This event brought tears to my eyes. Those of us who've been out slogging for years are witnessing a ground swell of people who are standing up for their dog owning rights and saying ENOUGH is ENOUGH!
The WORLD is saying NO to DISCRIMINATORY laws! Laws such as breed specific legislation (banning breeds and appearances of dogs), mandatory spay/neuter, pet limits and other oppressive laws. Laws such as these do nothing to contribute to public safety. If they did, bites and attacks would decrease however overwhelming evidence demonstrates the opposite.
Here is a short video from the gathering in Toronto, Ontario.
video by Beth Mischitelle
A great friend and fellow (Dog Legislation Council of Canada) member spoke on our behalf at Toronto's gathering.
Video by Dave Nicholson
Ottawa had an impressive turnout for their gathering.
Photo by Holly Michael Photography Ottawa
Edmonton also held a successful gathering.
Protests were held in Belfast, Ireland where blue ribbons were placed on the gates to City Council in memory of Lennox.
Brisbane, Australia
Perth, Australia
Melbourne, Australia
London, England
Cologne, Germany
Michigan, USA
And many many more...
Way to go world! Stand up and protect your dog owning rights.
People often
ask how they can help. The best thing to do is to contact your Member of
the Provincial Parliament, preferably by phone, mail or fax, to ask them to
vote in favour of any Bills that seek to remove Ontario’s breed-specific
legislation. This is important regardless of the party of your MPP and
especially if they are in Opposition. If you can book a meeting to speak
with them in person, so much the better. Beyond Breed has a great post 10 Tips for Speaking with a Legislator.
It is also very important that
signed, hard-copy petitions be sent in to MPPs so they know that people in
their riding want the breed ban removed. Those two things, which cost
almost nothing and require only minimal action, are the best way to help at
this time. Since the legislature is closed until the Fall, and there is
currently no Bill to remove BSL on the table, we are in a bit of a holding
pattern.
Fighting to restore civil liberties is a tough business and not for the
faint of heart. We will succeed in overturning the breed ban in
Ontario. We will succeed in overturning breed bans worldwide. We confidently say
this because there are a group of dedicated, passionate dog owners who will not
quit until BSL is repealed. We hope that all dog owners and others who are
concerned about their property rights will stand with us to right this terrible
wrong.
Remember, democracy is not a spectator sport - the support of
caring people is needed if we are to prevail.
