of owners that communities need to encourage, not drive away.
3. Communities that have instituted such bans often find that the irresponsible owners and the criminals who use dogs for illegal purposes simply switch to another breed.
4. Breeds and mixes are hard to identify and often dogs are mis labeled and destroyed based on paranoia and prejudice and also punishes those that are good canine citizens. Many breeds function as assistance dogs for handicapped owners, search and rescue dogs, drug-sniffing dogs, police dogs, etc. and drives them out of the community. The American Veterinary Medical Association and several state veterinary medical associations oppose breed-specific legislation for just this reason.
5. The dog most restricted is the "pit bull." A pit bull is a type of dog, not a recognized breed.
6. Passage of laws that are only enforced through complaints cause two problems: 1) they create disrespect for the law if authorities require compliance only upon complaint, and 2) they provide ammunition for neighborhood feuds.
Suggested alternatives to breed bans include:
1. Stronger enforcement of non-breed specific dangerous dog laws. If they are not already in place, lobby for protection from untrained and unsupervised dogs of any breed or mix. This is a broad-based effort that protects all citizens as any dog can bite and be a nuisance when owned by an irresponsible owner. Those who would deliberately train a dog to act aggressively towards people or other animals, or to use dogs in the commission of a felony or misdemeanor should face additional penalties.
2. Encourage local animal rescue and welfare agencies to provide responsible dog ownership seminars and canine safety education. The American Kennel Club has a free education program created for elementary school children.
3. Protect the rights of all citizens with nuisance ordinances such as anti-barking, pooper scooper regulations and leash laws.
I ask that you strongly consider the above facts and amend your ordinances in a breed neutral way. I am happy to answer any questions, provide assistance, information, etc. I also ask that you contact the ASPCA, specifically I would recommend Mrs. Ledy VanKavage (
ledyv@aspca.org), their Senior Legal Counsel for Training and Legislation, and work with her to draft an effective ordinance which both protects the public at large from dangerous dogs, while at the same time respects property rights, and places the responsibility at the correct end of the leash. Ledy lives over in Maryville, Il.
Please feel free to contact me if anyone would like to discuss or have any question. I would be driving down to speak at your hearing this evening, however, I just learned this was on the agenda a few minutes ago.
Kind Regards,
Matt A. Hay
Councilman, Ward 1
City of Arnold
314-322-4229
mhay1204@charter.net 
Sat May 01 2010, 23:32 by 
