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Posted by Greg Mealer on March 18, 2009, 9:26 pm
DOG LAW ALERT: TEXAS HB 1147 & SB 554
SB 554 criminalizes the ownership of items that are common to many dog owners, but especially to those who engage in activities such as hunting, dog sports and dog shows. While I support the prosecution of the crime of dog fighting, the language is vague and will result in people being falsely accused. In the vast majority of dog fighting cases, the dogs are destroyed prior to a trial or even a conviction. Owners who are falsely accused suffer devastating financial and emotional losses and can never get their dogs back.
a.. All dog owners possess at least some of the equipment in this bill, and many dog owners possess most of the equipment such as a harness, treadmill, cage for a dog, a pen for a dog, feeding apparatus (a dog bowl) and training pens.
b.. While possession of these items to be a crime is linked to intent to train dogs to fight or in the furtherance of dog fighting, that is very vague. There is no definition of what constitutes intent. How do you prove intent?
c.. Merely possessing this equipment does not mean that someone has the intent to train a dog to fight or that the equipment is used in the furtherance of dog fighting.
d.. Because someone has a dog bowl, does this mean they have the intent to fight a dog? This bill would open the door for unfairly prosecuting a person who legitimately owns American Pit Bull Terriers or other similar dogs.
e.. Legitimate dog trainers of all breeds use treadmills to exercise their dogs particularly when the weather is bad, and in no way indicates training of fighting dogs.
f.. If a dog fighter is convicted, then the equipment described above can already be seized and forfeited.
SB554 is scheduled for a hearing Tuesday March 17 –
Please call and fax NOW.
Click here for contact information
http://www.adbadog.com/p_pdetails.asp?fpid=407&pg=407
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