From Responsible Pet Owners Alliance, the reasonable voice regarding animal issues in Texas. Responsible Pet Owners Alliance is an animal welfare organization, not “animal rights” and, yes, there is a difference. Permission granted to crosspost.
Senate Bill 349 by Ellis has been assigned to the Criminal Justice Committee; “Relating to the regulation of dangerous pets by certain populous counties; providing a criminal penalty.” The lists of dangerous dogs compiled in other cities usually include American Staffordshire Terriers, American Pit Bull Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, (or anything with the appearance of the above!), and sometimes include: Bull Terriers, Rottweilers, German Shepherds, Dobermans, Malamutes, Chows, Akitas and many other large dog breeds and mixes.
Responsible Pet Owners Alliance OPPOSES this bill. Bill text may be found at:
http://www.legis. state.tx. us/tlodocs/ 80R/billtext/ pdf/SB00349I. pdf
Please contact all of the committee members (below) to express your opposition. Faxes, phone calls and emails are needed. No hearings are scheduled at this time. Please ask your national breed club to help Texas dog owners.
When emailing committee members regarding your position on the bill, put “Oppose Senate Bill 349 regulating dangerous pets” in the Subject Line. If they don’t read your entire message, at least they will get your position on the bill before deleting it.
Talking points:
1) While this bill addresses “pets,” the actual focus will be on dogs because Senator Ellis tried to open the door for breed-specific legislation two years ago and failed.
2) Opens the door for breed-specific legislation because it allows the county commissioners to “prohibit” dogs they pre-determine are dangerous without regard to an individual animal’s behavior.
3) This is the way to ban certain breeds by allowing the commissioners to impose a fee on ownership. The law does not limit the fee, so it could become too expensive to own certain dogs.
4) Allows for evaluating, confining, and inspecting where the dog is kept based on breed rather than the behavior of an individual dog which is an unwanted intrusion.
5) Is designed so that the lawmakers can make it unappealing to own whatever breeds they decide to target regardless of an individual dog’s behavior.
6) Criminalizes failure to comply with any order by the commissioners court, but since there is no order yet taken, it is impossible to know what the law may impose.
Senate Criminal Justice Committee members
Address for all:
PO Box 12068
Capitol Station
Austin, TX 78711
COMMITTEE CLERK: Mahala Price
PHONE: 512-463-0345
ROOM: SHB 470
Chair: Senator John Whitmire
Ph: (512) 463-0115
Fax: (512) 475-3737
john.whitmire@ senate.state. tx.us
Vice-Chair: Senator Kel Seliger
Ph: (512) 463-0131
Fax: (512) 475-3733
kel.seliger@ senate.state. tx.us
Senator John Carona
Ph: (512) 463-0116
Fax: (512) 463-3135
john.carona@ senate.state. tx.us
Senator Bob Deuell
Ph: (512) 463-0102
Fax: (512) 463-7202
don.forse@senate. state.tx. us
Senator Rodney Ellis
Ph: (512) 463-0113
Fax: (512) 463-0006
rodney.ellis@ senate.state. tx.us
Senator Glenn Hegar
Ph: (512) 463-0118
Fax: (512) 475-3736
District18.hegar@ senate.state. tx.us
Senator Juan Hinojosa
Ph: (512) 463-0120
Fax: (512) 463-0229
leslie.nadelman@ senate.state. tx.us
Responsible Pet Owners Alliance
900 NE Loop 410 #311-D
San Antonio, TX 78209
Phone: (210) 822-6763
Fax: (210) 822-9038
Website: www. responsiblepetowner s. org
$15 Annual dues (January – December)
To share information, subscribe or unsubscribe,
send an e-mail message to rpoa @ texas.net.