'BS(L)' FROM CANADA...MANMADE MAYHEM...ANNIVERSARY KUDOS

Many people (and dogs) I know tend to think of Canadians as plain spoken, common sensical folks, who (Rob Ford aside) tend to refrain from the USA’s more vulgar and ill-conceived excesses. Recently, however, officials in Montreal endorsed BSL - Breed Specific Legislation - aimed at, yes, that’s right, pit bulls. If enacted, the law would, among other things, ban new ownership of "pit bull-type” dogs, requiring owners to go through a background check and muzzle their dogs when in public. Some U.S. cities (Denver, Miami), and some entire countries (France, Spain, U.K, New Zealand) have adopted similar bans even though science has show that pit bulls (bred from bulldogs and other terriers) are no more inherently violent than other breeds. Among the notable advocates to condemn BSL are President Obama and the Dog Whisperer, Cesar Millan. In this video, he makes a case for America’s most unjustly maligned dogs. It may seem like we’re piling on but Bronwen Dickey, author of “Pit Bull: The Battle Over an American Icon” calls the ban”stupid” and anything but specific. In a recent LA Times Op Ed piece, she shreds BSL, offering evidence of its ineffectiveness. For me, my human parents, and all our dog and dog guardian friends, BSL is just BS. If you’d like to help, write to Montreal official, asking them to reconsider the ill-advised action, and offering to boycott their industries and sport teams if they don’t. 

Actress and rescue activist Linda Blair offered some reasons why BSL doesn't work, and some suggestions to implement instead. Why BSL does NOT work: It's not financially sound as it often ties up community resources while cases are determined. Many folks cannot properly identify the breed in question. Any dog (or companion animal for that matter) can bite. It has NO scientific basis and is not supported by the following organizations:
- American Bar Association
- American Kennel Club
- American Veterinary Medical Association
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention
- National Animal Control Association
- National Canine Research Council
- The Obama Administration
- State Farm Insurance
- The U.S. Department of Housing and Development
- The U.S. Department of Justice
 Instead of ineffective posturing, concerned legislators should focus on:

- The importance and necessity of spaying a neutering, so we can end pet overpopulation.

- Ending puppy mills, so we can end of the suffering of Mama dogs who’s feet often times never touch the ground.

- The importance of micro chipping, so beloved pets can return home.

- The importance of vaccinations, so we can eradicate diseases like parvo that leave innocent puppies suffering.

- Updating our licensing laws so that pet "owners" are held responsible for animals actions, not the animal.

- Updating pet "ownership" laws - we are pet guardians meant to serve and protect our beloved companions.

Linda Blair, rescue advocate

Like so many other human foibles, BSL makes me wonder just how superior our human partners are. It's a favorite theme of my dad, Lou, who currently has his large but mainly decorative snout buried in Carl Safina's fabulous book, "Beyond Words: What Animals Think And Feel". A highly decorated writer, scientist, and academic, Safina suggests that we're all animals with humans just one shade of a larger animal rainbow. He's struck by how animals live in harmony with nature and each other except for one particular creature that seems hellbent on wreaking as much mayhem as possible. Cesar Millan has a similar take: ”Humans are good at a lot of things. When it comes to creating art or doing science or excelling any of hundreds of other pursuits that we have invented, no animal can beat us.  Crows will never discover a cure for cancer.  An elephant will never create a masterpiece – despite what you’ve heard about elephants painting in Thailand.  What we lack in fur or feathers we make up for an intellect.  When it works for us, we do things like travel to the moon or create “Hamilton” or invent new and better machines to make our lives easier.  That’s part of what makes us human.  Unfortunately, we also excel at something that no animal can do.  Humans are experts at working against Nature at every opportunity.”

In all the commotion about pit bull discrimination, I forgot to say congratulations to my 'mom', ace sculptor Eugenie Spirito, for her participation in the recent art show at Canvas Malibu and for 28 years of  marriage to my loving but sometimes grumpy dad. They were wed in Verona, Italy at Juliet’s Tomb and recently celebrated their continuing good fortune with the brief holiday in nearby Ventura and Ojai, where a certain dashing pit bull got to join the fun and guard the room while they were off wining and dining.

With 'Dad' in Ventura, CA

ALL HAIL 'THE CHAMPIONS'…SAYING 'GOOD-BYE'

As many of you know, ever since the publication of GIMME SHELTER, my humans and I have made a point to provide monetary support for numerous animal rescue charities, including Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. In addition to practical pet advice, Best Friends Magazine offers moving rescue stories, like The Champions (March/April issue), a powerful, upbeat look at Darcy Dennett's documentary of the same name. The film chronicles the fate of Little Red, Handsome Dan, Cherry, and two other dogs that were rescued from Michael Vick's dogfighting operation, and how, with the help of Best Friends and a host of dedicated volunteers, these 'Vicktory' dogs found love and redemption after being saved from their hellish plight. Their successful outcomes helped change the mistaken beliefs that dogfight survivors needed to be euthanized,and that BDLs - Breed Discriminatory Laws -  were the answer to preventing dog attacks. (download the movie here) But there's still work to be done - 12 states still demonize dogfight survivors by labeling them 'dangerous' and insisting that they be euthanized - but thanks to the work of devoted dog lovers and pit bull advocates, 19 other states have banned breed discrimination. This pit bull, for one, looks forward to the day (and may it be soon) when stories like this will seem like relics of a bygone, less evolved age. 

Handsome Dan doing what pit bulls do best

Cherry with Paul & Melissa at his new home

While most of Vick's canine fighters beat the odds and survived their nightmare, a few of the most badly damaged dogs had to be put down. As anyone who has ever faced the choice can attest,  deciding whether or when to euthanize a pet can be a truly gut-wrenching situation. In a recent Cesar's Way newsletter  the famed dog whisperer offered some very helpful and caring tips on how to cope with putting a pet to sleep, like knowing when it's time, understanding the procedure, and allowing yourself space and time to grieve. His parting advice: "Although saying good-bye is the hardest part of our relationships with our dogs, we can console ourselves by remembering that by rescuing that dog we gave it a chance at a happy life in the first place — and left us with many pleasant memories. Once you’re done with the grieving and back in a positive place, the best tribute you can pay to a dog that’s passed is to give another dog a second chance."

Tanner and his babies

A BATTALION OF SORROWS…A GREAT TAKE ON BSL

"When sorrows come, they come not single spies but in battalions." (Shakepeare, Hamlet, IV, 5) 

With just over four months still to go, 2015 has unleashed a battalion of losses on our small corner of the world. We've lost two close friends to the ravages of diabetes, including Tanner's  trainer Tony Rollins, and another was recently diagnosed with a serious, neurological disorder. Several older relatives are also battling deadly maladies. The dog world has taken some hits, too. Tanner lost Ceba, one of his long-time buddies, and two other canine pals are suffering from serious ailments and advanced old age. The latest blow came last Saturday when our dear friend, Roberta Deutsch, passed away while awaiting treatment for a bone marrow disorder. Together with her husband, Carl, another dear friend, Roberta was an angel for all sorts of worthy causes. A supremely talented dancer and musician, who worked on dozens of TV shows and films, including West Side Story, where she was a fetching Jet girl, Roberta fervently supported diverse charities like SHARE, the Professional Dancers Society, Homeboy Industries, and dozens of programs to help children in need receive early childhood intervention, and education in the arts, especially music and dance. She and Carl also established our weekly Course In Miracles meeting, a program that has helped me recognize and handle my sometimes crushing anger issues. Although she faced some long-standing, debilitating health problems, Roberta never lost her wicked sense of humor, or her impeccable style and grace. She leaves behind sweet memories, and a hole that will never be filled.

Roberta with Janie

BSL, or Breed Specific Legislation is an ill-conceived, ineffective effort to ban certain breeds of dogs, like pit bulls and Rottweilers, deemed 'inherently dangerous'. Based on fear and bogus science, several cities and some states (yes, you, Maryland) have implemented BSL as a knee-jerk reaction to fatal dog attacks, which almost always result from the mistreatment of the offending dogs or  owner neglect. Nearly all canine experts, and President Obama himself, consider it a wrong-headed, ineffective tactic. Tanner and I consider BSL to be is just BS, and we have railed against it in the past. I recently came across a novel, funny take, by a lawyer who specializes in HOA law, on why scapegoating pit bulls makes no sense. In his weekly newsletter Adrian Adams, of Adams Kessler PLC, posted the following: QUESTION: Our condo association is plagued with prostitutes, drug use and pit bulls. I'm a non-voting member of the board and want to know what we can do about the pit bulls. RECOMMENDATION: I noticed it's a class of dogs that bothers you, i.e., compact muscular dogs with great jaw strength such as pit bull terriers, Staffordshire bull terriers, and bulldogs. If your board were to get rid of the prostitution and drug use, I suspect most of your pit bulls would join the exodus. The task will be daunting but your board should work with the police and legal counsel to clean up the development. Or, in the alternative, you could designate yourselves a "sanctuary association" for drug dealers and prostitutes and then apply for federal subsidies. You could be eligible for truckloads of money.

Eugenie and I with Roberta and Carl at the Professional Dancers' Benefit, 2007

PILOTS HELPING PUPS…'DANGEROUS' DOGS…PEPPERDINE PRODIGIES

The April 24, 2015 issue of The Week  highlights two animal rescue organizations - Pilots N Paws  and Wings Of Rescue - where volunteer fliers are helping shelter dogs and cats avoid the threat of euthanasia by ferrying them from badly crowded urban shelters, where they stand little chance of being rescued, to less burdened areas where they are often quickly adopted. If you have some loose coin burning a hole in your pocket, maybe think about giving them a few shekels to keep up the great work. "More than 4 million pets are euthanized in the U.S. every year, mostly because of overcrowding in shelters. But a growing number of kindhearted pilots have been donating their time, fuel, and aircraft to transporting unwanted rescue dogs to less overburdened shelters, where many of them are quickly adopted. Groups like Wings of Rescue and Pilots N Paws have helped tens of thousands of strays find new homes over the past several years, and the number of volunteer aviators continues to rise. “We get a lot of the glory,” said pilot Angela Garcia. “But in reality, it’s just pure fun.”

Guardian angel with his rescue pups

Since mid-Janaury, Eugenie, Tanner and I have been working with Advertising students at Pepperdine University to design a new campaign for our favorite dog memoir, GIMME SHELTER. The three awesome teams delivered their final pitches last week and we were blown away by the depth and breadth of their creative genius. They covered everything from redesigning the book cover and business cards, to implementing exciting digital, mobil and social media strategies, leaving us with the unenviable task of choosing a 'winner'. We'll keep you posted on when, where and how we'll be rolling out their ideas. A huge thanks to all 19 students, and their amazing professor, Dr. Ginger Rosenkrans, for an unforgettable experience.

Tanner kicking it at a Pepperdine photo shoot

In this week's issue of his Cesar's Way Newsletter, dog guru Cesar Millan focuses on 'dangerous' dogs and BSL - Breed Specific Legislation. Although it's discriminatory, and proven not to work, some elected official and communities still advocate banning breeds like Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, Mastiffs and other 'bad' dogs to keep their citizens from being slaughtered. As Cesar points out, you are 650 times more likely to die in a motor vehicle accident than to be killed by a dog attack. If safety concerns are the issue, then maybe BSL supporters should also consider turning in their driver's license, draining their swimming pools and lobbying  stringent gun control laws. From Gimme Shelter, here are some odds on the chance of being killed by a Pit Bull:  

-       According to CDC studies, about 10 persons die each year as a result of dog attacks. Of that number, Pit Bulls are responsible for approximately 28% or 2.8 deaths.

-       In 2008, the Consumer Products Safety Commission reported 7 deaths from fireworks. Based on that number, you are two times more likely to die from a fireworks mishap than from a Pit Bull attack.

-       Approximately 10 people a year die from snakebites, 3 times the number killed by Pit Bulls.

-       From 1990-2003, 756 Americans (an average of 58/year) died from lightning strikes. That means you are more than 20 times more likely to be killed by lightening than by a Pit Bull.

-       CDC statistics show that every day 10 people die from drowning, the second leading cause of non-intentional death for people ages 1-14. A person is 1,300 times more likely to drown than to be killed by a Pit Bull.

-       Every year in the U.S. more than 1,700 children (roughly 5 each day) are killed by their parents or guardians, either through abuse or neglect. A child is more than 600 times more likely to be killed by their caretaker than by a Pit Bull.

-       For every Pit Bull that kills, there are MILLIONS that DON'T!