Monday, March 15, 2010

Florida Humane Society Opposing Proposed BSL

HB 543 and SB 1276 are two bills in Florida that would repeal the state's ban on local communities prohibiting certain dogs. That is, cities and counties in Florida are currently not allowed to ban dogs based on phenotype or breed. These two bills would eliminate that clause and allow breed specific legislation.

BSL has never worked. It never will work. It is costly and unenforceable. It kills innocent dogs. It criminalizes innocent people.

I'm sure we'll see more opposition from the animal welfare community, especially when the analysis is created. Today, though, the Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River County publicly announced their opposition to the proposed law.

While I disagree that testicles causes more dog attacks, I do agree that there are better methods of reducing dog bites than breed restrictions.

The Senate version has passed the Community Affairs committee 9 votes to 2. The new amendment prohibits breed bans but permits breed specific restrictions that may prevent current or prospective owners from owning that type of dog and increase their kill rates at shelters.

StopBSL has plenty of information on these two bills including ways for Floridians to contact their legislators.

3 comments:

Mary said...

I thought Dade County had a pit bull ban already.

Unknown said...

@Mary: They do. It was passed prior to Florida enacting a statewide prohibition on breed bans. They grandfathered Miami-Dade County's law.

It is also a law that hasn't worked. They still kill on average 600-800 Pit Bulls a year. For a law that's been on the books since 1990, it has proved unsuccessful in reducing dog bites or significantly reducing the Pit Bull population (I mean, by now, all those grandfathered in Pit Bulls should be dead).

Anonymous said...

The good news is (quiet whisper) it looks like the Senate bill will not go any further. It's all rumors and such at the moment, so I'm not saying much about it. Gotta wait for it to officially die in committee.