My Letter to Paul Wesselhoft...

I have written a letter to Mr. Wesselhoft concerning his proposed legislation. After some discussion concerning one of my archived posts I thought that I would put it here for everyone to read. (If you want of course.)

I'll copy and paste it near the bottom of this post.

I ran across an Oklahoma blog today called Living on Tulsa Time. The "Rants of a Mad Okie" has posted several links and posters to boot.

I have a couple of links here for anyone who is interested in breed specific legislation. Of course, I think that everyone should have some interest in this topic because it is legislation like this that slowly erodes at our individual rights.

There are better solutions to these problems other than writing a law that makes it illegal to own a certain type of dog. And if you don't think that this kind of thing is happening all across the United States then you are wrong.

Here is an interesting article that was posted by the National Canine Research Foundation entitled "Politics and Pit Bulls". What is interesting about this article are the facts that dispute the validity of claims that have been made by politicians. One of the politicians quoted is Mr. Wesselhoft.

An article by the Sequoyah County Times' Monica Keen is an interview with Joan Morrison. Ms. Morrison is the treasurer of the Endangered Breeds Association (EBA) and lives in Gore, Oklahoma.

I would like to ask everyone to look honestly at this problem. A simple breed ban law isn't going to fix it.

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Dear Mr. Wessellhoft,

Please consider other alternatives for the prevention of dog bite related injuries other than what you have proposed for legislation. Singling out one specific breed, or a mix that has similar parentage, will not reduce the problem that we have here in Oklahoma. I agree that there is a problem in this state as well as the rest of the United States.

I have attached an article to this e-mail that is an argument against breed specific legislation. What is also contained in my paper are alternative solutions to a wide-spread problem. I have had positive feedback concerning my proposal from other dog fanciers and I believe that it would provide a beginning framework that we all could work within and still achieve our common goal. It is possible, that a well-written piece of legislation could be the example needed for other lawmakers across the country who are searching for solutions to a similar problem.

My hope would be to preserve the dignity, as well as the variety, of the breeds of dogs that we enjoy today. I would not want any breed of dog to become extinct in our modern world. At the same time your constituents' individual rights and freedoms could be preserved. Additionally, if the legislation was well thought out and executed properly, we could actually reduce the total number of dog bite related injuries since, according to the CDC, over 1/2 of these injuries are caused by the family pet within the confines of their own home.

Please take a few minutes to read my argument and to reconsider how the legislation could and should be written.

Thank you for your time.

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I want to thank the "Mad Okie" for posting the links and *posters* on his blog. (I think *he's* a *him*?)

Also, if you are an Oklahoma resident... on his home page there is a link to an online petition that you can sign if you have yet to do so.


later...