Senator Burchett,
My name is Jenna Garrison. I'm active duty military stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
I'm emailing in regards to the disucssion of BSL in Knoxville, TN. While I personally have never visited TN (not by choice, mind you), BSL is a serious enough issue to extend my hand in helping other pit bull owners all over the nation.
I own a 3 year old American Pit Bull Terrier, who I adopted this past Febuary. She is the apple of my eye, my pride and joy, and we work very hard to change the minds of people who cringe in fear as she happily hikes amongst the rainforest, wearing her backpack. We have helped change minds of some people who used to view the breed as something that should be locked up, destroyed, forgotten about. Sadly, some people are narrow minded and believe that the media is God, and therefore is truth.
I'm not going to spout off statistics, as I'm 100% positive you will receive plenty of emails and letters giving those to you. But I ask you, to think of the responsible Bulldog owners. The ones who microchip, train, spay/neuter, and love their dogs. Why should they be punished for the irresponsiblness of others? In the Navy, I have been taught that if one person messes up, everyone is punished. In some aspects, yes, this makes sense. If done correctly, the punishment of others spurs the offender into correcting themselves.
But how is attempting to wipe out one breed going to help others? If a dog is loose, and attacks a person, why is it not the owners responsibility to control their dog??? Why are leash laws going unenforced? Why don't we cncourage spay/neuter laws, or enforce higher penalties for loose leash dogs? I personally ran into three unleashed dogs, just this weekend. One actually ran into my garage, straight for my leashed dog (yes, I leash my dog at home), on our own property. Being responsible, I picked up my 45 pound dog off the ground, and screamed for the owners, who took 45 long seconds to grab their dog. All I received from my "responsible" small dog owner neighbor was a "sorry". But if my "vicious" pit bull had killed that dog, I'd have to move, maybe even destroy my dog, even though the dog invaded my property.
Before the pit bull, people hated the German Shepard, the Rottweiler, the Doberman. I have seen BSL against Corgis, Rodhesian Ridgebacks, Great Danes and Akitas. Most are being punished for doing what they were created to do, whether it be fighting dogs, attacking cats or guarding property. How come it makes CNN headlines when a Pit Bull attacks a cat, but not when a Labrador tears off the face of a child? Sensationalism is a disease better off nipped in the bud.
I hope and pray you read all of our emails and letters, research the futility of BSL, and understand one thing: If you cannot enforce leash laws now, how will you enforce more strict laws? Baby steps before leaps, please.
Please, feel free to contact me. I hope you come to the right conclusion, because thousands of human and canine lives depend on it.
Very Respectfully,
Airman Jenna Garrison
| This is what I emailed. It's not entirely eloquent, but I thought it might help
 |
11-19-2007, 12:04 PM 
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