Below is a Christmas card I'd like to share with everyone.

My wish for the New Year is that we will continue to fight against bad dog laws and breed bans in particular.  Remember, at the root of every bad dog law is a dog incident.  Please obey the laws in your area, be considerate to others, and be a responsible dog owner in the New Year and always!

Here are some things you can do to help with our fight against bsl in the New Year:

Make a donation - obviously that will help us keep the fight alive.  I have to tell you, I am worried about the financial part of this fight.  It has been hard work getting the donations we have so far and we have done well, but without more we will not be able to continue our legal challenge.  Please, send what you can.  Every dollare matters.

Help change public image - get a CGC or a CGN on your dog or get him or her certified as a therapy dog.  Compete in obedience and get titles.  Get into parades and the public eye in a positive way.  Be an ambassador, behave in an exemplary fashion and set a good example. 

Continue to write to politicians and the media on this issue.  Keep the tone informative. 

Join the DLCC or other organizations fighting against the ban.  Encourage friends to donate to the challenge fund. 

We are right about this.  We know that breed bans are wrong and do nothing to keep society safer from dog bites.  Being right won't make it go away.  Hard work, changing public opinion, and enough money to take DOLA to the Supreme Court are the only things that will.  So please help us stand up for innocent dogs and owners, and for rights in this country.

Here is a study that's an interesting read, Panic Policy Making: Canine Breed Bans in Canada & the US by Susan Hunter and Richard A. Brisbin Jr.

http://www.polsci.wvu.edu/faculty/BRISBIN/Papers/2007.%20Panic%20Policy%20Making.pdf

I kind of like the title.  That's exactly how it happens:  Hype, panic, bad law to 'protect the public'.  There are several examples in history of this being the method of passing laws, the US Patriot Act, a reactive law made in the heat of the moment, in hindsight is viewed as overly intrusive by many Americans.  I digress.

I found it interesting to read the background to the Ontario law, even though it is information already known to me.  Give it a read.  Then, as always, I ask you to please donate.  Tell people.  Get the message out that this is a bad law that needs to be changed.