BSL and Resisting Authority
Whenever we post about a dog taken from a home due to BSL, we inevitably see comments like:
“I wouldn’t let anyone take my dog away!”
“I’d like to see them try seizing my dog!”
“Over my dead body!”
Have you ever posted something like this? It’s easy to understand the sentiment. For those of us who live in breed-neutral communities –or even in BSL communities where there are only restrictions and fines – we feel secure that our pets are our family members, and by law they are our property. It’s very rare for a seizure to happen and only under extreme circumstances.
But please understand that in communities with a full breed ban – Ontario, Denver, the UK – things are very different. An animal control officer may well have the authority to seize your dog on sight. A police officer can legally obtain a warrant to seize the dog from your property.
Saying that you would never allow this to happen is like saying that you would never “allow” Social Services to seize your children if they came to your door. You wouldn’t have a choice, and if you used force, authorities would use counter-force and you would end up in jail. Then you’d be facing your own criminal charges along with charges associated with having an illegal dog. How could you work to make money and pay legal fees? How could you care for your family or other pets in the home?
Next time you read about a case like this, be outraged. Vow to do everything you can to fight these laws.
But please think twice before you post about what you think you would do. If you don’t live under this legislation, you can’t say how you would react.
Speculating about how you would be fiercer or braver than the person sharing their story isn’t constructive. Very few people choose to share these stories because they have already been persecuted, and wish to stay under the radar. For someone brave enough to go public, can you imagine how it feels to read a slew of comments implying that they didn’t fight hard enough, or they should have moved?
We are all in this together, and none of us are immune. Montrealers fell under a terrible breed ban in the span of less than a year. People who never considered their dogs to be “pit bulls” are fighting for their dogs’ lives in court.
Let’s have a little more compassion for each other, and save our anger for the lawmakers that choose to be on the wrong side of history.
“I wouldn’t let anyone take my dog away!”
“I’d like to see them try seizing my dog!”
“Over my dead body!”
Have you ever posted something like this? It’s easy to understand the sentiment. For those of us who live in breed-neutral communities –or even in BSL communities where there are only restrictions and fines – we feel secure that our pets are our family members, and by law they are our property. It’s very rare for a seizure to happen and only under extreme circumstances.
But please understand that in communities with a full breed ban – Ontario, Denver, the UK – things are very different. An animal control officer may well have the authority to seize your dog on sight. A police officer can legally obtain a warrant to seize the dog from your property.
Saying that you would never allow this to happen is like saying that you would never “allow” Social Services to seize your children if they came to your door. You wouldn’t have a choice, and if you used force, authorities would use counter-force and you would end up in jail. Then you’d be facing your own criminal charges along with charges associated with having an illegal dog. How could you work to make money and pay legal fees? How could you care for your family or other pets in the home?
Next time you read about a case like this, be outraged. Vow to do everything you can to fight these laws.
But please think twice before you post about what you think you would do. If you don’t live under this legislation, you can’t say how you would react.
Speculating about how you would be fiercer or braver than the person sharing their story isn’t constructive. Very few people choose to share these stories because they have already been persecuted, and wish to stay under the radar. For someone brave enough to go public, can you imagine how it feels to read a slew of comments implying that they didn’t fight hard enough, or they should have moved?
We are all in this together, and none of us are immune. Montrealers fell under a terrible breed ban in the span of less than a year. People who never considered their dogs to be “pit bulls” are fighting for their dogs’ lives in court.
Let’s have a little more compassion for each other, and save our anger for the lawmakers that choose to be on the wrong side of history.