More than Leash Laws

There is an article in today's Miami Herald about a bill at the state level that would allow cities in Florida to ban any breed of dog they deem "dangerous" to their communities. This bill is reminiscent of one that has existed in the Miami-Dade area for twenty years that bans pit bulls in that county. It also follows closely behind the recent law in California requiring pet owners to spay or neuter their pets unless they get an exemption for commercial breeding.

I think all of these efforts to control pets are directed at the wrong end of the leash. Quite simply, the apple does not fall far from the tree. If you want responsible pets, then you have to have responsible owners. How about laws that require pet owners to provide food, shelter and veterinary care to their companion animals for the duration of their lives? How about requiring pet owners to take their animals to socialization and obedience training classes?

We have laws that require pet owners to leash them and clean up after them in public places but none that teach them how to be responsible pet owners. The last time I checked, the bare minimum legal requirement for owning a pet was vaccinating it against rabies and distemper but as we all know, this is rarely enforced. You can go to jail or be fined for animal cruelty but only if you are caught.

It seems as if we have unwanted small animals as well as unwanted large animals because we don't require owners to demonstrate that they are capable of providing for living beings in their care. I'm not sure whether or not this should be an age requirement, an educational requirement or some sort of financial commitment made at the time of purchase toward the animal's long-term care (a portion of the purchase price goes into some interest bearing account dedicated to pet care) but I do think it is way to easy to become a pet parent without realizing what the responsibility entails.

And then it is way too easy to get rid of that responsibility.

Dr. Welch Agnew, president of the Florida Animal Control Association said it best: "Banning a breed does nothing to solve dangerous dog problems. All it does is target well-behaved dogs owned by good dog owners--who lose their pets due to this kind of legislation." Not to mention taking away resources from enforcing the laws already on the books that, if enforced, might prevent the "danger" from existing in the first place.