Tennessee State Senator Proposes Pit Bull Ban, But is He Serious?
Update January 18, 2007: The bill has been withdrawn, but read below for ideas to suggest to Sen. Kilby on how to lower dog bite incidents in Tennessee.
Original report: Tennessee state Senator Tommy Kilby has introduced a bill that would make it a crime to own a pit bull type dog or the American bulldog as well as any dog that is 50% of one of those breeds.
Yes, a crime, a Class A misdemeanor. Click here to read a copy of S.B. 2738
Is Senator Kilby serious? Well, no. He has announced he is not planning to try to ban pit bulls from the state. Instead, the senator is hoping to raise awareness about irresponsible and even criminal dog owners. He hopes to draw public support for non breed specific legislation that will address the real reasons dogs bite.
Indeed, Karen Delise, author of Fatal Dog Attacks: The Stories Behind the Statistics, and founder of the National Canine Research Council, has pointed out 21 fatal attacks in Tennessee (over the past 43 years), were by ten different breeds. So, it's not just the pits! It actually is the owners....
Let's give Sen. Kilby and the Senate Judiciary Committee some help. Email them the suggestions below for crafting legislation that will address the reasons dogs bite and prompt owners to take action before a bite or serious injury occurs.
Email members of the Senate Judiciary Committee
Suggestions for non-breed specific legislation:
- Pass an effective potentially dangerous dog ordinance:
Assign dogs a level of potential danger, with restrictions and penalties for each level.
Require spay/neuter, education and training to encourage owners to take responsibility before a serious injury or death occurs.
Dogs and owners can earn lower levels and dogs can even be declared no longer potentially dangerous.
- Encourage spay/neuter and support funding for free or low cost spay/neuter:
90% of fatal dog attacks are by dogs that have not been spayed/neutered: There is not a single case of a fatal dog attack by a spayed/neutered pit bull type dog (National Canine Research Council);
81% of dogs involved in bite incidents were not spayed/neutered (Texas 2002 Severe Animal Attack and Bite Surveillance Summary)
3. Mandate spay/neuter for:
Dogs adopted from shelters or rescues or sold by pet stores or online
Dogs impounded more than once after being found at-large or off-leash
Dogs declared potentially dangerous or dangerous
Dogs owned by felons
4. Ban tethering or chaining dogs (also a popular technique by dog fighters to make the dogs more aggressive; the CDC has found tethered or chained dogs are 2.8 times more likely to bite):
Lawrence County, Kansas, adopted an anti-tethering ordinance. From 2005 to 2006, the number of calls concerning cruelty and dog fighting dropped from 800 to 260. Officials attribute the decline in large part to the anti-tethering law.
The USDA and even the AVMA have said tethering dogs is inhumane.
5. Pass and enforce strong at large or leash laws or enforce such laws and encourage micro chipping or tattooing:
82% of dog bites occur as a result of dogs that are running loose (JAVMA, September 15, 2000)
After passing a leash law, the city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, reported a 35% drop in dog bites.
6. Address through strong laws and education the problem of animal cruelty:
Well over half (61%) of fatal dog attacks are by dogs who were not humanely controlled, or who had in some way been abused or neglected (Delise, Fatal Dog Attacks: The Stories Behind the Statistics))
7. Offer free or low cost training and education about the importance of socializing dogs early and making them part of the family:
81% of dogs involved in fatal dog attacks were isolated and not part of the family (Delise, Fatal Dog Attacks: The Stories Behind the Statistics))
8. Pass and enforce strong dog fighting laws that make all aspects of dog fighting illegal and include bonding and forfeiture provisions; organize a dog fighting task force in your community or region.
9. Require dog breeders to register or obtain licenses, limit breeding by age and numbers, ban breeding for aggression and fighting, ban the sale of dogs in pet stores and along roadsides, street corners or sidewalks; require inspections of breeders' facilities and track sales of dogs by breeders.
10. Stop the cultural glorification of violence especially involving pit bull type dogs.
As a matter of public safety, this program could be funded through a number of sources including general revenues, dog and breeder licensing or registration fees, surcharges on pet stores, sales taxes on breeders and pet stores, fines for violations of these or animal protection laws, funds from forfeiture of property in cruelty or dog fighting cases. There could also be funds set up for particular purposes such as spay/neuter or dog training and education that could be funded by taxpayers check offs, license plates and private donations.
