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Wisconsin BDL Progress11/29/2014
A lot of progress has been made in Wisconsin during the past four years. The following are cities where Breed Discriminatory Legislation was either overturned or rejected. Thank you for standing up and speaking out. Implementing and enforcing breed-neutral ordinances that punish reckless owners will make our Wisconsin communities safer.
Thank you to everyone who called, emailed, tweeted, shared, attended, or spoke in opposition to the proposed Breed Discriminatory Mandatory Spay Neuter Legislation that was proposed by Madison Alder Strasser. There was an extremely large turnout at the City Council meeting, with most people speaking in opposition to the proposal, and only a handful who were in support of it. Three of the four speaking "for" the ordinance were not Madison residents.
It was "placed on file" which means "tabled." Effectively the proposed ordinance is dead, although the issues it addressed can always be revisited through a future proposal. WKOW Coverage http://www.wkow.com/story/25013691/2014/03/19/city-council-will-not-be-voting-on-pit-bull-ordinance-proposal NBC 15 Coverage http://www.nbc15.com/home/headlines/Madison-alderman-wants-to-curb-pit-bull-population-243308381.html?device=tablet Wisconsin State Journal http://m.host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/madison-drops-proposed-mandatory-pit-bull-neuter-spay-law/article_032d05ef-5cb6-5644-8253-d59a173020ff.html Isthmus The Daily Page http://www.thedailypage.com/daily/article.php?article=42342&sid=cddf23258dffe922ac7a656f02caf7f1 Madison City Channel Media File of the meeting: http://media.cityofmadison.com/Mediasite/Play/871b53eb3199470ca52e0bebfd96375d1d?catalog=f6706bc9-c8ac-4d8d-83cc-5f6495e2c318 Madison Alders who OPPOSED Breed Discrimination:
Alder Maurice Cheeks: "Congrats on a big win last night! It was great to see so many folks show up and stay so long last night.
Hopefully all future efforts for animal related legislation will start off by seeking to leverage the deep expertise & love of those that are working on these issues day in and day out. " 
Alder David Ahrens: "Thanks for your email on the ordinance proposal requiring the neutering of pit bulls. As you wrote, the problem of identifying a particular dog as a "pit bull" and not a mix of other breeds is impossible. Further, the cost of the procedure may be prohibitive for many dog owners.
I am particularly concerned about the enforcement of this law. Given the low level of staffing of the city's animal control unit, I think that it is highly unlikely that the ordinance would be enforced in a uniform and timely manner. This leads to "discretionary enforcement" which is unfair and often enforced in a discriminatory manner. I've knocked on thousands of doors and have been confronted loudly and at times aggressively by all kinds of dogs. A lunging german shepard is easily as terrifying and I assume, dangerous, as a pit bull or any other kind of dog. As a result of the substantial and vocal opposition to this measure, the author of the bill is seeking further discussions with many individual and organizations such as the Dane County Humane Society that oppose the measure. However, if the proposal comes before the council in anything like its current form I will vote against it." 
Alder Larry Palm: "I am opposed to the current language.
Thanks for sharing your opposition, Larry" Madison Alders Who Supported Breed Discrimination
Alder John Strasser: "I do not feel that this ordinance is discriminatory. It is not me or the city or animal control that is identifying these pit bull type dogs to be singled out. Irresponsible breeders and a segment of the population has identified these dogs as a valuable commodity and status symbol resulting in their mistreatment and over breeding. The dogs are the victims. The dogs are the ones suffering. The dogs are the ones being stigmatized. What this ordinance will do is change the equation to reduce the demand there by reducing the supply and value as a commodity allowing them to return to being the companion animals that you want them to be.
The data from cities around the nation supports this result. I have seen the data. Our animal control officers are in direct contact with cities that have successfully reduced the pit population in the shelter system to the benefit of the dogs and the community. This really does work." If you received a response from your alderman on this issue and you would like to share it with us, please email us at www.wivotersforcompanionanimals.com and we will add it to this page. When voters make informed decisions at election time, the animals win! Thank you. For The Record - Watertown BDL Vote9/5/2013 
September 3, 2013 at 10:45 p.m. Watertown City Council voted on an amendment to remove Breed Discriminatory language from a proposed dog ordinance. Here is the the voting records of the aldermen. Alderman Robert Stocks introduced the amendment.
Emily McFarland - yes Fred Smith - no Ken Berg - yes Mark Kuehl - no Steve Zgonc - no James Romlein - yes Robert Stocks - yes Augie Tietz - yes John Couglin - yes Thank you to the aldermen who voted YES to remove the reference to "high risk" dogs from the ordinance, thereby removing the breed discrimination. Thank you to Ryan La Fave Sr. for the video link below and the photo. Watch the video link to hear the voice vote. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10200983200796138 |
Our blog will be an ongoing conversation regarding humane legislation and improved conditions for companion animals in Wisconsin. Feel free to contact us with your letters, ideas and input. wivotersforcompanionanimals @gmail.com
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