MONTANA H.B. 191 - Statewide Breed Ban

Pits in the news and info on Breed Specific Legislation.

Postby LMM » January 13th, 2009, 1:53 pm

http://data.opi.mt.gov/bills/2009/billpdf/HB0191.pdf

If Montana state Representative Robyn Driscoll of Billings gets her way and Montana House Bill 191 (H.B. 191) passes, that will be the case. Driscoll introduced this bill to ban all pitbulls; including Staffordshire Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, and “any dog that has the physical characteristics that substantially conform to the standards established for those breeds by the American Kennel Club.” If this bill passes pitbulls would be confiscated and killed.

That’s right, the woman with this happy smiling face wants to rip your beloved family pets away from you, your family, your children, and kill them!

If enacted, HB 191 will:

Make it unlawful, with little exception, for a person to own, harbor, or keep a pit bull dog. “Pit bull” is defined in the act to include Staffordshire Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, and any dog that has the physical characteristics that substantially conform to the standards established for those breeds by the American Kennel Club.
Force persons in violation of the bill to surrender their dogs to animal control officials, or risk seizure of the animals.
Mandate that within ten days of surrender or seizure, the animal control agency shall euthanize such dogs.
Per HB 191, this applies to:
(a) a Staffordshire bull terrier;
(b) an American Staffordshire terrier;
(c) an American pit bull terrier;
(d) an American bulldog; or
(e) any dog that has been registered at any time as a pit bull terrier or has the physical characteristics that substantially conform to the standards established for the breeds listed in this subsection (2) by the American kennel club or the united kennel club.

Currently owned pitbulls, if they are properly licensed and registered as per requirements, that is the person; “owned a pit bull dog and registered the ownership of the dog with the county government and obtained a license tag identifying the dog as a registered pit bull dog on or before [the effective date of this act]” will be able to keep their dog as long as they follow the regulations.

The owner of a pit bull dog that is exempt from the provisions of [section 1(1)] shall:
(1) keep an unleashed, unmuzzled dog confined to the owner’s premises;
(2) keep the dog muzzled and on a leash when the dog is outside of the owner’s premises;
(3) within 30 days of registering ownership with the county, provide the county with proof from a licensed veterinarian that the pit bull dog has been neutered or spayed or is incapable of being neutered or spayed.

The National Canine Research Council reports that between 1965 and 2008, there were 3 fatalities in Montana from dog bites. Yes, 3 in 43 years. The NCRC notes, “All the dogs involved … were …not spayed or neutered….All three cases involved unsupervised children left alone in a yard with unfamiliar dogs (2 cases) or the child wandering off and encountering an unfamiliar, chained dog (1 case).”

BSL is a virus which is spreading because of stupid, ignorant people and it must be stopped!! For every city or state where it gets a foothold, that gives BSL proponents more ammunition to spread it further and further.

Montana dog and pitbull owners, you need to act and you need to ACT NOW! And for the rest of us, we all need to band together and raise our voices and support Montana pitbull owners. If you stand back and say it doesn’t affect you, maybe it doesn’t today, but what about tomorrow?

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Write or call Rep. Robyn Driscoll and urge her to drop this breed ban. Tell her dogs don’t bite because of breed and breed bans don’t make communities safe from dog bites. Instead, they penalize responsible owners and greatly increase animal control costs. Be polite.

Robyn Driscoll, (406) 534-4874, rdriscoll@peoplepc.com

All concerned Montana dog owners should contact their elected representatives, and the members of the Montana House Local Government Committee, and express their strong opposition to this breed-specific legislation. To find your elected representatives, click here.

Members of the Montana House Local Government Committee:

Representative Elsie Arntzen, Chair
Representative Betsy Hands, Vice Chair
Representative Gary MacLaren, Vice Chair
Representative Arlene Becker
Representative Gerald Bennett
Representative Tom Berry
Representative Robyn Driscoll
Representative Bob Ebinger
Representative Wanda Grinde
Representative Robin Hamilton
Representative Pat Ingraham
Representative Mike Menahan
Representative Michael More
Representative Scott Reichner
Representative Michele Reinhart
Representative Diane Sands
Representative Wayne Stahl
Representative Gordon Vance

Contact them now and continue to contact them. Be firm but be polite. The bill is currently sitting in the House Local Government Committee. We must do everything we can to stop in before it gets further!
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LMM
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