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This only serves to restrict the law-abiding. Those that currently break the registration laws will have even more of an incentive to do so.

No complaints against an owner.. that's great! All it takes is a minor argument with a neighbor who can complain to the city and before you know it your dog's sterile. Great..

Good start, but needs a LOT of work, IMO.

You're asking how are complaints going to be investigated and resolved to differentiate the malicious neighbour from the person who genuinely has a problem. And that's a very good and important question. I suspect, though not having owned dogs next to cranky neighbours -- have only known the tolerant kind -- I can't say from first-hand experince, that most problems don't escalate to full-blown complaints if the owner listens to the neighbour and tends to them in some way. And most responsible owners do that.

It's a good question of enforcement and that's the sort of issue that will make the difference between it being a successful idea and a failure.

i have lived next to problem neighbors, as have several of my clients. i had a neighbor file complaints against me because his little terrier ran into my kennel area off-leash because he walked her off-leash past my place to get his mail. i had a dog out and she ran up to him. he behaved well, and did not bother her, but when i took her to the owner and explained that a different dog might have hurt her, he became very angry and threatened me with 'action'.
he filed complaints with animal control, zoning, and the police. it took months of meetings and hearing to clear it up. all accusations were found to be groundless, but the time and aggravation was already spent. these people know the law and take advantage of it to cause harm. we should not make it easier for them to do so.

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the problem with this type of legislation is that it puts further requirements of people who are already responsible, and will be ignored by irresponsible owners, just as they ignore current laws.

Gee, sounds a lot like most "gun-control" laws, too. Let's penalize the law abiding citizen who jumps through all of the hoops necesary to do something legally, instead of penalizing those who break the law(s) in the first place and aren't going to adhere to any additional laws the government may impose anyway.

Ahhh. Political correctness at its best.

I don't think it will really have much affect on the many dogs in shelters or even the quality of dogs available. My husband's showline GSD has her CD so she would be considered worthy of breeding. Of course she's also incredibly nervouse, has terrible allergies, and her pancreas function is about 0 so we're spending around $250 per month on enzyme powder so she doesn't starve to death. Obviously there are plenty of dogs sitting in back yards without titles who are healthier and with better temperments than Heidi. In addition I have heard that many people are smuggling puppies over from Mexico. If you decrease the supply locally the price goes up for the puppies that are available. Then they have even more reason to bring sickly 4 week old puppies into the country. Lastly in the last 30 years the idea of spaying and neutering has been widely promoted. So why are there more dogs than ever sitting in shelters? At least in Minneapolis I've seen most of the dogs are there for behaviour reasons as opposed to there not being enough homes. The puppies that are in the shelters are almost always adopted quickly.

I disagree with your last point. I live in a mid sized city of about 100,000 people surrounded by rural counties in Missouri. The shelter I volunteer and foster for gets in dogs from 9 surrounding counties, if I recall, and we get in loads and loads of puppies for the same reasons I've said before. The parents are "farm dogs" (i.e.-dogs allowed to run loose, form packs, chase livestock, mate with whoever they like) so they don't feel any need to neuter or spay them and they come back every 6 months with a new batch of puppies. Every batch of new puppies is pretty much a death sentence for the older adult dogs who often come to the shelters through no fault of their own (divorce, owner moving, and landlord issues are the most common). And puppies often get put down in our shelter. My Malinois had been there over a month as he came in as a stray with his brother (maybe dumped by the breeder?) and was about to get put to sleep as there wasn't any room for him if I wouldn't have adopted him at 4 months. Teeny tiny brag, but he just had his Schutzhund temperament test today and passed, so hopefully thus begins an illustrious training career of the pound Malimutt. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Of my three shelter dogs, I'd say only my husky/Rott mix has any major temperament issues which I can handle though most beginner or novice dog owners wouldn't be able to. I named him Buck, but his nickname is Spooky for his odd behavior. Anyways, like I said, it's not usually the responsible breeders that test the health and temperament and work or compete with their dogs and that have spay/neuter contracts for non-working/showing pet dogs that is filling shelters. It's still the "oops" litters, the "I'll breed whatever poo or doodle mix is popular to make $2500 a pup," or the "I'll breed my nasty tempered, neurotic dog just because" that are directly or indirectly exacerbating the problem. I ran into one of these idiots walking her skittish, non-titled, non-health checked, rather ugly little Pomeranian puppy the other day who wants to breed her as soon as she has her first "period" just to get back the $350 she spent on her and because her mom and her want puppies. I just about wanted to scream. This is what is making me kind of dread being a vet and specializing in canine behavior is dealing with these idiots who have no business breeding their little wreck of a furball. Although I'll always be pretty assertive, probably a good thing I'm not quite as much in person...or at least outloud! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Oh man, what a terrible idea.


More rules for the people that already follow the rules. . . .

Exactly.

Like the idiotic signs you see here on every business door since they passed concealed carry here in OK.: Concealed firearms not allowed!


"Oh darn it! I guess I'll have to go rob some place without a sign on the door!"