Results tagged “animal law” from Petfinder Blog

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.

Update: Thanks to the commenter who pointed out this great post on the Best Friends Network's Stop BSL blog, which lists ways to speak out against this policy.

Original post: Breed-specific legislation has now extended its ugly reach to the military.

Good News for Pets writes about a new memo banning "aggressive or potentially aggressive" dogs, including pit bulls, rottweilers, Doberman pinschers, chows and wolf hybrids from military housing as of Feb. 1, 2009.

You can see copies of the memo on the Web sites for Fort Riley, Kansas, and Army Hawaii Family Housing, to name just two examples.

How sad that our government is rewarding our brave servicemen and women by taking their beloved family pets from them. As Good News for Pets points out:

According to the ruling, dogs of any type who currently live on base can be grandfathered in. However, [Lynette] Lynde [a pit owner whose husband is an Afghanistan vet] points out that families are frequently being asked to re-locate. When they do, they can no longer bring their banned dogs with them. Similarly, new enlistees must leave their dogs at home if they're indentified as a banned breed.

Making the ban even more upsetting: Not so long ago, pit bulls were considered the embodiment of the American military spirit for their bravery and loyalty.

I just read an interesting story in the Washington Post about a herd of 2,000 wild mustangs due to be euthanized by the Bureau of Land Management.

According to the article:

[Y]esterday, at a public hearing in Reno, Nev., to discuss the issue, a solution arrived on a white horse, so to speak.

Madeleine Pickens, wife of billionaire T. Boone Pickens, made known her intentions to adopt not just the doomed wild horses but most or all of the 30,000 horses and burros kept in federal holding pens. Lifelong animal lovers, the Pickenses just a few years ago led the fight to close the last horse slaughterhouse in the United States.

Until now, I'd only known of T. Boone Pickens as a super-rich advocate of energy independence. How nice to hear that he and his wife are not only animal lovers, but people who use their wealth to quite literally save animals' lives.

But a little Internet digging revealed that, in fact, any qualified person can adopt a wild horse or burro. Find out how after the jump.

For many of us who love animals, "Save the Whales" were probably the first words we ever learned that showed us protecting other creatures could be a collective and even political effort.

But as we got older and started taking action close to home and saving the dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, etc. -- and as laws such as the Endangered Species Act were passed and society in general became more aware of ecological and animal-welfare concerns -- well, we probably figured the whales were okay.

Well, guess what? They're not.

The Japanese are still hunting whales by the thousands, under the banner of research (i.e. using a legal loophole -- you can learn more about the controversial practice here).

Petfinder's sister company, Animal Planet, has been documenting the efforts of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, a fearless group of activists who quite literally put themselves between the harpoons and the whales in order to save these giant, gentle creatures.
 

As you've no doubt heard, Barack Obama said in his victory speech Tuesday that his daughters had "earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House."

The Obamas told Entertainment Tonight on Sept. 30 they planned to adopt a "rescue dog," and we hope they'll keep that promise. (Of course, readers of this blog were nominating dogs for the Obamas back in July!)

Tuesday's election brought other good news for animals as well.

• In California, voters passed Proposition 2, which ends cruel confinement of farm animals.
• In Massachusetts, voters passed the Greyhound Protection Act, banning commercial dog racing.
• And in  South Tucson, AZ, the Tucson Dog Protection Act passed, which will dramatically improve conditions for racing greyhounds.

All of these represent incredible advances in animal welfare. Now let's just hope the Obamas adopt a shelter dog -- that would really be the Change We Need in the lives of homeless pets everywhere!

Whatever your politics, I have no doubt you're excited to vote today. And if you live in California, Massachusetts or South Tucson, AZ, you have the chance to make a difference for animals.

In California, vote yes on Proposition 2 to end inhumane confinement of farm animals. Want to learn more? The New York Times has an interesting article about Prop 2, which includes arguments by its opponents; you can also check out the Web site Yes! on Prop 2.

(Even if you don't live in California, you can vote with your wallet to help farm animals by buying food that is Certified Humane Raised and Handled, a designation awarded by the non-profit Humane Farm Animal Care.)

And thanks to Mutts creator Patrick McDonnell, who notes in his November "Newshletter" that voters in two states have a chance to help racing greyhounds:

• Massachusetts voters can vote yes on Question 3 to pass the Greyhound Protection Act, which would phase out commercial dog racing by 2010. (Learn more at YesOn3.com.)
• Voters in South Tucson can vote yes on Prop 401 to pass the Tucson Dog Protection Act, which would not ban dog racing, but would improve the treatment of racing greyhounds and help protect the public from dog-borne diseases. (Learn more at TucsonCitizen.com.)

And of course, no matter where you live, you can always help by adopting one of the 2,200+ greyhounds on Petfinder!

Today marks the start of an historic animal abuse case brought against Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus by three animal-welfare groups and a former circus employee.

The ASPCA, the Animal Welfare Institute, the Fund for Animals (a partner of the Humane Society of the U.S.) and former Ringling Bros. employee Tom Rider charge that Ringling Bros. violated the Endangered Species Act by chaining its elephants for prolonged periods and training them with bull hooks, among other abuses.

I won't go into the details of the case, but Ringling Bros. has started its own Web site about the trial, where you can view a PDF of the complaint. You can also click on the names of the animal-welfare groups above to see their press releases about the case, or read a news story here or here.

But I'm interested in a comment by a lawyer for Ringling Bros.' parent company, who said: "Animal special-interest groups are distorting the facts by making false allegations about the treatment of Ringling Bros. elephants as part of a long-running crusade to eliminate animals from circuses, zoos and wildlife parks."

Leaving aside the question of zoos and wildlife parks, should elephants and other animals be banned from use in circuses?

Great news for dogs in Miami-Dade County: Commissioners voted yesterday to make it "illegal to tie a dog to any standing object outside a home unless the dog's owner is present" (Miami Herald).

There was a heated debate before the resolution passed 11-1, with some arguing the law discriminates against families who can't afford to build fences.

"I resent the implication that says if you can't afford it, or can't have a dog without tethering it, you shouldn't have one at all," said Commissioner Barbara Jordan, the
only one to vote against the measure.

Last week, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed 95 bills, "including a measure that would have prohibited dogs from riding on the laps of motorists," the L.A. Times reports.

The reason? "I am only signing bills that are the highest priority for California," the governator said.

Petfinder recommends keeping your dog in a crate or carrier while you're driving for your pet's safety. But be honest: Do you ever drive with your dog (or other pet!) in your lap? Do you think that doing so should be illegal?

Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend the Pennsylvania Bar Institute's Fifth Annual Animal Law Conference, which Petfinder co-sponsored.

Topics included recently passed and pending animal welfare legislation, developing an animal cruelty case, laws regarding assistance animals, ethical issues for shelter/rescue boards and estate planning.

It was really great to meet so many attorneys dedicated to changing and enforcing the laws that protect our companion animals. Many of the attorneys, I learned, volunteer and work in rescue themselves. A huge "thank you" for all that they do.