To: Rep. McKell, M.,
Subject: Please support HB 97
Date: 2014-02-17T16:22:58Z
Attachments: Attachment_1 - Denver BSL.pdf , Attachment_2 - AVMA.pdf , Attachment_3 - JAVMA.pdf , Attachment_4 - ABA.pdf , Attachment_5 - White House.pdf , Attachment_6 - AVMA Community Approach.pdf , Attachment_7 - Calgary Model.pdf , Attachment_8 Co-occurrence.pdf , Body:
Thank you for considering HB 97 and we urge you to please support this important bill. In light of the third reading, I have included documents below that we hope will be helpful.
Breed-specific legislation (BSL) has never resulted in safer communities wherever it has been attempted [Attachment 1], and a recent AVMA report concludes that regulating dogs by “breed” is not an effective way to reduce dog bite incidents [Attachment 2]. A recent evidence-based analysis published by the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association offers one perspective on why this is the case [Attachment 3].
- http://nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/uploaded_files/tinymce/Denver%20BSL%20Brutal,%20Costly,%20and%20Ineffective%20_%20Aug%202013.pdf
- https://www.avma.org/KB/Resources/Backgrounders/Documents/dog_bite_risk_and_prevention_bgnd.pdf
- http://www.nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/uploaded_files/tinymce/NNB%20now%20available%20in%20JAVMA%20dated.pdf
The American Bar Association has urged for the repeal of BSL nationwide and the White House recently released a statement saying, “research shows that bans on certain types of dogs are largely ineffective and often a waste of public resources” [Attachment 4,5].
- http://nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/uploaded_files/tinymce/American%20Bar%20Assn.%20Urges%20Repeal%20of%20All%20Breed%20Specific%20Laws.pdf
- http://nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/uploaded_files/tinymce/Obama%20administration%20opposes%20breed%20specific%20legislation%20-%202013.pdf
Safe and humane communities are made when all dog owners are held accountable for their actions [Attachment 6,7].
- https://www.avma.org/public/Health/Documents/dogbite.pdf
- http://www.nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/uploaded_files/tinymce/Community%20Model%20for%20RPO_Calgary.pdf
Additionally, with respect to the misinformation that often surrounds serious dog bites and dog bite-related fatalities (DBRFs), I thought that you should know about a paper just published in JAVMA on the topic [Attachment 8]. The study is the most comprehensive multifactorial study of DBRFs to ever be completed. It is based on investigative techniques not previously employed in DBRF studies and identified a significant co-occurrence of multiple potentially preventable factors. Breed was not one of those factors. The authors conclude that the potentially preventable factors co-occurring in more than 80% of the DBRF’s in their 10 year case file are best addressed by multifactorial public and private strategies, as opposed to single-factor strategies such as BSL.
Lastly, I understand that the state does not want to infringe upon rights of municipalities to self-govern, but it is important to remember that law-abiding dog owners are being infringed upon by municipalities that pass BSL. Those citizens deserve consideration as well. BSL does not ever accomplish safer communities, but it does impact law-abiding dog owners.
Thank you for your time and consideration, and we urge you to vote favorably on HB 97.
Respectfully,
Elizabeth Arps
National Canine Research Council Action Fund
a 501(c)(4) non-profit corporation
"Advocating for the Human-Canine Bond"