This document discusses strategies for advocating for pit bull type dogs and ending breed discriminatory policies. It provides ideas for shelters and rescues to promote all dogs equally regardless of breed through off-site adoptions, foster programs, and community involvement. It also outlines how breed discriminatory legislation fails to improve safety and punishes dogs unfairly based on their appearance alone. Alternative approaches are suggested such as focusing on responsible ownership rather than breed.

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Beyond Labels:
Advocating for All Dogs
Ideas on how to better serve
at-risk dogs, their guardians,
and the community

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Quick Intros
Who are we?
Who are you?

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Love-A-Bull
Promoting responsible guardianship and
improving the image and lives of pit bull type
dogs through education, advocacy, and rescue.

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Shelters working with rescue organizations
Promoting all dogs equally
Off-site adoptions and foster programs,
Forming relationships with local city officials and the media
Promoting community and volunteer involvement
Current Wins

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Shelter and adoption policies that work!
http://stubbydog.org/2012/01/shelters-with-innovative-pit-bull-programs/

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Pit Bull type dogs are just dogs.
Treat them that way!
There’s no reason to have special rules applying to certain breeds.
Dogs are individuals. Don’t discriminate.
BREED DISCRIMINATORY POLICIES include:
•Special applications
•Special screening processes (e.g., home
checks, background checks)
•Blanket restrictions on adopters (e.g., no
kids, no other dogs, experienced req’d)
•Mandatory training for adopters
•Extra requirements for volunteers who
work with “pit bull” dogs
www.love-a-bull.org

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Pit bulls can be great first dogs
Requiring
experience
for all “pit
bull” dogs
sells both
your dogs
and your
adopters
short.
First dog!
www.love-a-bull.org

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Pit bulls can be great family pets
Don’t limit a dog’s future by
placing child age restrictions on
its adoption.
Treat each dog and each child as
an individual to make good
matches!
www.love-a-bull.org

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• OBSERVING the dog while in your care;
• DOCUMENTING your observations;
• DISCLOSING known facts; and
• TRANSFERING ownership to the new
owner.
Don’t be paralyzed by liability concerns
Many shelters and rescues do not adopt out pit bull type dogs, or place
heavily restrictions on their adoption.
This is not necessary!
According to animal law experts, shelters and rescues can effectively
manage risk by:
Bonnie L. Lutz, Esq.
President of the American
Veterinary Law Association
Advisor to National Canine
Research Council

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• Start a Meetup group
• Build partnerships (vets,
GoLocal, Pit Stop, etc.)
• Use social media
• Focus on positive
information
• Work with other types of
rescue groups to cross-
promote
• Provide adopter support
(training, socialization, etc.)
Community Momentum

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Mix ‘em up!
Instead of placing pit
bull type dogs in
separate rooms or
sections, integrate
them with other
dogs --
After all, they’re just
dogs like all the
others!

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Use photos that paint a picture
www.love-a-bull.org

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Use photos that paint a picture
www.love-a-bull.org

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Breed-Discriminatory Legislation
(BDL)

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Any ordinance or law that bans, or places special restrictions on, a group of
dogs based upon breed or appearance.
Best Friends Animal Society
Bans OR restricts certain types of dogs based on their appearance, usually
because they are perceived as “dangerous” breeds or types of dogs.
http://stopbsl.org/bsloverview/
The practice of using laws to regulate and restrict dog ownership based
solely on the physical appearance of someone's dog.
http://www.badrap.org/breed-discrimination
A common first approach that many communities take. Thankfully, once
research is conducted most community leaders correctly realize that BSL
won't solve the problems they face with dangerous dogs.
http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/dogs/facts/statement_breed_specific
_legislation.html
What is BDL?

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What does BDL do?
•Fails to improve safety
•Causes an injustice to victims
•Costs a lot of money
•Relies on visual breed ID
•Creates an attraction to danger
•Allows for mismanagement
•Punishes the innocent
•Lacks support of professionals
•Fails to evaluate dogs as individuals
Notably, not a single canine welfare
organization supports BDL

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• American Bar Association
• American Kennel Club
• American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
• American Temperament Test Society
• American Veterinary Medical Association
• Animal Farm Foundation
• Best Friends Animal Society
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Humane Society of the United States
• National Animal Control Association
• National Canine Research Council
• United Kennel Club
• United States Department of Justice
Sources: http://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/files/Organizations_That_Do_Not_Endorse_BDL.pdf and
http://www.abanow.org/2012/06/2012am100/
Many prominent organizations, including the
U.S. Department of Justice do not support BDL

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Akita, American Bull Dog, American Pit Bull Terrier, American
or Bull Staffordshire Terrier, Briard, Borzoi Hounds, Bull
Mastiff, Bull Terrier, Cane Corso, Chow, Dalmatian, Doberman
Pincher, Dogo, German Shepherd, Great Dane, Great
Pyrenees, Husky, Irish Wolf Hound, Komondor, Malamute,
Neapolitan Mastiff, Pit Bull, Rottweiler, Scottish Deerhound,
Spitz, St. Bernard, Staffordshire Terrier, Presa Canarios, Shar
Pei, Toso Inu and Wolf-Dog Hybrid.
Who does BDL impact?

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What states prohibit BDL, and what
does that really mean?

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BDL in Texas
- Several Texas counties refuse to adopt out “pit bulls”
- HB 2981—Bill introduced in March 2013 that would have
prevented public shelters from refusing to adopt out based on
“age, appearance, size, or breed”
This bill died in the
House Calendars
Committee

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State silence
-32 states do not/are not addressing institutional breed
discrimination at the municipal/county level.
City BDL in 2013
-Since Massachusetts’ ban on BDL went into effect in Oct 2012, 10
cities have replaced their breed discriminatory ordinances with
vicious dog ordinances that address behavior and husbandry factors
-9 other cities, in Kansas, Missouri, Wisconscin, and even Ohio, did
the same
-18 cities rejected proposed BDL
- Miami-Dade County: fine and removal for visually identified dogs
- Denver: ADA and constitutionality lawsuits prompted by BDL
Other states and BDL

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Breed Discriminatory Legislation does not work
Breed Discriminatory Legislation does not work
at the political level:
- it does not reduce dog bites
- costs a lot of money to enforce
www.animalfarmfoundation.org
Special policies & practices that only apply to “pit bull” dogs do not work – and are
not needed – at the shelter level:
- separate paperwork and processing unnecessarily stigmatizes the dog
- segregation leads people to believe the dogs are “different”
- differentiation can equal scary and discourage adoptions

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Alternatives to BDL
- Containment laws
- Abuse prevention
- Safety education
- Spay / neuter
- Low-cost training
- Breeder regulation
- Dog-fighting prevention
- Behavior / training helpline
- Non-breed discriminatory ordinances
- Enforcement of current laws

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BDL tips, tracking, and resources
Tips / talking points
- No evidence that BDL reduces dog bites
- Focus on responsible ownership, not dog breed
- Implementation and enforcement costs taxpayers
- Punishes innocent dogs based merely on appearance
Bill tracking links
http://stopbsl.com/
http://www.navs.org/page.aspx?pid=439#.URgUJ46bJS8
http://www.legis.state.tx.us/
http://openstates.org/
Love-A-Bull / Austin resources
http://love-a-bull.org/resources/bsl/
http://love-a-bull.org/resources/housing/
http://love-a-bull.org/resources/pit-friendly/

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BDL and advocacy
-Join an advocacy group
http://www.aspca.org/joinbrigade
- Join some of the anti-BSL groups on Yahoo
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dogholocaust
http://voices.yahoo.com/pit-bull-owners-breed-specific-legislation-bsl-
11098350.html
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BSL-UPDATES
- Join Forces with a Pro-Dog Owners Organization
http://www.adoa.org/
Remember - people joining together CAN make a difference!
Public pressure in Oklahoma may be what prompted withdrawal of an
emergency bill to allow a municipal breed ban.

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Housing

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Best Practices
• Give yourself time when looking for an
apartment, insurance, any new housing
• Understand the situation—if the
landlord’s or insurance broker’s hands
are tied, move on
• Science and Honesty!
• Call the dog a “mixed breed”—but
only if it is indeed a mixed breed
• Get the DNA test to back it up
• Obedience training helps your
relationship with your dog, the impression
your dog makes on the community,

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Insurance
Insurance Providers* that do not discriminate:
• Amica
• AAA
• Chubb Group
• Farmers Insurance Group
• Kreigel Insurance Agency
• Liberty Mutual-Nationwide**
• State Farm Sunny SoCal Insurance
Service* (national)
• United Services Automobile Association
(USAA)
• Evolution Insurance
- Having the right insurance can enable a landlord to lease without
discrimination, and offering to obtain renter’s insurance can help convince a
hesitant landlord to lease
*Contact information is available at http://love-a-bull.org/resources/pit-friendly

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Talking to Landlords
• Create a “resume” for your dog with photos, age, temperament
•Highlight formal training and special recognitions, such as CGC
•Obtain letters of recommendation from former landlords, if possible
• Offer to do a “meet and greet” with the landlord, and even other pets on the
property, and allow the landlord to see the good behavior firsthand.
• If you can’t do a “meet and greet” send the landlord your best picture and a
letter outlining your dog’s story and meaning in your life—this can be as
effective in dispelling the negative reputation surrounding the breed
• Highlight your and your dog’s role in the community—be a member of Love-a-
Bull—and point them to our website!
• If nothing else works, offer to pay an increased pet deposit or obtain renters’
insurance.

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Post-Adoption Support

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Helping people keep their pets is not a one-dimensional issue
Change the way we view owner surrenders
Remove judgment, focus on assistance
Look at individual communities’ needs
Changing responses:
Shelter intervention programs
Mission shifts
Partnerships
Pet Owner Support is Human Being Support

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Responsive community
programs and resources
“Resource Deserts”
3 most needed assistance
areas: Spay/Neuter;
Affordability; Training
Don’t focus the message on
exceptions – pittie owners are
more likely to live in poverty
than in places with BDL
Owner Support

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Pitties are popular, well-loved dogs, but
be inclusive, not exclusive
Think about community diversity in
programming, message, and access
Encourage new coalitions and
consortiums to bring together community
resources
Community-wide messaging (mixed breed
rescues promoting all dogs equally,
sharing in support of pitties for adoption)
HSUS Pets for Life
Don’t Forget about the Love

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Media: friend or foe?

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Public Safety: Perception vs. Fact
Source: National Canine Research Council

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• Get to know a reporter
sympathetic to your cause.
• Cultivate a good working
relationship.
• Allow reporter to open doors
for future positive coverage.
• Focus on positive, not
negative or combative.
• Use “canine ambassadors”
with tv spots/interviews.
Make Friends with the Media

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Reading List/Additional Info/Resources
Animal Farm Foundation: www.animalfarmfoundation.org
National Canine Research Council:
http://www.nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/
Best Friends Animal Society: Saving America’s Dog Campaign:
http://network.bestfriends.org/initiatives/pitbulls/default.aspx
Stop BSL: www.stopbsl.com
BADRAP: www.badrap.org
StubbyDog: www.stubbydog.org
Other Positive Pittie Programs: http://www.pbrc.net/programs.html
HSUS Pets for Life (toolkit):
http://www.humanesociety.org/about/departments/pets-for-
life/#.Uv5TwIVLmZQ

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Questions?