The Following is a letter sent out by the Richmond SPCA. I am posting the letter since it is written so well to explain the importance of House Hill 429 which would help saves lives of dogs, especially pit bulls and other breeds considered bully breeds. Also you will see the embedded video from Nbc12 about the bill. You can read the NBC12 article here.
“I am writing to you today because there is a bill before the Virginia General Assembly this session that could provide a very important step toward saving the lives of dogs and could convey a valuable educational message to the public about certain breeds.
The bill is House Bill 429 which, if passed, would clarify that, under Virginia law, pounds and shelters cannot set policies to routinely take the life of every member of any certain breed of dog. It would also prohibit policies that prevent dogs of a certain breed from being made available for adoption. The Richmond SPCA is strongly in support of this bill, and we hope that you will join us in our support by letting your Delegate and Senator know that you support House Bill 429.
How can you help?
House Bill 429 is presently before the House Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee and it is essential that the bill be reported out of that committee in order for it to be voted upon by the House. Your messages to the members of that Committee to encourage their support of it would be very valuable.
Why is passage of House Bill 429 so important?
The primary focus here is the pit bull, which is a breed that has suffered terribly at the hands of criminals who have forced them into animal fighting and its related abuses. Because of this, fears have developed among some people that all pit bulls present a danger, and there are localities that have taken steps to invoke blanket bans on them and to adopt policies that they must all be euthanized and may not be adopted out from shelters. We are of the opinion that this is an irrational reaction to a problem that should be addressed at the source – with tough prosecution of animal fighters. Not by persecution of innocent dogs.
Any breed of dog, whether it be pit bull or poodle, has great individuals and dangerous individuals and lots of dogs in between. They therefore should not be lumped all into one characterization any more than it is a fair thing to do that with regard to large groups of people.
There are many pit bulls that are lovely and well behaved dogs and make wonderful pets. We know this because many pit bulls, like Annabelle pictured in this message, have been lovingly cared for by the Richmond SPCA and placed into permanent, loving homes. It would be shockingly unfair for dogs like Annabelle to be killed as a result of a bias or prejudice against their breed. In addition, many dogs have physical traits that may appear to be similar to a specific breed but, in fact, are not a member of that breed at all. Without a DNA test and using sight alone, we cannot even be certain what dogs are of a particular breed.
It is our hope that House Bill 429 will be passed by the General Assembly this session. The bill is being pursued now because a recent court decision has indicated that such blanket bans and policies requiring the killing of all dogs of a certain breed are permissible under our state law.
We would welcome any help that you might give in letting your Delegate and Senator know that you support House Bill 429. As I mentioned above, if you need assistance finding contact information for your Virginia representatives so that you may send them a message supporting House Bill 429, please click here. To find contact information for the members of the House Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources committee so that you may send them a message supporting House Bill 429, please click here.
Thank you for taking the time to read this message, and for your wonderful support of programs and policies that improve the lives of orphaned animals.
Sincerely,
Robin Robertson Starr
Chief Executive Officer
Richmond SPCA”
