My new position: Rottweiler Club of Canada BSL Chairperson

[TrishB]

Hi all,

I've been looking for a cause that I can believe in. I think I've found it. :D

I was nominated to become the Breed Specific Legislation Chairperson for the Rottweiler Club of Canada. It was put to a vote, I was elected and was thrilled to accept.

My first offical state of business was to address the Calgary Sun article. Here is everything that I sent out:

Here is the a copy of both my direct response to Licia Corbella and
the letter to the Strathmore Standard (competitor newspaper). The
same letter was also sent to the Calgary Herald, another competitor.

This will serve as the official RCC response. If Licia Corbella does
not respond, hopefully her competitor-counterparts will.

All the best,

Trish

-----------------------

To whom it may concern:

Below you will find a letter in response to an inflammatory article
written by Licia Corbella of the Calgary Sun. Since she is also the
editor of the paper, I highly doubt that she will respond or give
weight to my response. Due to my position as the Rottweiler Club of
Canada, Breed Specific Legislation Chairperson - I would truly like
to have our voice heard. I will happily aid your paper in publishing
an accurate representation of the viable options available to
municipalities for dog ownership and safety.

Should Licia not be responsible for her actions, I would like to
think that maybe your paper may help to set the records straight and
give due time to the other side of this highly emotional debate. Her
snide comments in response to the current letters to the editor
(herself) don't seem to show any willingness to retract her column.

Her article: http://www.canoe.ca/Columnists/corbella.html

Any assistance you may be able to offer would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely yours,

Tricia Barrett
Rottweiler Club of Canada, Breed Specific Legislation Chairperson

----------Letter sent to Licia Corbella, Saturday, November 22nd,
2003------------

Dear Licia Corbella,

I read your column, "Pet Peeved – It's time to take a bite out of
dangerous dog breed attacks" with a very heavy heart.

My name is Tricia Barrett; I am the newly appointed Breed Specific
Legislation Chairperson of the Rottweiler Club of Canada.

I will begin by saying that a Rottweiler is a robust, powerful dog
with drive and charisma. It is not a dog for everyone – but neither
is any other breed for that matter. Every dog was created through
selective breeding for a specific purpose in mind. That purpose must
be acknowledged when selecting a breed of dog to bring into any home.

The purpose of a Rottweiler has been developed over hundreds of
years, back to Roman times. They were drovers of cattle, protectors –
from armies to families, cart dogs, police dogs, tracking, therapy,
show, agility, obedience and of course, beloved family pets.

The case for Breed Specific Legislation, as you propose in your
article, is a knee-jerk reaction without any logical or proven fact.
It simply treats a symptom, without treating the cause:
Irresponsible ownership. Breed bans in other countries have proven
to be less than effective:

- Incidence of bites / attacks did not drop
- Proof / Ability to establish the dogs breed / origin is fuzzy
- Created an underground black market for the banned breeds
- Breeding programs continue without any Code of Ethics for breeders
to follow, creating unstable animals
- Additional breeds have had to be added as irresponsible owners
moved to other breeds rather than changing their reckless habits
- Policing the bans become expensive and ineffective

Considering that the number one intention behind a breed ban is to
reduce dog bites, it is obvious that this initiative fails.

All breeds of dogs can bite. Of course, a larger animal may cause
more damage than a smaller one – but a bite is a bite. Therefore,
responsible ownership is key. An individual dog can only be as good
or bad as its owner allows it to be. A dog cannot chase a jogger if
it isn't left free to roam. A child cannot torment a dog if it isn't
left unsupervised. A dog will not bite to protect its food if it is
trained not to be protective of it. If left in a successful
situation, a dog will succeed. If left in a failing situation, the
dog will fail.

The Rottweiler Club of Canada encourages responsible breeding
practices and ownership. Citing various sources such as the Canada
Safety Council http://www.safety-council.org/, Canadian Veterinary
Medical Association http://www.cvma-acmv.org/ and various others, we
agree with the recommendations of these authoritative groups:

- Enforcement of generic, non-breed specific dangerous dog laws, with
an emphasis on chronically irresponsible owners
- Enforcement of animal control ordinances such as leash laws and
fencing requirements
- Prohibition of dog fighting
- Encouraging neutering
- School-based and adult education programs that teach pet selection
strategies, pet care and responsibility, and bite prevention

The Rottweiler Club of Canada also encourages breeding to a Code of
Ethics (COE) http://www.rottclub.ca/coe.htm which will produce
stable, structurally sound, healthy dogs with exemplary
temperaments.

Sadly, as our breed rocketed to popularity during the 80's and 90's,
unscrupulous breeders without any concern for structure, stability or
temperament flooded the markets. As true breed enthusiasts, we were
thrilled to see the numbers of dogs registered drop – as we attempt
to recover from the damage done by puppy mills, back yard breeders
out to make a quick profit and pet stores selling to unknowledgeable
homes.

Dogs involved in bites are most likely to be:

- Not licensed
- Not neutered / spayed
- Not registered
- Not produced by a COE breeder
- Not of steady temperament
- Not of stable structure, causing pain and discomfort
- Not properly socialized
- Not adequately trained
- Not correctly maintained
- Not under the owners direct supervision or control

I would like to invite you to visit our website and see for yourself
that our dogs do indeed act as therapy and service dogs. Such as
Cassandra Levy and her dog Dylan, who is a Registered Therapy Dog
(RTD) that visits retirement homes:
http://www.rottclub.ca/therapy.html

I would also like to invite you to meet the responsible, dedicated
Rottweiler owners that I know:

- Those who show their dogs in confirmation to ensure only the
structurally sound and best examples of the breed are offered for
breeding
- Those who place temperament titles on their dogs such as a Canine
Good Neighbour (CGN) http://www.ckc.ca or Canadian Canine Good
Citizen (CCGC) http://home.istar.ca/~habac/ccgct.htm or a Temperament
Test (TT) http://www.atts.org to prove their solid temperaments and
ability to be an asset to society
- Those who work their dogs in various, highly skilled events such as
Agility, Obedience, Schutzhund, Tracking, Carting and more
- Those who adhere to a Code of Ethics when breeding; breeding only
the best that the breed has to offer, certified for structural
health, for the love of the breed
- Those who are responsible, loving owners of Rottweilers who refuse
to be painted with the same brush as those who aren't

In conclusion, I found your article to be inaccurate at best and
would like to offer you the opportunity to retract it. Publishing
the facts, along with the proven recommendations of respected sources
as referenced above – will not only fulfill your requirements as a
respected journalist. It will also provide your readership with the
ability to make educated, accurate decisions.

Thank you,

Tricia Barrett

Rottweiler Club of Canada, Breed Specific Legislation Chairperson

[Brooke&Ryan]

Congrats on your new position Trish. I think that you'll do a wonderful job. :)

I thought that you letter was very thoughtful & factual. Please let us know if you hear back from the woman.

:)
Brooke

[danyp1]

Congratulation on your position.. Although I`m sorry that your "first official letter" has to be to that woman and her rather ignorant articel. Please let us know if she response.

[rottnkidd]

That's great Trish! I wish you the best in your new position with
the RCC. I know one of the Club execs; Don French. I met him on one of the Rottweiler lists a few years ago. He gave me ALOT of really great advice prior to getting my pup. I still have all of his correspondence via email. It is a small world! Anyway, best wishes to you!
kathy

[shelby842]

Trish

You do an excellent job with words, I know you can make us all proud............:p

[Rottenrottydog]

Congrats. Good cause too.:)

[macho rottie]

CONGRATULATIONS! I am positive you will do a wonderful job. :)

[Hershey's Mom]

Congratulations Trish!!! I feel confident that you will do a wonderful job!

[excellrott]

After reading your letter, I am convinced that you are the right person for this prestigous position....do us proud!!!! Congratulations!!!!

[TrishB]

First off - thanks for the votes of confidence!!

One thing I'd really like to see is more RCC members getting involved. Meaning that, I'd like to see more RCC members! ;)

Sadly, many dog owners feel that they should only join the national breed club if they show or breed. It isn't true! It is so that you have a say in the direction of your chosen breed in your country. You'll receive a newsletter keeping you up to date on the 'goings-on' surrounding our breed and it also gives you the right to vote.

Fighting BSL is an incredibly difficult fight, and there's a long road ahead of us. Since it typically falls to the municipal level - that means EVERY municipality across this huge country has the option to introduce by-laws. That's huge!

For the RCC to have the power to make an impact, we need membership support. Not only your signatures - but also your numbers!

So please - if you're not a member of the RCC - please, become one! Our breed needs you.

And if you're not Canadian - Join the ARC! ;)

[Homerhomer]

congrats Trish.
If you haven't done so yet have a look at the follwing list for anti bsl Canada.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/antiBSLCanada/
Not too many members but some of them have been fighting bsl in Canada for a long time. It may be of some help to you.

[Stubby]

Good letter Trish. And congrats on your new position with the RCC :)

Please keep up posted on any response you may get from this "editor"....

[Cassandra]

Awesome! Congratulations! You definately are the right person for the job.

[Burnsway]

I'm sure you will do a wonderful job.....;)

[stevenc]

Great job Trish! I respect your passion for the breed! We need more folks like you out there. I just got done posting on your other thread and was accused of telling someone they are a bad owner because I said they should join a organization that helps this great breed out! Keep up the hard work!:)