The household dog has become a staple of the American Dream. Every family practically needs a little Pluto, Fido, or Shiloh to call its own. Memories of the old Lassie television show, the Homeward Bound movies, and other similar things implant within the average person a warm sense of companionship with a dog. Picturing the perfect American household, one imagines the friendly golden retriever sitting behind the white picket fence. However, sometimes situations arise in which man's best friend becomes man's worst enemy.
A rabies outbreak in China in late 2006 caused more than 50,000 dogs to be killed or exiled. A dog bite in Northern Virginia in early September of 2007 caused a breed specific violent dog ban to be passed within days of the attack. Just days before September became October, spurred on by the bans in other states, Painesville, Ohio, passed an ordinance limiting the number of pit-bull terrier's that a person is allowed to own. The causes of bans and actions against dogs and specific breeds of dogs may seem simple, but the effects of such bans and actions can cause overreaching effects for those who own dogs and those that work against the dogs.
In July of 2007, Chinese officials in the Yunnan Province ordered a mass extermination of dogs when three people died of rabies due to dog bites. Over the eight months preceding the extermination, there were sixteen human deaths caused by rabies. The idea in the Chinese officials heads was simple: control the spread of rabies by killing dogs that were near the scenes of the original attacks. The overall implementation of this plan, however, was monstrous. The government authorized the extermination of pets as well as strays.
In some cases, owners were forced to pull their dogs out into the street and kill the dogs themselves. One small boy reported that his father and he dragged their two pet dogs out into the street and hung them from a tree. Some reports speak of unsuspecting dog owners walking their dogs, before gangs of vigilantes descended on them with clubs and beat them to death on the spot. In most cases, the dogs were beaten to death in front of their owners by officials. “Other teams entered villages at night, creating noise to get dogs barking, and then beating them to death.”
“According to official figures, 54,429 dogs were killed during the Yunnan campaign.” Shortly after this mass slaying, rabies scares appeared elsewhere in China. Wuxi, a city near Shanghai, reported killing 280 dogs, while Fuzhou killed thirteen. However, pet owners began to protest the killings. “China is developing a pet-owning culture, with dogs standing out as a particular favorite.”
They began to speak out on the Internet and other public forums. One commenter sharply questioned the wisdom of a government that could authorize a mass murder of dogs, whether they were doing it for the good of the people or otherwise. Chinese Humane Society's filed lawsuits against the Government officials, though these suits are not expected to go through. At the current time, Chinese citizens are without Internet.
The slayings have stopped, but the unrest has already been sewn in the hearts of the Chinese citizens who for the first time have the voice and opinions to fight the oppressive government under which they live.
In September of 2007, a young boy, Danny Jones, was attacked by a pit bull just yards from his front door. A neighbor had left their gate open, and their pet pit bull, Dollar, was let loose. The result was a city wide, later a county wide, ban on the pit bull breed. “Prince George's County, less than a mile from the site of the Takoma Park attack, is home to one of the strictest breed bans in the country: Anyone keeping a pitbull faces up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.”
The Prince George's ban prohibits American Staffordshire terriers, Staffordshire bull terriers, and American pit bull terriers. These are the three breeds most commonly identified as pit bulls. Pit bull owners are fighting back. They are outraged by the bans and claim that it is unfair to ban a dog based on a single attack. Though there have been other pit bull attacks in neighboring counties, the Jones attack was the first recorded pit bull attack to take place in Takoma Park. Maureen Hill-Hauch, the executive director of the American Dog Owners Association, said, “The media have demonized this breed of dog... All breeds bite, but if it's a pit bull they say, "Let"s ban them.'”
Half a month later, Painesville, Ohio, passed an ordinance that limited the number of pit bulls that a person could own. In China, action was taken to prevent a rabies outbreak. In Virginia, action was taken after a young boy was attacked by a neighbor's dog.
However, there really is no clear cause for the ordinance. “From Jan. 1, 2006, through (September 25), pit bulls were eighth in the county in reported bite incidents with 12, while German shepherds were first with 53.” Jennifer Evens, an owner of pit bulls and other dogs in Painesville, strongly disagrees with the ordinance. "Limiting the number of pit bulls a person can own when there is no limit, or a different limit, on other breeds of dogs... encourages people not to license their dogs, or to lie about their breeds," Evans said.
Evans is worried about the eventually causes of a breed specific dog ban. "If they ban pit bulls, are they just going to end up banning every dog?" Evans said. "(Pit bulls) get a lot of bad press," Evans said. "For some reason, the media chooses to report on pit bull attacks (and not others)." Taxes will soon be raised in the town of Painesville in order to finance the replacement of pit bull breeds and mixes that serve as police dogs, service dogs, therapy dogs, and search-and-rescue dogs.
