Dare County, N.C. say "NO TO BREED BAN- BSL"

This petition is in response to a possible BREED BAN that is being considered for Dare County,N.C. following a recent attack by 2 pitbulls which resulted in the tragic death of a labrador named JAZZ. 

To see the petition story for Jazz please see the following link:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/87/justice-for-jazz

To see the article recently published in THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT which states a BREED BAN is being visited please see the following link:

http://hamptonroads.com/2009/02/dare-county-gets-power-hold-aggressive-dogs

As an officer who is part of an Animal Cruelty Awareness Organization and also a proud owner of a beautiful (rescued) labrador named Hailey, my sincere condolences go out to the Kent family for the tragic and heartbreaking loss of their labrador JAZZ. This is such a heartbreaking story that has been on my mind since I was contacted directly from someone who lives in Kitty Hawk N.C. with the news story and petition link for Jazz.

To me, Hailey is like my child and I know that there are many many others out there who share this same feeling. I can not imagine what the Kent family is going through and I am in total agreeance that the 2 pitbulls involved in Jazz%u2019s death have proven to be viscious in the past (per prior reports) and this horrific death could have been prevented if Dare County took the correct stance when these 2 dogs reportedly bit a neighbor and Animal Control had them in custody on prior occassions.

These dogs should have never been released back to their owners after the first reported and proven incident and I say this "no matter the breed". In this petition I send a message to Dare County that they too are at fault for Jazz's death as well as the owners of the 2  pitbull dogs. I know what it is to love your animal unconditionally but when they are a threat (no matter the breed) and have bitten a person THEN it is up to the owners to step up and do the responsible thing. Had this been done when the first person was bitten, the Kent family would not be mourning the loss of Jazz.

In reading the petition for Jazz,  I saw that the dogs had been picked up running loose on other occasions and after making a phone call to Dare County I did find this to be accurate.  This is a prime example of irresponsible ownership.  I have such a hard time comprehending how 2 dogs (no matter the breed) can kill another dog and the OWNERS of the dogs who killed having the option of Euthanizing them or TAKING THEM HOME.  That is WRONG WRONG WRONG and that is where Dare Counties problem lies.  While I am in total agreeance that the 2 dogs needed to be euthanized immediately (and should have been when the first reports of them biting someone was reported), I also feel that after reading the recent newspaper article written By Catherine Kozak in The Virginian-Pilot dated February 20, 2009,   I have to also express my feelings about how people are reacting to the dogs beings "pitbulls" and now the county possibly looking into a Breed Ban Law.
 

Any dog that is not socialized and trained can be a danger to the public. Any dog that has teeth can be a danger to the public if not properly raised by a responsible, dedicated and loving owner.

For those familiar with the Michael Vick x-pitbulls (dogfighting pitbulls) and for anyone who followed that story, these dogs were in the worst possible conditions (both mentally and physically). They were forced to fight day after day..They were beaten, they were starved and they were public enemy #1 as far as PETA and other Organizations were concerned, yet the day these dogs were found and were being loaded into the numerous animal control trucks, the looks on these dogs faces were unforgettable. They were absolutely terrified of everyone who was there to help them. They cowared as their heavy logging chains were being cut (attached to trees, car axels and metal posts driven in the hard ground).  These were dogs who had fought and killed other dogs (no choice of their own) yet the fear in their eyes of those who just wanted to help them will haunt their rescuers forever.  I will never forget their terrified eyes.

And for those who didn't follow the story, there were 49 pitbulls taken from Michael Vick's property. After a state Judge ordered them be evaluted (not euthanized) we only lost 2 of them. One due to extreme aggression and one due to health. The 47 survivors went on to several different rescues for rehabilitation. One is now a Certified Therapy Dog, all are preparing (or have already taken and passed) their Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Tests and many of them are adopted out in new loving homes.

Let these dogs story be living proof that it is not the BREED that needs to be banned or extinguished or killed. The responsibility falls back to the owner(s) and that's where it needs to be placed.  The owners of these 2 dogs should be held liable and Dare County needs to do something about their ridiculous laws that put these 2 dogs back on the streets when the first incident happened.

A breed ban is not going to stop this from happening again in the future. A breed ban is going to most affect the responsible and dedicated pitbull owners of Dare County.  It is going to affect the innocent more than the responsible parties of incidents such as this.

This petition will hopefully send a message to Dare Counties elected officials at the local, county and state levels that it is time to address the growing problem of irresponsible dog ownership as well as sending a loud message that the laws and ordinances with regard to dangerous dogs (not specifically to a breed but to dogs which have attacked, bitten or gotten loose from their owners containment) be revisted, rewritten, enacted and enforced, so that the innocent will be protected and the guilty party will be punished.

I hope that I have made some sense to some people who think banning a breed is the solution.  Dogs are not born viscious or mean. It is a learned or taught behavior which again falls back to the owner of the dog(s). It is definitely time for a change in Dare County, however let%u2019s be sure we are making a positive not negative change.  One other important thing I would like to mention is that Nagshead and all it's beaches are well known to be a very big tourist spot.   Because of the pet friendliness (and beautiful beaches) my family spends a week every summer at your beaches and I have many friends (with pitbulls) who choose Nagshead for the very same reasons.  I am proud to say that of all places to get married, I chose an oceanfront wedding and we were wed on 7/8/08.   As one of the most important days of my life, I chose your State  and Nagshead Beach to make my memories.  However had a breed ban been in effect at the time, my memories would have been made somewhere else and I honestly believe should a Breed Ban be passed,  Nagshead's revenue will be severely affected.  And I am only addressing your yearly vacation visitors.   

For anyone interested there is a website about the Organization that I am a part of. WWW.JUSTICEFORGAGE.COM. My name is Sherry Kidwell and if anyone wants to contact me please feel free to send me a message. Thank you for those who have made it to point of reading this entire petition and thank you for you willingness to help Dare County learn that banning an entire breed of dog is not the solution. 

Sincerely,

Sherry Kidwell