#BSLbytes #135: The "pit bull lobby"

Posted by Chantelle Mackney on

Fasten your seatbelts as we continue our analysis of the most recent episode of CBC's The Fifth Estate titled “Pit Bulls Unleashed”. We don’t recommend watching it, but you can read our outline on Saturday’s #BSLbyte

Overall, this episode wasn’t about the “pit bull” debate or the pros and cons of breed-specific legislation. It simply advanced the position that there is an organized and established “pit bull lobby”. 

The "lobby" was described at various times as: 

** powerful 
** US-based 
** Million-dollar 
** Fueled by Best Friends Animal Society and their No-Kill movement 
** Working to get “…troubled dogs out of shelters and into your home” 

Can we just cut to the chase here? 

There is no organized pit bull lobby. There are a few really dedicated groups across Canada promoting breed-neutral, evidence-based bylaws. There are bully breed focused rescues and all-breed rescues that adopt out bully breeds. At this time there are very few organized efforts between them. 

None of us have serious corporate sponsorship. None of us have Best Friends or Cesar Milan on speed dial. Most of us have day jobs and do this work in our spare time because we love our dogs and we care about the community. 

There’s a principle in science called Occam’s Razor. It states that if you have multiple explanations for something, the simpler one is usually better. What is the simpler explanation? 

Explanation #1 – The conspiracy! There’s a vast pit bull lobby community that does not care if people are hurt or injured and only cares about about peoples’ rights to own dangerous dogs. They are manipulating celebrities, corporations, and innocent families. 

OR 

Explanation #2 – The boring truth! People have met enough dogs in their lives to understand that they are all just dogs. They have read enough information to understand that breed-neutral laws are the most enforceable, humane and effective option. When they protest or send letters, they are exercising their democratic rights as engaged citizens. 

The real bummer is that breed-neutral advocates work really hard to try to implement better laws that are proven to keep people safer. We do not want problem dogs or dog-related injuries in our community. Many of us volunteer in areas like animal disaster relief, outreach to low-income communities, spay/neuter support and much more. 

If we didn't have to keep revisiting a false "debate" every few months – and if our lawmakers and media outlets could come join us on the right side of history – we could get so much more done. 

“Conspiracy theorists are those who claim coverups whenever insufficient data exists to support what they're sure is true.” 

“Conspiracy theorists are those who claim coverups whenever insufficient data exists to support what they're sure is true.” 

― Neil deGrasse Tyson

#endBSL #notoBil128 #Canada150 #BSLbytes 

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#BSLbytes is a joint initiative of Hugabull Advocacy & Rescue Society​ and Justice for Bullies​. 

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