BREEDING HOSTILITY
New legislation targets pit bulls and owners
By Annette Stark
The Villalobos Rescue Center in Canyon Country saves, rehabilitates, and places abandoned pit bulls. Owner Tia Maria (Torres) Cardello, a former training instructor for L.A. City Animal Services and an at-risk youth counselor, also provides help and training for people who own aggressive pit bulls. Requests for her advice have increased lately, especially from dog-owners concerned about recently proposed California legislation aimed at imposing some restrictions on dog ownership.
To Cardello, a recipient of numerous certificates of appreciation from L.A. Animal Control, quite a few owners of pit-style breeds (American Staffordshire Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier) appear less than ideal. "Thank God, pits are friendly," she says. "Because this novice owner sees this 'waggley' pit bull. They take it home and it's a loaded gun."
The proposed legislation, state Senate Bill 861, was spearheaded by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom in response to public outcry over the fatal Bay Area mauling of 12-year-old Nicholas Faibish by his family's two pit bulls in their home on June 3. Introduced by state Sen. Jackie Speier (D-San Francisco), the bill will amend a current California law that prohibits breed-specific legislation to allow for each locale to set its own laws about mandatory neutering of any breed, or restricting "backyard breeding."
Cardello supports some restrictions such as mandatory neutering, as long as there are exceptions being made for show dogs that have to be left intact to compete. She cautions that pet lovers should not get "overly emotional" about the bill. "The senator - if she wanted to be really nasty - she could have [specifically] said 'pit bulls.' She did not. She said any breed."
Like many cities, San Francisco has a pit bull problem - including overpopulation - that needs to be addressed, says Carl Friedman, the director of San Francisco's Department of Animal Care and Control, who was appointed to head Newsom's Canine Response Working Group two weeks after the Faibish tragedy. "In my mind there is no excuse for a dog to savagely tear a human being apart," Friedman says. "We have to protect our citizens." (Friedman has been quoted that he supports restricting pit bull ads on places like the Craigslist website, where pit bull puppies currently fetch as much as $1,000.)
Needless to say, many pit bull owners, advocates, and breeding societies (of all breeds) oppose any breed specific legislation, fearing it will lead to discrimination against the dogs or the owners.
Cardello insists it's not as simple as that. "A woman called me from San Francisco. She said, 'I'm being targeted by my landlord for my pits. Can I board them with you?' I said yes. The first red flag - she arrives and we see that the dogs are trying to eat us through the car window. The other flag - the inside of the car had been demolished by the dogs. They were jumping all over the place and the male dog peed on her. After we had these dogs three weeks, trying to eat everybody, I told her she was a liar. She wasn't being targeted - she is being kicked out because she has two potentially dangerous dogs."
Nationwide, pit bulls now carry an aura of aggression - justified or not - about them. These dogs have been widely branded as the animal of choice for drug dealers, a condemnation that advocates argue is as meaningful as saying that drug dealers also might favor Armani pants. And while much has been made about this, the attacks that have been reported appear to be by a family's or neighbor's pit.
Some insist that mandatory neutering won't work, because irresponsible owners will simply choose another dog for aggressive breeding. Besides, there is much information that while pit bulls have a long history of being game-bred to fight other dogs, this has not changed their gentle nature toward humans. The Bay Area's most notable pit bull advocate and rescue society, Bad Rap, states on its website: "Animal aggression is a completely different behavior from human aggression. They've been traditionally bred to be very human-friendly." (CityBeat could not reach Bad Rap for comment.)
In L.A. shelters, there is no credible evidence that pits are more dangerous than other breeds. "We have not received any information that any breed is more aggressive than another," says Guerdon Stuckey, general manager of the L.A. Department of Animal Services. Stuckey supports mandatory neutering all dogs, though he opposes the singling out of any one breed. "We're getting more pits and Rotts [Rottweilers] because it's the dog of choice of the moment."
While many proponents of breed-specific legislation might agree, they argue that pit bulls and pit bull mixes have accounted for at least four high-profile attacks in Northern California this year. One of those was on a Santa Rosa woman and her eight-year-old daughter, both bitten by a dog that wandered into their yard in July, leaving the child's face permanently scarred; another was the fatal mauling in Fresno of Tyler Babcock, 6, who was apparently murdered by a pit bull and a pit bull mix in a neighbor's yard.
According to a 2002 report by the CDC, pit bulls and Rottweilers are responsible for more attacks against humans than any other breed. Many of the attacks are on children between the ages of 5 and 9.
"The breed is 2.6 times more likely to attack," explains Daphna Nachminovitch, director of Domestic Animal and Wildlife Rescue & Information Department for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). "In many situations, the dog is chained. They have one patch of land to protect and they're going to protect that with all they have. "
PETA has long supported any and all breed-specific legislation, explaining that such laws are for the protection of the animals as well as humans. Nachminovitch cites CDC statistics from 2002 that suggest as many American children (aged one through nine) died in attacks by chained dogs (pits, according to PETA) as they did in the accidental discharge of rifles or shotguns.
Pits are also the most abused breed, adds Nachminovitch. "These dogs are hanged, set on fire, left in the trash to die. A few years ago, two teenagers set their pit on fire because he wouldn't fight the other pit. We get a minimum of 10 abuse cases per week - but that a very conservative estimate."
While SB 861 does not specifically mention pit bulls, the bill's proponents have been forthcoming that their focus is controlling the breed. More than half the shelter dogs in the U.S. are pits and mixes. In San Francisco, the figures are as high as 55 percent. The San Francisco Chronicle has reported that Berkeley has 90 percent. In Los Angeles, according to the Department of Animal Services, it's often 85 percent.
Once a dog has exhibited aggressive tendencies, adoption isn't a reasonable alternative. "Ultimately, these bleeding hearts get the dog in trouble," Cardello complains. "I cringe when I see all these pit bull rescues that are popping up claiming that the dog is wonderful. Yeah, they're wonderful until they're not. Pit bulls belong with pit bull people who do their research and are structured with their own lifestyle, too. And that's where these dogs belong. They don't belong with the bleeding hearts. If you need to feel good about yourself by saving a pit bull, you probably need therapy."
Stuckey would like the L.A. shelters to do more to educate people who want to adopt any dog. "We try to match the right animal with the right family. We ask questions like, 'Do you live in a house or apartment. Do you have children? Can you give the dog exercise and attention?'"
But it ultimately remains each family's choice. "This is still America," says Stuckey. "We're not going to deny them the animal."
Published: 07/21/2005
New legislation targets pit bulls and owners
By Annette Stark
The Villalobos Rescue Center in Canyon Country saves, rehabilitates, and places abandoned pit bulls. Owner Tia Maria (Torres) Cardello, a former training instructor for L.A. City Animal Services and an at-risk youth counselor, also provides help and training for people who own aggressive pit bulls. Requests for her advice have increased lately, especially from dog-owners concerned about recently proposed California legislation aimed at imposing some restrictions on dog ownership.
To Cardello, a recipient of numerous certificates of appreciation from L.A. Animal Control, quite a few owners of pit-style breeds (American Staffordshire Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier) appear less than ideal. "Thank God, pits are friendly," she says. "Because this novice owner sees this 'waggley' pit bull. They take it home and it's a loaded gun."
The proposed legislation, state Senate Bill 861, was spearheaded by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom in response to public outcry over the fatal Bay Area mauling of 12-year-old Nicholas Faibish by his family's two pit bulls in their home on June 3. Introduced by state Sen. Jackie Speier (D-San Francisco), the bill will amend a current California law that prohibits breed-specific legislation to allow for each locale to set its own laws about mandatory neutering of any breed, or restricting "backyard breeding."
Cardello supports some restrictions such as mandatory neutering, as long as there are exceptions being made for show dogs that have to be left intact to compete. She cautions that pet lovers should not get "overly emotional" about the bill. "The senator - if she wanted to be really nasty - she could have [specifically] said 'pit bulls.' She did not. She said any breed."
Like many cities, San Francisco has a pit bull problem - including overpopulation - that needs to be addressed, says Carl Friedman, the director of San Francisco's Department of Animal Care and Control, who was appointed to head Newsom's Canine Response Working Group two weeks after the Faibish tragedy. "In my mind there is no excuse for a dog to savagely tear a human being apart," Friedman says. "We have to protect our citizens." (Friedman has been quoted that he supports restricting pit bull ads on places like the Craigslist website, where pit bull puppies currently fetch as much as $1,000.)
Needless to say, many pit bull owners, advocates, and breeding societies (of all breeds) oppose any breed specific legislation, fearing it will lead to discrimination against the dogs or the owners.
Cardello insists it's not as simple as that. "A woman called me from San Francisco. She said, 'I'm being targeted by my landlord for my pits. Can I board them with you?' I said yes. The first red flag - she arrives and we see that the dogs are trying to eat us through the car window. The other flag - the inside of the car had been demolished by the dogs. They were jumping all over the place and the male dog peed on her. After we had these dogs three weeks, trying to eat everybody, I told her she was a liar. She wasn't being targeted - she is being kicked out because she has two potentially dangerous dogs."
Nationwide, pit bulls now carry an aura of aggression - justified or not - about them. These dogs have been widely branded as the animal of choice for drug dealers, a condemnation that advocates argue is as meaningful as saying that drug dealers also might favor Armani pants. And while much has been made about this, the attacks that have been reported appear to be by a family's or neighbor's pit.
Some insist that mandatory neutering won't work, because irresponsible owners will simply choose another dog for aggressive breeding. Besides, there is much information that while pit bulls have a long history of being game-bred to fight other dogs, this has not changed their gentle nature toward humans. The Bay Area's most notable pit bull advocate and rescue society, Bad Rap, states on its website: "Animal aggression is a completely different behavior from human aggression. They've been traditionally bred to be very human-friendly." (CityBeat could not reach Bad Rap for comment.)
In L.A. shelters, there is no credible evidence that pits are more dangerous than other breeds. "We have not received any information that any breed is more aggressive than another," says Guerdon Stuckey, general manager of the L.A. Department of Animal Services. Stuckey supports mandatory neutering all dogs, though he opposes the singling out of any one breed. "We're getting more pits and Rotts [Rottweilers] because it's the dog of choice of the moment."
While many proponents of breed-specific legislation might agree, they argue that pit bulls and pit bull mixes have accounted for at least four high-profile attacks in Northern California this year. One of those was on a Santa Rosa woman and her eight-year-old daughter, both bitten by a dog that wandered into their yard in July, leaving the child's face permanently scarred; another was the fatal mauling in Fresno of Tyler Babcock, 6, who was apparently murdered by a pit bull and a pit bull mix in a neighbor's yard.
According to a 2002 report by the CDC, pit bulls and Rottweilers are responsible for more attacks against humans than any other breed. Many of the attacks are on children between the ages of 5 and 9.
"The breed is 2.6 times more likely to attack," explains Daphna Nachminovitch, director of Domestic Animal and Wildlife Rescue & Information Department for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). "In many situations, the dog is chained. They have one patch of land to protect and they're going to protect that with all they have. "
PETA has long supported any and all breed-specific legislation, explaining that such laws are for the protection of the animals as well as humans. Nachminovitch cites CDC statistics from 2002 that suggest as many American children (aged one through nine) died in attacks by chained dogs (pits, according to PETA) as they did in the accidental discharge of rifles or shotguns.
Pits are also the most abused breed, adds Nachminovitch. "These dogs are hanged, set on fire, left in the trash to die. A few years ago, two teenagers set their pit on fire because he wouldn't fight the other pit. We get a minimum of 10 abuse cases per week - but that a very conservative estimate."
While SB 861 does not specifically mention pit bulls, the bill's proponents have been forthcoming that their focus is controlling the breed. More than half the shelter dogs in the U.S. are pits and mixes. In San Francisco, the figures are as high as 55 percent. The San Francisco Chronicle has reported that Berkeley has 90 percent. In Los Angeles, according to the Department of Animal Services, it's often 85 percent.
Once a dog has exhibited aggressive tendencies, adoption isn't a reasonable alternative. "Ultimately, these bleeding hearts get the dog in trouble," Cardello complains. "I cringe when I see all these pit bull rescues that are popping up claiming that the dog is wonderful. Yeah, they're wonderful until they're not. Pit bulls belong with pit bull people who do their research and are structured with their own lifestyle, too. And that's where these dogs belong. They don't belong with the bleeding hearts. If you need to feel good about yourself by saving a pit bull, you probably need therapy."
Stuckey would like the L.A. shelters to do more to educate people who want to adopt any dog. "We try to match the right animal with the right family. We ask questions like, 'Do you live in a house or apartment. Do you have children? Can you give the dog exercise and attention?'"
But it ultimately remains each family's choice. "This is still America," says Stuckey. "We're not going to deny them the animal."
Published: 07/21/2005
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