City of Elgin:

I know that my efforts to address the council are still warranted although I realize that there was a time limit of 5:00PM today. I hope that I can offer you some valid perspectives and that a true final decision has not been made.

To quantify my statements, I would like to introduce myself, my name is Melody Kelso. I have been working in the animal profession since 1993 and I have been an animal trainer, caretaker, and rehabilitator all of my life. Currently, I oversee the operations of a low cost veterinarian hospital, spay/neuter clinic, adoption center, and obedience/behavioral center. Since my childhood, I have worked in many vet clinics, on farms and ranches, with livestock, wildlife, and domestic pets. I have far surpassed the number of having over thousands of pets who lived in my own residence as I trained, fostered, and studied certain breeds, dogs/cats with certain types of behavioral problems, and dogs/cats with certain training deficits. The number one problem with the dog today is the fact that the general public does not really understand much about them. With that said, I urge you to seek out the professionals in the field. I see about 300-800 pets per month in my current opportunity. For the last 15 years I have rehabilitated and cared for pit bulls, pit types, and many other breeds including many border collies, red heelers, blue heelers, cocker spaniels, variety of purebred small breeds, Chow Chows, Rottweilers, Dobermans, Labradors, etc….There are HUGE differences between one breed to the next in ways that could or could not be dangerous. The reality of the matter is a family pet that is treated and cared for well will genuinely be of no harm to anyone that is not causing that family or that family’s property harm.

I took a tour of your website. Your mission indicates that you are a family oriented city, a place that we would all want to move to. Your animal control page is even friendly. It asks for people to tell stories about their pets so they can be considered for pet of the Quarter. I almost wanted to get a false residency so that you might consider one of mine. This approach towards a certain breed in your community is not friendly or fair. This pit bull plus amenities is exactly like having a pit bull ban. It forces many people in your community to now consider hardship or give up the family pet. Many times the people in your community aren’t really given much of a choice depending on the individual situation. In America, millions of pets die every year, but for what reason I’m not sure. I never thought that I would be asking city governments to please, please do not take people’s loved, well behaved, non law breaking dogs or make it impossible for them to own them. The more you restrict, the more the bad person rebels. Regardless, the family is what is harmed in these cases. I have seen people shed real tears of pain and tragedy. I can’t imagine if you outlawed red heelers how I would respond. Take a look at your family pet. Really dig into your memory banks and try to re discover what you really know about dogs and not what you think the media told you. It is imperative to the well being of your citizens experiencing a heart wrenching grief when they are forced by economics and design to lose what they most value.

I am concerned about the lack of humanity the pet laws have aspired to and would encourage you to lean towards the opposite ends. Put more stringent rules on dogs that have proven dangerous behaviors, especially when it is clear the owners have not taken their duty to confine seriously. I am all in favor of not allowing unpredictably or seriously aggressive dogs to roam about or maybe even to be owned in some cases. However, some owners are more than capable of containing, confining, and responsibly housing a pet who may not be good with the general public. It’s silly to make a requirement that they can’t do it at all. I just find it almost preposterous that we allow so many other things to occur that are far more dangerous than owning a certain breed and yet…….we are going to put these restrictions on a dog. People in our community can own a pet alligator for goodness sakes.

There are many veterinarians, behavioral consultants, and organizations that support efforts to make sure that pet laws are not subjective. Breeds are not common knowledge, not even in the animal sheltering market. I wish I could tell you how many purebred miniature pinchers I’ve received that were 8 weeks old and more along the lines of Rottweiler Puppy, that’s sometimes 90 pounds difference. At this point in time, if the Rottweiler was being eradicated at the same rate as the Pit Bull, min pins, American Cockers, Dobermans, and many other black and tan breeds would be rounded up and included to help us not be afraid. Becoming informed will keep us from being afraid. Every day I get to expose my community to well behaved, loving, pit or pit type dogs. They say they are afraid and so this response is socially induced. Individuals do not know who the vice president is, but they know that pit bulls are dangerous. If you ask them why they know, it’s because they saw it on Channel 9. Some people who agree with the ban, think that it only targets the criminally minded. Soooo… individuals with dogs who have appropriate behaviors and temperaments would not even be subject to adhere to the law even if the dog just happened to be that exact breed.

There are a million reasons why restricting just a pit bull type dog in a community is logically illogical. There are a million reasons why making it harder for people to own them does not make sense. Even if I didn’t like dogs, I would make you prove to me that this dog in our community is really a nuisance and/or a problem before I would want to spend an ounce of my tax dollars to get rid of it. I never want a single $ of mine to go to removing loved, wanted, and cared for pets from their homes. If I could be convinced they were posing a risk, I would not be against it. Although I rally against the death and killing of pets on a continuous basis, I advocate the euthanasia of pets who have unpredictable, out of control, or dangerous aggression towards people. I don’t find that most pets have that sort of problem, but in the event that they do, then I put them to sleep. I realize that my first responsibility is to be providing people with pets who will be safe within certain perimeters. Your first responsibility is to be providing people the responsibility to choose their own pets, to trust that most people are going to want a safe family dog. You can increase the probabilities of having social, trained pets by providing and/or requiring certain forms of study, licensing, or classes for the citizens in your area.

This policy that you are proposing leads you into a great deal of liability. Unless you are going to provide DNA tests to all dogs that are subject to profiling, then the identifying process is subjective. You will end up housing and harboring without compensation many dogs of pit bull like traits that simply are not pit bulls. Is this really a necessary expense with the challenges and demands of meeting a daily budget?

The truth of the matter is, we have all grown up with pit bulls. We, as Americans, should love pit bulls and dogs in general. Dogs do exactly what your mission says: it makes us feel proud of our history, our diversity, and our culture. All dogs. All dogs make us feel amazing, that is why we own them. I’m sorry if you are not a pet lover as they have so many wonderful things to give to us. Even not being a pet owner, I would never want to take something of such value away from people in my community when it is of little consequence to me. And this is the important juncture, it is your job and duty to decide if the danger and the fear is a real danger and fear or if it is only perceived. We cannot make a judgment, law, or policy based on perception. Then your job is to educate and inform your citizens so that a more cost effective, humane, and logical outcome about dangerous pets can be obtained. This is the only role you can take. Everyone really is reacting out of this desire to feel and be safe. The only way to edge closer to the goal and become safer is to be evaluating options from a highly informed stand point.

Please do some more research about this topic. I will always plan to live in a city who protects and services all life within its perimeters: to me, life is the most precious of our gifts and should never be trampled on lightly. There is this expectancy within me that we will act in favor of the good that is in us. I have been disappointed in us at our willingness to be so barbaric to a dog that is so beautiful, sturdy, loyal, and kind. They bring laughter and love to these families, please do not take that away. There has to be a really good reason for such intrusion and I’m doubtful that we have one.

Melody Kelso
Mission, KS
The Pet Connection
http://www.thepetconnection.net
913-671-PETS
Founding Director

this shows my exact point about how the media doesnt target the non-pit breeds and its been proven that the most popular dog is known to have the most bites…
another example: http://www.defendingdog.com/id5.html

1. How do I know if my dog or dogs is subject to the dangerous dog provisions?

2. If my dog is subject to the provisions where should I take my dog for city certified training?

3. If my dog is subject to the provisions, do I need to erect a fence if so what materials should the fence be built from and is there an approved contractor list for said fence.

4. If my dog is subject to the provisions, is there a list of suppliers or 2 foot by 2 foot signs that is approved by the city.

5. If my dog is subject to the provisions, what type of muzzle must I purchase there are many types from fabric to leather to a combination of materials.

In my opinion the law is vague and difficult if not impossible to conform to as written.