No Breed Specific Legislation for Louisville

To:  Mayor Abramson and Council

Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) criminalizes United State citizens.

In 1896, the U.S. Supreme Court declared all breeds of dogs to be our property.
(Sentel v. New Orleans and Carrolton Railroad (1896) 166 US 698)

Since that time several Federal Circuit Courts have concurred that dogs qualify as property protected under Due Process.(see Altman v. High Point, 330F.3d 194.)

On August 30, 2003 the Alabama Supreme court affirmed American Pit Bull Terriers are not vicious as have several other courts. (see Huntsville v Shelia Tack (Ala.08-30-02), No. 1010459)

Responsible dog owners have constitutional rights and breed specific legislation takes those rights from us.
Nowhere has breed specific legislation reduced criminal activity or protected the public from dangerous dogs.
13 states prohibit breed discrimination laws.
There are over a dozen towns in the United States that have repealed BSL, with more in litigation at this time.
There are over 50 towns who have decided against BSL in this past year, after reviewing data which clearly shows banning one or two breeds of dogs does not address the true issues of irresponsible ownership, lack of proper parental supervision of dog/child interaction and proper confinement of dogs.
Many national organizations, such as National Animal Control Association, American Kennel Club, Humane Society of the United States, American Veterinary Medicine Association, International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, and the majority of individual State Veterinary Medical Associations have reviewed available data on dog bites and dog related fatalities and come to the clear conclusion that the statistics do not support that one breed is more dangerous than another, nor is breed specific legislation effective.
Costly, unenforceable and unconstitutional legislation is not the answer as it will not properly address irresponsible ownership of all dogs.
We are petitioning the City of Louisville to enact and enforce alternatives to breed specific legislation which addresses irresponsible ownership of all breeds of dogs.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The No Breed Specific Legislation for Louisville Petition to Mayor Abramson and Council was created by Kentucky Citizens and written by Sandi Coy (fuzzypaws1234@aol.com).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.

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