Stop Anti-dog/anti-breeder legislation!

Baypalms Papillons

Florida Anti-Pet Legislation

Florida's Legislature has completed its session for this year. With help from many Florida dog lovers and breeders, none of the bills introduced this year made it to the floor for a vote! But, we can't rest on our laurels. There will be a new group of bills waiting for us next year and there are always ordinances being introduced in local jurisdictions. In the meantime, this is a great time to make appointments and get to know your Representative and Senator while they are in town. Also get to know your county commissioners or other local representatives. Become their "go to" person for anything to do with dogs and animals. See Charlotte McGowan's excellent article below on how to do this. I will keep this page updated with anything I hear.

This is a photo of one of those "scary" pit bulls kissing a baby deer. Notice that there is also a cat nearby who doesn't seem to be scared in the least. My friend whose daughter owns this dog says that he takes care of all the baby animals that come into her house. Her daughter rehabilitates many baby animals of all kinds and she trusts him with all of them. Breed specific legislation would allow laws to be passed in communities all over Florida to ban this dog and others like him solely because of his breed.

What you can do to combat a bad bill:

1. Write, call, fax or email your local Senator and Representative and let them know that you oppose this legislation. Visit their office if you can.

2. Carbon copy the chairman of the committee(s) and any members of the committee(s) who are hearing the bill. Bill committees are listed on the bill information on the state websites.

3. Be polite and be brief. State that you are a constituent and you oppose the bills. State why you oppose the bill. For example: "Decisions such as spay/neuter of a very young puppy should be between the puppy's owner and their veterinarian not mandated by the state", "Mandatory spay/neuter has not worked in other areas where it has been implemented", "There are adequate laws on the books to take care of overpopulation of dogs and cats and dangerous dogs", "Punish the deed, not the breed", "Mandatory spay/neuter leads to the extinction of all pets".

4. If you email, fax or snail mail a letter, follow it up with a phone call.

5. Tell all your friends about these bills and have them do the same.

6. If you are able, donate money to organizations such as NAIA and the NAIA Trust, but do not assume donating money is enough. There are no large organizations or lobbyists fighting these bills for you. We have to do the work ourselves.

7. Write individual correspondence. Petitions do not work as they are counted as only one response.

How to Contact Your Representatives

Below is a link to the NAIA Capwiz website. This is an excellent resource for communicating with your representatives. Just enter in your zip code and it will walk you through the rest of the process.

Get to Know Your Legislators (Contributed by Charlotte McGowan)

1. Know who represents you! You need to know your state Rep, your state Senator. Find your state legislature website. Get familiar with it. I don't care if you are Republican, Democrat or Independent. You need to work with your elected officials whether you voted for them or not! They are the ones who will vote on your issues.

2. Get on the radar screen with your elected officials. They need to know you are people who vote, you are in their district and you are subject matter experts on happy healthy dogs. If a bill comes up and you have not made contact, will they call you first? Work to be the person they think of for animal issues. Walk in the parade with them, send a little donations, attend a constituent meeting. Get involved!

3. Get to know their aides. Legislative aides are the gateway to busy legislators.

4. Be respectful! That means be polite, be precise, and understand aides and officials are very busy and we have an economic crisis. Stay on point!

5. Be memorable and be nice. Do something so that staff or the legislator remember you positively. Bring the staff some home made brownies if that's what it takes. Bring a new leash if you know the legislator or an aide has a dog.

6. Research your legislator. Find issues that are important to them that you agree on. When you mention those issues before you mention our issues, you are a friend.

7. Get going! If HSU$ and their anti breeder bills aren't in your state now they will be soon. We need to educate our legislators AND the public. Especially the public. We can't just talk to each other.

Other Resource Links