Betrayal & Shame
On Wednesday, April 27 2016, the Senate of Missouri, ignored the will of the people and allowed HB1811 to be killed by those who promote the genocide of the American Pit Bull Terrier. My first question after the shock wore off was, when did the Agricultural Committees in Jefferson City begin supporting the animal rights groups?
In a nutshell Senator Brian Munzlinger, Republican of the 18th District, cited the following statute as his reasoning for killing this legislation:
Ownership of domestic animals, no laws or regulations to prohibit.
67.140. No political subdivision of the state nor any local government, city or county, or any agency, authority, board, commission, department or officer thereof, shall enact any ordinance or promulgate or issue any regulation, rule, policy, guideline or proclamation describing the relationship between persons and domestic animals as other than persons may or can own domestic animals.
While the language of this statute should support our position, that is not how it was used. The extremely vague and broad language in this statute when used as a weapon against Breed Specific Legislation has set a dangerous precedent by opening a door to eliminating ALL animal control ordinances within our state.
Stop and think for a moment why we have animal control. These are ordinances and laws designed to address the irresponsible owners among us. These regulations should in fact protect our animals as much as our communities. Case in point; in every area of this state from the two metro areas to the smallest village there are leash laws and ordinances regarding animals running at large. Even our state laws blanket our counties with language addressing this all too prevalent problem in Missouri.
If running at large were being addressed properly and the ordinances enforced across the board, we would see a significant drop in the number of unwanted offspring produced by the irresponsible owners who allow their unaltered animals to breed unchecked. The overwhelming number of surplus Pit Bulls entering our shelters and rescues have been cited as cause to not only ban this breed but to destroy it completely. Ask any shelter or mixed breed rescue what a bigger problem breed is in the system and they will ALL tell you black Labrador Retriever mixes.
Does this mean there is one black Lab running around making puppies? No, it means America’s number one choice of breed is being acquired by irresponsible owners who do not alter their pets and allow them to “run at large” producing more unwanted pets.
I am a veteran of the confirmation show ring. I have had numerous unaltered males and females and have NEVER allowed a mixed breeding with my dogs. As a matter of fact, I have not bred a litter since 1986 despite having health certified, solid temperament, excellent rated standard dogs representing the finest bloodlines available. I did not leave the show ring until 2000 when I presented Ricky, a dog from the number one male in the USA & the number 4 female in Canada, during the Parade of Title Holders at the AST National Specialty. I have an unaltered male now to make the point that if you have an unaltered animal you are responsible for insuring that dog NEVER has the opportunity to produce unwanted puppies. I take this responsibility seriously not because of leash laws but because I am a responsible owner. Sadly, not all owners do and that is why we have animal control ordinances.
Basically Senator Munzlinger has opened the door for these same irresponsible owners to defend their stance of allowing unaltered animals to roam by providing them with a precedent which say nothing and no one can stand between them and their right to keep animals as they choose.
Take this precedent a step further and by all rights if you wish to beat your dog to death, starve it, leave it tethered 24/7 or otherwise ignore its welfare, you are free to do so because no one can come between you and your right to keep an animal the way you choose. Call me crazy but I doubt that is why this law was put in our Missouri statutes.
The reason the responsible owners of the American Pit Bull Terrier fight so hard for laws eliminating the crutch of Breed Specific Legislation is the same as the reasons we have animal control ordinances and laws in the first place. We demand fairness and equal protection under the law for our pets in exactly the same way dogs of other breeds are protected. It is a proven fact that eliminating breeds of dogs versus enforcing existing laws and ordinances does nothing to address the problem of irresponsible ownership. You do not fix a problem by eliminating the first victim but by eliminating the behavior of the actual problem, the human allowing negative behavior.
In regards to HB1811, the voice of the people was heard loud and clear when this legislation moved to the Senate from the House of Representatives with a vote of 117 ayes (FYI we have a total of 164 elected Representatives). HB1811 moved through two Senate hearings by majority vote but was allowed to be killed before it was heard during the third Senate committee hearing required to finally get it to the Governor’s desk.
Instead one Senator was allowed to destroy our demand for equal protection under the law, siding with those promoting lies who would see this breed eradicated “for its own good” once again showing Missouri to be nothing but fodder for the animal rights groups.
Senator Munzlinger has shamed our agricultural community, opened the door for all animal abusers to gain a full pass in continuing their irresponsible behavior and shown that the Missouri Senate no longer represents the voice of the citizens of Missouri but the voice of the hate mongers and death peddlers represented by the very groups who would see ALL bonds between humans and canines destroyed.
What can we do about this betrayal by our Senate? Since our voice has been silenced in the Senate we have an election year coming up with several Senate seats up for grabs. This is the link to those Senators seeking re-election:
https://ballotpedia.org/Missouri_State_S...
Seventeen of the thirty-four Senate seats in Missouri are up for grabs in November, 2016. Even if you have never voted in a state election this is your opportunity to hire a Senator to actually represent your wishes in Jefferson City. Consider your vote and how it will impact you as a pet owner especially as a responsible owner of the most hated and lied about breed in existence, the American Pit Bull Terrier. We may have no voice in the media but we can certainly be heard by those with the power to enact laws reflecting the values of responsible dog owners.
Senator Munzlinger will not term out until 2018. That means we can expect our Senate as it stands now, to continue to ignore what is right for our companion animals. This state has been proven to be weak in its fight against the animal rights agenda. Our House may speak for us but our Senate has shamed us at the national level by reinforcing the opinion of the haters that Missouri is the state to use to set the precedents which will be used against the responsible pet owners across the nation.
As a supporter of the political process I am ashamed and embarrassed by the actions of those I have long supported as being the leaders by example. I am stunned to find out those I considered to be legislators not politicians are in fact NOT supporting the welfare of their constituents but barring our efforts for sanity in our laws. You have betrayed our trust and shamed us!
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