Remove Article Against Bull Breeds & Abolish BuyBack Scheme Plans!
- par: Hayley Van Houten
- destinataire: Miranda Devine, NSW Local Government Minister Don Page
Miranda Devine's 'BuyBack' scheme
The Daily Telegraph recently published an article by journalist Miranda Devine, where she spoke of the removal of bull breeds and all dangerous dogs (see above.) She continued to bash the breed, speaking of a recent attack as reasons to brutally exterminate the breed. As a result, the NSW Local Government Minister is taking her suggestions into account with the introduction of a 'buyback' scheme.
"Let’s destroy these deadly animals once and for all," She finishes the article with, after swiftly comparing the dogs to guns. “So, if 1000 pit bulls have to die, that’s a small price to pay to save one child.”
Ms Devine’s article has been submitted to government and NSW Local Government Minister Don Page has asked his department to review the scheme as suggested by the Daily Telegraph columnist.
The proposed “buyback” scheme would allow owners of all dangerous dogs, including pitbulls, to leave their dogs with the local council. The owners would be financially compensated for their trouble and given an array of safer dogs to choose from. If such a scheme goes through, it will deem family pets as “disposable” objects in exchange for cash. As quoted in the article, “a life for a life”. This is NOT how we as Australians work in modern society.
The article needs to be taken down, and as a result, the author to publicly apologize and plans to be abolished. Help me to take down the article, and further prevent Miranda Devine influencing the government to change current schemes. The BuyBack scheme is NOT the answer. It is important that Minister Don Page is aware that the best place to start is by educating the public correctly – this article is not the way to go about that.
Dear Ms Devine, Mr Page & associates,
I write to you today in response to an article I read by Ms Devine that concerned me, leading to even greater concerns about the plans for the buyback scheme. I stumbled upon this article after receiving an email updating me on a petition on Causes.com which was also related to pit bulls. It was the title which intrigued me - 'Time's Up For Deadly Dogs' - what dogs could possibly be deemed as 'deadly'? I knew it must be one of the bull breeds - a breed I have owned and loved my entire life and unpopular among media outlets.
I am beyond appalled by what I read, and the lack of educated reasoning. Ms Devine has single-handedly helped to increase the already unpopular view of bull breeds in Australian society. While they are among one of the highest breeds for dog attacks, they are in line with Labradors and Australian cattle dogs. The media portrays these breeds as perfect family pets. It is wrong that you are publicly shunning dog breeds in the most inhumane form imaginable – suggesting the breed is exterminated – as a professional columnist.
Through further I research, I learnt that Mr Page and his team are considering Ms Devine’s BuyBack scheme in NSW. As an owner of what is deemed a ‘dangerous’ breed, I believe this is one of the worst routes to take in order to tackle what is apparently viewed by some as a growing issue.
If such a scheme goes through, it will deem family pets as “disposable” objects in exchange for cash. As quoted in the article, “a life for a life”. This is NOT how we as Australians work in modern society. The article needs to be taken down, and as a result, Ms Devine needs to publicly apologize. The comments section is full of outraged readers:
“’Sometimes children wander, and sometimes dogs escape’.
Sometimes children wander, and sometimes children drown in backyard pools or get hit by cars, or get kidnapped by strangers. Does this mean we should ban backyard pools and busy roads in order to minimize danger?
We educate families and children about pool safety, road safety and stranger danger. Why are we not educating them about dog safety? Yes, it’s horrible that children die in ways that are preventable, but killing thousands of innocent dogs and family pets is not the way to solve it. Educating people on dog safety will reduce deaths and dog attacks. Not leaving a 2 year old alone in ANY situation let alone with a big dog is an alternative, as is common sense.”
I won't allow someone uneducated about dogs to continue educating the public through such a column. I have owned bull breeds for as long as I can remember. In university, I was taught to resist being biased and displaying opinion - this shows lack of professionalism on Ms Devine’s behalf. The BuyBack scheme can only result in more violence. Taking away the pet from thousands of families is sure to cause more damage than perceived.
There are numerous alternate plans to increase awareness on dog safety. One being a companion animal policy that has been proven to decrease dog attacks. It is called the Calgary Model. It revolves around the idea that we should not punish breeds, but behaviour. We both would like dog biting/attacks to stop – by implementing such a model, we can help prevent that.
I write to you today to urge you to reconsider plans to implement the buyback scheme in NSW. I also wish for the article on the Telegraph to be taken down, as it is misguiding to the uneducated about dogs and breeds in general. I hope that my letter encourages you to rethink your plans on the scheme and to reevaluate and research figures in regards to such an issue.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Regards
Miss Hayley van Houten
Oran Park, NSW
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