Not sure if people have seen this, but very important for all dog lovers.

[kpost]

 http://www.akc.org/news/index.cfm?article_id=3697


Alert - Montana Bill Will Seek to Ban and Euthanize Some Terriers!

[Tuesday, January 06, 2009]

The American Kennel Club’s Government Relations Department is expecting
legislation in Montana that will seek to prohibit the ownership,
harboring, or keeping of dogs described as "pit bulls." The legislation
defines "pit bulls" to include Staffordshire Bull Terriers, American
Staffordshire Terriers, and "any dog that has the physical
characteristic s that substantially conform to the standards established
for those breeds by the American Kennel Club." If the bill is passed and
signed into law, all such dogs would be seized and euthanized. The AKC
vehemently opposes breed-specific legislation and encourages all
concerned dog owners in Montana to contact their elected representative s
and express their strong opposition to this draconian yet
hard-to-enforce legislation.

The American Kennel Club supports reasonable, enforceable,
non-discriminatory laws to govern the ownership of dogs. We support laws
that: establish a fair process by which specific dogs are identified as
"dangerous" based on stated, measurable actions; impose appropriate
penalties on irresponsible owners; and establish a well-defined method
for dealing with dogs proven to be dangerous. The American Kennel Club
strongly opposes any legislation that determines a dog to be "dangerous"
based on specific breeds or phenotypic classes of dogs.

Currently named LC 1087, the bill will:

     * Make it unlawful, with little exception, for a person to own,
harbor, or keep a pit bull dog. "Pit bull" is defined in the act to
include Staffordshire Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers,
and any dog that has the physical characteristic s that substantially
conform to the standards established for those breeds by the American
Kennel Club.
     * Force persons in violation of the bill to surrender their dogs to
animal control officials, or risk seizure of the animals.
     * Mandate that within ten days of surrender or seizure, the animal
control agency shall euthanize such dogs.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

All concerned Montana dog owners should contact their elected
representative s and express their strong opposition to this
breed-specific legislation. To find your elected representative s, click
here.

For a copy of the bill, click here.

For a sample letter to write or e-mail legislators with, click here.

For a downloadable copy of our Deed, Not Breed flyer, click here.

For more information, please contact AKC’s Government Relations
Department at (919) 816-3720, or e-mail doglaw@akc.org.

[maxsmom]

All BSL is scary.  Of course the laws banning any dog over 100 pounds are just as scary.  We will soon be at the mercy of our government, with anything we own, how we raise it, how we feed it and how we take care of it.  That is why I am against any mandatory laws governing my animals.  I fight against BSL, MSN, etc.  They are all wrong and designed to take away our rights as pet owners.

[vmimom2006]

They need to concentrate on humane treatment of animals not try to wipe out a breed!! Poodles bite more people than pit bulls!!

[kpost]

Breed restrictions are BS. everybody who meets my boys love them but then you get the one idiot that asks moronic questions, we normally try to educate but some times we are so annoyed we just get sarcastic. like whats that thing eat?, i normally respond a$$hole$. Or is it friendly to kids, i bet it isn't? while i have my 2 little girls with me. Or those things are aggressive.. so i just say why are you near me then. Beau gets it the worst because of the brindling, Ignorant people need education stupid people need kicked. And the meanest dog i ever rescued was a ratt terrier and the sweetest i have ever met other than my boys is my buddies, 3 legged pit rescue. When we rescued Beau we had to argue with the animal warden who wanted him put down due to ...aggression. ..and that he would eat my house, i told him it was my hand and my house and not his concern. Beau doesn't even rip up his stuffed animals and anybody could almost do anything to him, except he does not like when kids try to figure out if their finger fits in his nose, it does, and only i can trim his nails..the big baby. but no matter anything someone does to him he just walks away. wish people could be this smart. Hopefully this nonsense law is seen for what it is and shot down. God help the person who try's to forcibly remove Beau from my side, at that point i may see a new side to my boy.

[London_Pyr_Lover]

Wow. This is just outrageous. WTF does “substantially conform” mean when we get down to brass tacks? Lots of people mistake my mastiff pups for pit bull mixes and shar peis. Could some cretin with a badge seize my dogs based on the fact that in their opinion they “substantially conform” to the AKC description of some other breed? What about Bull Terriers, Irish and English Staffordshire Terriers, Boxers, Rottweilers, Dogo Argentinos?

Under this law, the #1 drug dog in the U.S. (a pit bull who works the Mexican border crossing down at San Ysidro) would be seized and killed.

If laws like this pass for one breed, it’s only a matter of time before more and more breeds are subjected to the same treatment (as we’ve all seen with homeowners insurance; every year more and more breeds are banned).

Sounds like a witch hunt to me.