I am not a 'registered' 501(c)(3) rescue. I have been rescuing animals all my life. I seem to have an aura which animals sense and are drawn to. In February of 2011 my son brought home a four month old pure breed American Staffordshire Terrier. I started checking out the breed and was alarmed to find that my state had a 'vicious dog' law that specifically called out 'pit bull' (which by the way is NOT a breed) and other 'bully-like' dogs. This kind of law is called Breed Specific Law (BSL) which is a horrible discrimination and causes unjustifiable genocide within shelters and displaces families due to evictions by landlords just because of the 'look' of a dog. On February 21, 2012 HB14 was signed into law. Dogs will now to be regarded by their behavior instead of their appearance. The new law effectively eliminates the prior 25-year-old Ohio law that automatically declared pit bulls to be vicious dogs.

“In addition to dropping any reference to a specific breed of dog from the law, the new law will redefine current designations of ‘vicious’ and ‘dangerous’ dog, create a third lesser category of ‘nuisance’ dog, create a process for dog owners to appeal law enforcement’s labeling of their dogs, and place the burden to prove the classification by clear and convincing evidence on the dog warden.” The law also requires “the owner of a dangerous dog to obtain a dangerous dog registration certificate,” prohibits certain felons from owning dogs under certain conditions, and changes the penalties involving ownership of nuisance, dangerous, and vicious dogs. It is the hope of all that the new law will “improve the ability of dog wardens and law enforcement officers to protect the public from all dangerous dogs, regardless of their breed, while ending the senseless punishment of good dog owners and good dogs for acts they have not committed.” And it is about time that the law reflected actual animal behavior instead of hype and stereotype. How many good dogs were denied the opportunity to thrive with a loving family under the old law just because of who they were born to? Thankfully, dogs will now have a fresh start. So my mission is to enlighten people concerning Breed Specific Law (BSL), share animals that need 'forever' homes; advocate responsible ownership; and advocate spaying & neutering, to keep more animals out of shelters. "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. I hold that the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man." -Gandhi

I have a dream that one day I will not be judged by my appearance, but by the content of my character.

Till they all have forever homes and BSL is no more! Please Don't Judge - Learn

Breed Specific Legislation or "BSL" is exactly what it sounds like...regulation of your right to own or, in many cases, not own, a dog based solely on the breed or "type" of dog - not your responsibility as an owner. BSL can also refer to regulations and/or requirements placed only on a specific breed of dog and their owners.

No matter how you define it, BSL targets all dogs of a specific breed -- the innocent as well as the guilty - and it removes the responsibility from the dog's owner and places it on the dog itself. Laws are created to punish or deter the actions of humans - not those of animals - and the failure to recognize the integral role or irresponsible ownership is the biggest reason that breed specific legislation fails.

Laws are being proposed every day that are intended to take away our rights to own particular dogs for no reason other than their breed and/or their resemblance to a certain breed. Most instances are fueled by media hype and the fears fueled by that hype. There is no such thing as a vicious breed of dog, and a dog's appearance has nothing to do with his actions or behavior.

BSL is an inadequate and uneducated "band-aid" quick fix to address the gushing "wound" of irresponsible ownership and lack of personal accountability.