Outrageous!

[Miakoda]

RTH said it best. But thus comes from someone getting raided by Animal Control and the LA state troopers all because some nosy busybody saw I had several "pit bulls" in my name at a veterinary clinic, thus meaning I'm a dog fighter. Nothing like being forced to stand to the side while some a-hole police officer keeps your kids in another room while they're screaming crying and terrified. Nothing like having regular books taken off your bookshelf and kept while your office is literally trashed (& no, they don't clean it up). Nothing like having almost every square inch of your property photographed, as well as having to have all your dogs photographed. I could go on... (I refused entry when they came the first time. Amazing how quickly they could get a search warrant based on a "tip" stemming from a nosy person going through veterinary records.....mind you there was NEVER a negative mark EVER, especially since I worked there for years!)

And all that was because someone thought having that many "pit bulls" meant they must be a dog fighter.

No offense Lyzelle, but okay'ing home invasions all because someone might be a dog fighter just because they have more than 2 dogs is NOT ok.

It's NO ONE's business how many dogs I own. If they are properly cared for and aren't roaming loose, get over it.

[Miakoda]

For what it's worth, I had/have over 50 APBTs alone under my name in the vet records. Considering I've owned these dogs for 14 years, bred 3 litters in all that time, AND did "pit bull" rescue (I provided the veterinary care, and fostered many of them myself), I'd say that such a number is probably on the low side. And had this ignorant dumbass of a vet actually opened records for each individual dog, she would've figured all that out before allowing my home and family be violated.

And furthermore, I comply with rabies vaccination and registration. I will not voluntarily give the stupid government even more information about me and my breed of choice and how many dogs I chose to own.

[Lyzelle]

No offense Lyzelle, but okay'ing home invasions all because someone might be a dog fighter just because they have more than 2 dogs is NOT ok.

I've never heard of home invasions for something as simple as not abiding a pet by-law. That would be the equivalent of them going through your house, grabbing your keys, and taking off with your car when they discovered you didn't have auto insurance.

Most of the time, you get a warning. Or a home check. More often a home check. And if the dogs are properly cared for, and they aren't causing a disturbance, it obviously isn't an issue, and you can go about your life.

But like I said, it works when it is enforced. Otherwise, it's a mess, as I saw in Mississippi.

[HayleyMarie]

Originally Posted by Miakoda

RTH said it best. But thus comes from someone getting raided by Animal Control and the LA state troopers all because some nosy busybody saw I had several "pit bulls" in my name at a veterinary clinic, thus meaning I'm a dog fighter. Nothing like being forced to stand to the side while some a-hole police officer keeps your kids in another room while they're screaming crying and terrified. Nothing like having regular books taken off your bookshelf and kept while your office is literally trashed (& no, they don't clean it up). Nothing like having almost every square inch of your property photographed, as well as having to have all your dogs photographed. I could go on... (I refused entry when they came the first time. Amazing how quickly they could get a search warrant based on a "tip" stemming from a nosy person going through veterinary records.....mind you there was NEVER a negative mark EVER, especially since I worked there for years!)

And all that was because someone thought having that many "pit bulls" meant they must be a dog fighter.

Holy Crap, I could not even imagine.

I am so sorry that you went through that, sounds so scary. And your poor children. I would feel so violated. Hopefully that never happens to you again.

[Laurelin]

Originally Posted by release the hounds

don't worry puppydog, you're not alone. It's nobody's business how many, what kind, intact or not or any other information about dogs I may or may not have.

If I abuse them, they have laws for that. If I starve them, they have laws for that. If they are loose, they have laws for that. If they bite, they have laws for that. If they bark too much, damage property, kill other animals, become a nuisance, etc, guess what? They have laws for that.

Other than that it doesn't do anything but generate some revenue. I haven't seen it do anything to stop hoarding, prevent free roaming dogs, stop nuisance barking, cut down on the number dogs in shelters or anything else.

100% agree.

[Fran101]

I would be totally 100% behind these laws if they actually did any good 99% of the time.

Most of the time,
A) people who don't care/don't want to/don't abide by laws anyway.. don't register their dogs anyway
B) Real hoarding situations/abuse/dog fighting/puppy mill situations get a total free pass and find ways to just scoot around these kinds of things regardless (kennel licenses, just not doing it, living outside city limits, not taking their dogs to the vet etc..)

so... C) Pet owners trying to abide by laws and be good dog owners do this and end up getting hassled, harrassed and nitpicked for NO. GOOD. REASON. like having 3 healthy dogs.. or being a small scale breeder.. or owning a breed the town doesn't approve of.

[Aleron]

Originally Posted by Lyzelle

I've never heard of home invasions for something as simple as not abiding a pet by-law. That would be the equivalent of them going through your house, grabbing your keys, and taking off with your car when they discovered you didn't have auto insurance.

Being accused of being a dog fighter is a far cry from not having auto insurance. The local flyball team practices in a storage building in a very commercial area. Someone reported that there was dog fighting going on in the building and said they heard it every Thursday night. The local cops came in force to "bust" the dog fighters...and found a bunch of people doing flyball instead. Funny story as it is but if it had been an individual's home, it probably wouldn't have been so lighthearted.

And as for other pet laws, it depends on the circumstances. Sometimes all it takes for things to go really bad is an AR minded AC officer with an agenda to get rid of breeders. If the laws are worded in a way that puts good, law abiding owners at risk for being searched because they have too many pets, bred their dog, didn't neuter their dog or some other choice that the government shouldn't really be involved in. Even if it is "never enforced", there is still a great potential for such laws to do harm in the wrong circumstance.

[LauraLeigh]

Originally Posted by Fran101

I would be totally 100% behind these laws if they actually did any good 99% of the time

Pet owners trying to abide by laws and be good dog owners do this and end up getting hassled, harrassed and nitpicked for NO. GOOD. REASON. like having 3 healthy dogs.. or being a small scale breeder.. or owning a breed the town doesn't approve of.

That's what I was going through, I live on 400 acres and had to get permission from my neighbor, close friend who did not care but what if that was not the case? And he is about 1500 feet at least away! And my only other neighbor is twice that in distance!!! Then they gave me a hard time because my dogs were not KC registered...

Meanwhile no one does anything about a nasty mill a few miles away!!!

It totally soured me on muncipal dog taxes being about anything but power tripping, money grabbing jerks... LOL

[puppydog]

That is what worries me. A police officer drunk on power and touting "the book".

He doesn't HAVE to check records, he could just take one of my dogs. And trust me, I WILL end up in jail for assaulting an officer!

I got pulled over in a roadblock, I was being fined because Paul forgot to renew the cars license. Another person was pulled over, had two toddlers standing on the back seat. When I asked why they were not getting fined for having an unrestrained child in the car, the answer was "there is no point, they just laugh at us".

It is all about colour in South Africa. If you are white you pay. If you are black or coloured, you don't. May sound racist or like an excuse, but it is not. I can swear to that. This dog law will be exactly the same. The gangsters in harbour with their pits covered in scars won't be touched, my well cared for paps are fair game.

[elegy]

I don't have a problem with registering/licensing pets, but I have a huge issue with pet limits. They do nothing to prevent hoarding, they do nothing at all except stress people out and put yet more pets in the shelter system.