Military families are suffering under breed bans that force them to either relocate or give up their beloved animals. These dogs aren’t discriminated against due to any action of their own but merely because they belong to a breed deemed dangerous by government officials. Best Friends Animal Society wants to send a strong message to President Obama and Congress. Join them in asking for a repeal of laws that will see more pets surrendered to shelters.

Act Now! 

• Contact President Obama.

• Contact your Senators and House Representatives.

• Share Best Friends Animal Society’s action alert with your friends on Facebook.

Why It Matters

In January 2009 the US Department of Defense issued a new memorandum relating to pets owned by military families living on base. This new pet policy prohibits the boarding of any breed of dog deemed “aggressive or potentially aggressive” unless the dog is a certified military working dog. According to this law the term aggressive breeds are defined as Pit Bulls (American Staffordshire Bull Terriers or English Staffordshire Bull Terriers), Rottweilers, Doberman Pinschers, Chows, and wolf hybrids, whether these dogs display any concerning behavior or not.

The policy also goes on to prohibit any dog who engages in unprovoked barking or growling, aggressively running along fence lines, or who escapes confinement or restriction to chase people. Read the full memorandum (PDF). 

Due to this legal change, military families with one of the banned breeds are forced to either move to off-base housing or give up their pets to a shelter. Given that many of these breeds are also banned in civic municipalities the chance all these dogs will find new homes is slim.

Best Friends Animal Society issued an action alert calling for opponents of Breed Specific Legislation to contact President Obama and House Representatives. As the Society stated in its call to action:

Our service men and women fight for our freedoms overseas, they should not have to fight to keep their family pets.

Send a message to government officials asking them to repeal the breed discriminatory policies in the military and to enact breed-neutral laws for military housing.

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Welcome to Kristine Tonks – BTC4animals’ New Staff Writer!

Kristine Tonks’ day job is at a non-profit organization but what she really loves to do is eat cheese, read pretentious novels, and post photos of her dog Shiva on the Internet. 

Please give Kristine a warm welcome.
Learn more about her on our Team BTC page.