Whitehall Pit Bull ban fails for second time.

Good news for dogs and responsible dog owners in Whitehall, OH as Whitehall City Council AGAIN votes down Jacquelyn Thompson's discriminatory and completely ineffective pit bull ban. We'll post more news stories as they become available but here are a few so far:

NBC4 story

Citizen Journalist blog

Updated: 7/22/09 9:06 PM

Whitehall News

2nd article in Whitehall News about Jacquelyn Thompson which references HELP FIDO.

A special thank you, by the way, to Ms. Thompson and her cohorts for continually mentioning us (although all lies) in Whitehall City Council meetings and to the local media. Every time that happens, hits to our blog and website increase substantially and we are able to reach many more responsible dog owners of all breeds. Yes, we care about the horribly abused pit bull population; but fighting breed specific legislation is merely one part of what we do. Yes, we are concerned about what happens in Whitehall; but our concern stretches far beyond the reach of Ms. Thompson. And yes, we have been critical of Ms. Thompson in the past, but it has always been on the issues at hand and constitutionally protected free speech.

HELP FIDO is about helping all dogs and dog owners. Below is the full description of our goals.

HELP FIDO is a non-profit organization based in Central Ohio which seeks to promote a healthy relationship between dogs and citizens, especially those dogs often targeted for breed discrimination.

Our goals include improving public safety, decreasing dog bites, decreasing euthanasia rates, eliminating animal abuse, and decreasing overpopulation. Additionally, we work to change the public perception of bully breeds, end dog fighting, increase the numbers of bully ambassadors, and end breed specific legislation.

We do this through a 360-degree approach to the humane and human community, including dog owners, media, legislators and general public. We work with and coordinate existing community resources, as well as identify gaps and implement new programs where necessary. These efforts include voluntary spay/neuter and microchip programs, supporting rescue and adoption, obedience classes, responsible ownership, and dog bite prevention classes.

It's like deja vu all over again.

HELP FIDO was in attendance at last evening's City Council meeting in Whitehall, OH. Everyone's favorite council person, Jacquelyn Thompson, was in her typical form spotting lies about anyone that opposes her desire to ban "pit bulls" from the city and making up "facts" or retellings myths on the fly to support for nonsensical rants. This is Ms. Thompson's second attempt to pass a "pit bull" ban and nothing has changed from last year, when it failed on a 6-2 vote. Breed specific legislation does not work and is opposed by every reputable dog organization out there. Rather than waste everyone's time rehashing this debate in Whitehall, please take a look at our blog posts about it from last year.

To show just how looney-tunes Ms. Thompson is, take a look at this fine blog from the good folks over at Citizen Journalist CJT.