Hi

Please see the link to a petition against this appalling ban below

Please sign it, get it up onto your websites, send it to your contacts, we can't let this happen

Also for any Irish readers who are interested, there will be a protest tomorrow at 2pm outside the Dublin City Council offices

http://www.petitiononline.com/anvil999/petition.html

Thank You

Susie Christian

Ruasden German Shepherds

Ireland

This petition needs World-wide support - please sign it

I signed it and posted a link to the petition and the newspaper article (from  DH's thread) on another board.  AB1634 was defeated thanks in no small part to many who reside outside of California, so  thought it was the least I could do. 

I have signed it and cross posted to other GSD sites.

John Lambe.

Lartamax GSDs

I signed!

I signed too.  :)

at 1000 hours GMT - 13th July

2167 Total Signatures

surely the GSD owners can do better than that, can't they?

Dublin City Council dumps dog problem on Westmeath

Dog control services in Westmeath are being inundated with pleas to house unwanted dogs. The influx has come after Dublin City Council took drastic measures to remove dangerous dogs from the streets.

According to Paul McCormack of the Athlone and West Midlands Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), local services in the Midlands are being asked to pick up the slack as Dublin dog pounds reach saturation point.

Following reported attacks on people Dublin City Council has confirmed a list of 10 breeds of dog which have been banned in its housing estates and flat complexes.

Speaking to the Advertiser, Mr McCormack confirmed that since the ban came into effect, he has already received calls from a number of different societies in Dublin asking him to take in dogs.

“I have had to refuse all of them, as I have to concentrate on dogs in the Athlone and West Mildands area. I am having to refuse dogs in the locality as it is,” said Mr McCormack.

There is also fear that Westmeath County Council will follow suit and implement a similar ban. This would cause chaos for the already over-stretched services.

“It’s a worrying trend. Societies like ourselves are already inundated with large dogs, and Westmeath County Council have reduced the workforce for the pound by 50 per cent this year from two to one for Westmeath.

“Last week Mullingar Dog Pound had to put down three Rottweilers, and another two this week. We get very little funding from the government as it is and our staff are mostly voluntary. Are we expected to start taking in all these large dogs?”

Mr McCormack believes that banning certain breeds of dogs from residential areas is not the answer. “I certainly don’t agree with having big dogs in small areas, whether it’s private or council housing. But I don’t believe it is the dog who is normally at fault. Dogs can get into the wrong hands.

“We already have laws in place; why are they not enforced? I see these dogs every day out with no muzzle, on short leads, and I have seen children walking pitbulls.”

Westmeath County Veterinary Officer, Sean O’Laoide, believes a national policy is more realistic than Dublin’s “knee-jerk reaction”. “The key problem is irresponsible dog ownership. Dogs should be identified by microchipping, we need an educational programme through schools, and if people don’t intend to breed their dogs they should be neutered,” he commented.

An average of 2,000 dogs are currently having to be put down each year in the Midlands, with the annual national figure standing at 16,000.

(Publication Date: 13/07/2007)

MANY THOUGHT THE KILLING OF DOGS IN CHINA WAS BAD -

WE SHOULD ALL LOOK CLOSER TO HOME -

MUCH CLOSER!

Welfare group offers microchip solution to dog ban

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PART ONE

THE DSPCA has offered to microchip and neuter at cost all dogs banned by Dublin City Council as an alternative to forcing dog owners to get rid of their family pets.

The Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said providing a microchipping and owner-tracing service was a far better solution than an outright ban on specific breeds.

It is offering to microchip all 10 breeds and cross-breeds on the list for a nominal €6 fee and maintain a database of microchipped dogs and their owners on behalf of Dublin City Council tenants.

Each dog will also be given a collar disc that includes details of the microchip implant so that dog wardens supplied with a microchip scanner can immediately identify any potentially dangerous dog that is roaming around or is otherwise a threat to the public, said DSPCA general manager Jimmy Cahill.

The service, which would normally cost more than €50 through a veterinarian, will be provided through the DSPCA's mobile clinic, which will also provide a subsidised neutering scheme for the listed dogs. "I think it's a reasonable solution. The offer is there and we're willing to help," Mr Cahill said.