Oh Really? a.k.a. I wish I could go on SNL and do a skit on this...

Indianapolis Republican City Councilman Mike Speedy had a proposed BSL bill tabled recently, and our good friend Brent Toellner posted on it at KC Dog Blog. It appears the apparently well-intentioned Mr. Speedy doesn't want to let the issue die quietly and is continuing to get his views into the press. We do live in a country with freedom of speech and I applaud his tenacity.
His letter to the editor appeared in yesterday's Indy Star and has already garnered 31 comments, not surprisingly.
Again, I say he appears well intentioned. He uses whole paragraphs devoted to stroking the egos of dog advocates:

"no other "bad rap" breed such as Dobermans or German Shepherds ever endured more than 20 years of abuse, torture, neglect, dog fighting or less desire to adopt from the public. Animal welfare groups and pit bull advocates have given their all for the past 10 years for voluntary pit bull specific spay/neuter,adoption, outreach and training programs with little progress."

(btw - Thanks. We know we have tough jobs. Ummmmm....your facts are wrong...but I'll leave that to others to counter.)

However - it is after this point that Councilman Speedy off the rails and shows that, like his name, the quickest solution is not always the easiest one:

The At-Risk Dog proposal simply requires the registration and sterilization of pit bulls, dogs specifically bred for dog fighting. If you reduce the population in a humane way, you will reduce the bites and the status image, and you will make the dog fighters and criminals easier to find.

Wow. It's that easy, huh?
Why didn't we think of that?
Seriously?
All we have to do is require people to register the dogs they are using for fighting and then they will bring them in and we can catch them then!
Amazing!
Brilliant! Bloody brilliant!
Someone buy this man a Guinness!
Really?
If it were that easy we would be passing these laws every day every where!
You think that passing a law like this and calling it "at-risk" makes it any less threatening to bully breed owners?
Really?
Have you thought of the consequences? Haven't you wondered why every other council person was opposed to this? Have you investigated that as thoroughly as you did your "facts" regarding dog bites?
Really? Seriously?
Please, people.

Michael Vick - Why not everyone deserves a second chance.

Michael Vick has been back in the news a lot the last few days, with his release from prison yesterday. KC Dog Blog has an excellent post about Vick and the HSUS. This morning, I heard Colin Cowherd on ESPN Radio talking about Vick's possible reinstatement to the NFL and he made some great points which got me thinking about this issue again. I have always been in favor of giving people a second chance in life, if they are truly sorry for what they did and want to make amends. And I've honestly debated this issue in my own mind - trying to reconcile my own beliefs of giving people a second chance and Vick's actions. However, here's why I believe Vick does NOT deserve a second chance in the NFL.

First of all, it's not like Vick drove drunk, got in a bar fight, used steroids, dealt drugs, committed fraud, cheated on his wife or any one of a number of other illegal and/or immoral activities. ALL of those things and more are horrible. But he tortured and killed innocent dogs with his own hands. This was not just about dog fighting (as heinous and horrific as that is). He tortured animals. He threw dogs to the ground repeatedly until they were dead. He hooked up dogs to electrocution devices, drowned them or beat them to death. This was not Jack Bauer on 24 committing torture to save the world. These also weren't the acts of a 14 or 15 year old immature kid, shooting birds in the back yard with a bb gun. What kind of person does that? These were completely innocent dogs that just wanted some food, water, safe shelter and some love and attention every once in a while. What would you think of one of your neighbors if you found out they tortured and killed dogs? Anyone that would commit acts of torture like that is clearly a sociopath and has no place in a civilized society, let alone deserving of a second chance.