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Alert of 11/3/06 - Pit Bulls

VVAW, in conjunction with Patti Stinson, did an informal assessment of the situation of pit bulls in Virginia, and the result was that in too many places we found pit bulls are euthanized simply because they are pit bulls.  These dogs are not offered for adoption.

A board member of Virginians for Animal Welfare and VVAW, Debra Griggs, asked her delegate who has patroned animal-friendly legislation in the past, Delegate Kenneth Alexander, to request an opinion of the Attorney General of Virginia on euthanizing dogs in public facilities based solely on breed.

The Attorney General has issued an opinion that euthanizing dogs based solely on breed does not reflect correct legal procedure.

We want this information to get into the hands of every City Attorney and County Attorney in the Commonwealth.

We want every facility and every animal control officer to know that it is not all right to put a dog down based solely on its breed.

This is a wonderful example of the power that a citizen of Virginia has when working with a legislator who is accessible and reflects the wishes of their constituents.

Please help us spread the word.

Please write to your legislators about this.

Better yet, write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper, asking that a dog breed not suffer based only on the fact of their breed.

Lillian Clancy and Don Marro and Members of the Board:  Peyton Coyner, Debra Griggs, Cindy Ingram, Kim Kincheloe, Mollie McCurdy and Pat Weakland