Posted on 12/05/2011 11:45:43 AM PST by Altariel
Apparently gunning down stray dogs on the streets wasn’t enough for the dog unfriendly officials of Cumberland County, North Carolina.
Now they want to slay, within 72 hours, every dog that comes into the shelter who is, or appears to be a mix of:
American Staffordshire terrier, Rottweiller, Akita, chow chow, Doberman pinscher, German shepherd, Great Dane, Presa Canario, Siberian husky or mastiff. There’s a convenient catch-all pit bull category as well.
They’re not doing it yet, despite what you may be reading on the misinformation highway.
But they’re talking about it.
The county’s Animal Control Board is recommending that authorities limit the adoption of the above dog breeds, or, as one county official referred to them, ”attack animals.” (Clearly, they haven’t met many Great Danes.)
The idea is only in the discussion stages, but many websites are reporting –erroneously — that the new policy goes into effect today.
“I’ve probably had 1,500 emails,” said John Lauby, director of Cumberland County Animal Control. (Here’s hoping he gets about 150,000 more.)
Lauby told a Fayetteville Observer columnist that misinformation on the Internet led people to believe the county will ban adoption of pit bulls and other breeds starting Monday, and immediately euthanize any members of those breeds in the shelter.
In reality, the county hasn’t taken that medieval step, it’s just considering it.
“We’re looking at a list of animals used as attack animals,” County Commissioner Charles Evans said. “It has been suggested that something needs to be done about those.”
The recommendation would have to make its way through a committe and then require approval by the county commissioners before going into effect. But it’s scheduled to be introduced at a meeting tonight. (6 p.m., at Cumberland County Animal Services, 4704 Corporation Drive, Fayetteville).
Lauby said animal control constantly receives calls from residents complaining about dogs behaving aggressively or running loose, preventing people from getting into their cars.
“We have an inordinate number of pit bulls in the county that are chasing people, chasing dogs, they’re on school grounds and generally bother people,” he said. “The reality is that about 80 percent of our calls are related to that particular breed.”
Complaints from the public also led Cumberland County to hire an outside contractor to capture stray dogs in and around Fayetteville — a massive roundup that started in August and, at last report, led to more dogs being gunned down than caught alive.
Fayetteville doesn’t have its own animal control department, instead relying on the county office to handle dog-related issues.
As I’ve implied before, that might be part of the problem — the problem, in my view, being not just too many uncontrolled dogs, but too many unenlightened public servants, who see dogs as foes and death as a solution.
Maybe it’s the army base influence. In any event, someone needs to usher Cumberland County into modern times.
In a way, the proposed policy — while it it lists some new ”public enemy” breeds, like the husky, and some returning ones, like the shepherd — would only formalize what’s already common practice in the county.
Since April, Cumberland County Animal Control has taken in nearly 1,300 pit bulls, but only 124 have been adopted. The shelter has taken in 180 Rottweilers since then, only 26 of whom were adopted. Of 96 chow chows received at the shelter since April, 15 have been adopted, according to the Fayetteville Observer.
The rest are euthanized.
Now, some want to make it official, banning the adoption of any of those breeds and guaranteeing a death sentence for all of them, or any mixes thereof — all based on what will likely be, judging from the wisdom they’ve shown so far, an uneducated guess.
In addition to complaints, worries about liability issues are also behind the proposal. The county fears it might be held responsible for any damage done by dogs adopted from its shelter. Most shelters handle that with a simple waiver.
Petitions against the policy can be found on several websites, including our-compass.org and change.org.
If you’d like to give Cumberland County officials a piece of your mind — and it appears they could use it — continue reading for contact information.
Dr. Jeannette M. Council PO Box 1829 Fayetteville, NC 28302 Office: 910-678-7771 Home: 910-488-0691 jcouncil@co.cumberland.nc.us
Charles Evans PO Box 1829 Fayetteville, NC 28302 Office: 910-678-7771 Home: 910-978-6643 cevans@co.cumberland.nc.us
Jimmy Keefe PO Box 1829 Fayetteville, NC 28302 Office: 910-678-7771 Work: 910-323-1791 jkeefe@co.cumberland.nc.us
Billy R. King PO Box 1829 Fayetteville, NC 28302 Office: 910-678-7771 Work: 910-822-6676 bking@co.cumberland.nc.us
Edward Melvin PO Box 1829 Fayetteville, NC 28302 Office: 910-678-7771 Cell: 910-391-4028 emelvin@co.cumberland.nc.us
Kenneth S. Edge Chairman PO Box 1829 Fayetteville, NC 28302 Office: 910-678-7771 Home: 910-425-0918 kedge@co.cumberland.nc.us
Marshall Faircloth Vice Chairman PO Box 1829 Fayetteville, NC 28302 Office: 910-678-7771 Work: 910-323-1040 wmfaircloth@co.cumberland.nc.us
Mayor Anthony G. Chavonne 433 Hay Street Fayetteville, NC 28301 910-433-1992, 910-433-3401 Fax 433-1948 mayor@ci.fay.nc.us
Dr. John Lauby Director of Animal Services Cumberland County Animal Control 4704 Corporation Drive, Fayetteville, NC 28306 Animal Control Phone: 910-321-6845, 910-321-6844, 910-321-6826, 910-321-6827, 910-321-6945, 910-321-6965 910-321-6852 jlauby@co.cumberland.nc.us
Responsible Dog Ownership
If, by some strange chance, a shelter would get hold of my micro-chipped support dog and murder him, blood will flow.
Bet on it.
By the way, standard poodles can make excellent “attack dogs”.
Why are they *not* on the list...*yet*?
For what it’s worth, I have an excellent book on how to train -any- breed of dog into an “attack dog”...and I mean *any* dog.
My God, this world is full of stupid, gutless cowards.
Stand down, Dog People.
They were barraged by a furious cyber-mob and they caved.
http://www.news-record.com/content/2011/12/06/article/nc_board_drops_bully_breed_proposal
Ha effing ha.
The People have spoken.
Dog Power!
[this good news brought to you by the livid Dobe owners in Dobermantalk.com]
Post #83.
Stand down....for now.
You sent Odhinn to have a word with them, didn’t you?
:-)
Not hardly.
Right now, Himself is sprawled peacefully on the sofa, upside down, displaying all his junk.
[He’s such a vulgar slob]... L0L!
I hear ya.
Every Great Dane I’ve known has been a pussycat!
Thanks for the update!
Overjoyed to be able to post it...:)
Very cool, thanks for posting the good news.
You’re quite welcome.
[and here I am again, giggling at your user name]
;D
*So* nice to see that perfectly magnificent, -original- GSD pop up on threads....:)
I’m confused. This article in title and in text:
“so-called bully breeds — pit bulls, Rottweilers, chow chows, American Staffordshire terriers, Presa Canarios and mixes of any of them — be rendered “unadoptable,” according to minutes from the meeting.”
refers to “bully breeds” only. The thread article stated many more breeds (although I don’t think I’d ever call a Chow a “bully”).
Do the reporters think “bully” means “pit-bull type” or only in the English sense of “nasty, mean, intimidating”? Maybe they don’t know what is meant....
Plotts are the preferred bear breed but locals, due to the cost of the relatively rare Plotts often breed different coonhounds together and train them as bear dogs.
In the VA “Valley Trader” this week, there are about half a dozen Coon breed mixes for sale, already trained and averaging about $800 each.
They’re quite “efficient”.
Speaking as a generality, I’m sure any breed of dog that was big enough and had plenty of “drive” could be trained as a bear dog.
She is a beauty, huh? A bit thin, a bit square, but I’d still like that over roach-backs and hock-dragging.
“Lol, I think I’d stay out of Transylvania too......! Vampire-dogs run wild!”
Damn square, there are...and they’re *Dobermanns*!
http://www.critcononline.com/zoltan_hound_of_dracula_1977.htm
[one of the best “truly awful” movies ever made]
;D
[I’ve heard that Spotsylvania is overrun with undead Dalmations]
Their episode on Dobermanns was pretty laughable.
I think I even saw Odin’s jaw hit the floor a couple of times.
They should retitle the show “Dogs For Dummies”.
:)
I agree 100%! That’s why I have ISSR Shiloh Shepherds....... Old style rin tin tin types GSD.....
Reporters [and anyone else who thinks they can determine the “genetics of a “bully type” dog by looks, alone”] are blithering idiots.
Loosely speaking, any dog whose origins stem from the ancient Mastiffs *could* be considered a “bully” breed, even if that breed *never* had anything to do with droving or even once setting eyes on a bull, at all.
As an example, the woman who adopted my Portuguese Podengo Medio’s sister had her DNA “analyzed” to see what breed she was.
It came back that she was part Bloodhound, part Basset, part Pharoah Hound and about 4 other “you gotta be kiddin’ me!” breeds.
She and my PPM both were dropped off at the shelter by a Portuguese hunter with a reputation for breeding PPMs in N.CA.
They are both indisputably PPMs.
[in other words, do *not* waste your money having your mutt “tested”]
Sometimes, only God and the parents of the dog “know what it is”, regardless of appearance.
I’ve seen local Lab/Hound mixes that looked just like “Pits”.
Bottom line is, without the history of the indvidual dog, no one can know _for sure_ “what it is” unless it’s *obviously* a purebred ~whatever~.
Hope that helps...:)
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