Founded and Owned by Mike and Emmy Perry, Mc Connery. Family operated since 1973.

Dear Mrs President of the Safety Council of Canada,
I was reading your answer to Mrs Laura Richardson regarding the projected breed ban in Canada. In this mail you mention the European Laws with a special referrence to Germany.

I would like to strongly point out that there is any other than a general demand of the citizens for stricter dog rules or for a breed ban.
This is definetely not the case. Also many politicians, after having digested their first shock after the indicident of Hamburg, where a six year old boy was mauled to death by a dog that had proven to be highly successful in dog fights, are trying to renew the hastily enforced legislation. The state of Hessen has already changed its dog law, others are expected to follow.

Fact is that there was no need to enforce new dog edicts in Germany.
In most of our 16 Federal Lands (Bundesländer) we had rather good and sufficient dog acts that would have offered any possibility to prevent that tragic accident of June 26th, 2000.
Already the next day, the first land came up with the enforcement of new dog act - just to give you an example HOW these laws came into force. Might give you an impression of how well preparated these were, too.

Fact is, that Germany is a disaster concerning dog owners since then. There were people heavily attacked in the streets by dog hatres and had to be given hospital treatment.
One man died. Another man of 29 years of age committed suicide, because the authority threatened to take his beloved dog away - the only soul he could rely on. His dog was not individually dangerous, just belonging to the wrong breed.
Hundreds, maybe even thousands of dogs have been injured and killed in the middle of the street by dog hatres.
Thousand of children are more than desperated and cannot understand why their family pet has been declared a fighting dog when all it ever has been fighting with was the heat of a summer day.
One banned dog was killed because his owner followed the muzzle compulsion, while a not-banned dog running free attacked his dog that died of heart failure from the shock and the complete inability to help himself.

There are hundreds of demonstrations in many cities throughout Germany protesting against these draconian laws. The biggest so far was in mid of July in Düsseldorf where almost 12,000 people participated. The German breeders association (the VDH) together with politicians are currently organizing a demonstration at Wiesbaden where 100,000 people are to be expected.

We are demonstrating to achieve enforcement of dog edicts that deal with danagerous dogs not with breeds. I can assure you that not only dog owners are protesting.
Many people that do not own a dog are shocked when they see the neighbour's dog that they did know for such a long time to be a good socialized family pet beeing killed by the authority or even "only" hit by a strict leash and muzzle compulsion that will never ever allow him to run free.

To date almost 50 dog breeds have been declared as fighting dogs by the various authorities.
Dogs of the blind are to do their work muzzled and on leash (!!!), SAR dogs can no longer work, there is no chance to train them being muzzled and it is impossible to send them out to work being muzzled and on a short leash.

Germany therefore, is any other than a good example - it is rather embarrassing and led to many boycotts of German goods and tourism throughout the world - apart from again a pretty bad reputation.

Germany is a very good example why NOT to impose a breed ban.
A banned breed will open the door for hatre against animals of any kind against their owners and encourage tragic attacks to ANY dogs. No matter which or how many breeds you do ban - (non-dog owners usually are hardly able to distinguish dog boeeds) - the answer will be fear, panic and hatre.

Can you image a kid that sees a dog in the street walking that has been banned, i.e. declared as being highly dangerous? It will scream and just run away.
Do you know what is the worst thing one can do in front of a dog? Even the best of all dogs might run after you thinking you invited him to play - if not worse. And even if the dog would not even move an eyelid - would you really want your children running across the streets in panic?
Don't you have traffic in Canada? Would you want a kid playing the garden with the dog around and watch how its dog is being shot in front of its eyes? Would you want your own kids want to see a dog owner with a leashed and muzzled been attacked and stabbed to be able to set his dog on fire?

Would you want your kids to run around in Germany with 10,000s of innocent dogs being muzzled and therefore regarded as dangerous, while many other dogs that maybe ARE dangerous invite to touch them, because their being unmuzzled demonstrates not being dangerous, but that are of a "better" breed or that do just have an owner who simply does not care on laws and edicts?

Many German children do no longer have friends now - their friends are no longer allowed to talk to them, because the family has a dog, maybe of the wrong breed - but maybe also just a dog.

And there is any other than a reduction of bites here in Germany. Just the media reports every single case of a dog bite and declares many dogs that had bitten as being a dog of being one of the banned breeds - even if the according journalist can hardly distinguish a Poodle from a Schnauzer. This is such a good selling topic.... Regarding the calls for a National common dog law - this is simply, because currently we do have 16 different Federal Lands with 16 different dog acts, each with different breeds being banned, with some that still did NOT consider a breed ban to be the overall solution. Additional any city has the right to enforce its own dog law based upon the regulation of the corresponding land. A dog owner can no longer move in Germany ...

I myself am living in the cross-point of three villages. Each of the three has different regulations. Crossing a street without maybe noting I am entering the soil of another village can make me being a criminal, being strictly fined for having a leash that maybe is considered an inch too long.

Regarding the situation in Europe - Austria is eager to really learn from the German situation and NOT to repeat that chaos. The Northern countries like Sweden or Denmark are to be expected to enforce new laws WITHOUT banning breeds.

The European Union is any other than likely to adopt the German suggestion for the breeds bans, England is actively protesting to have one of their most popular dog breeds to be banned, discriminated and mass-wise killed in Germany.

Switzerland offered asyl for dogs that are bound to be killed in Germany.

If I can help with reliable information or addresses I would be happy to do so. Do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely

Gabi Woiwode

from Germany

> Dear Mr. Therien:
> I was the person who alerted your office to The Montreal Gazette's
> rather spotty reporting of your upcoming decision on the feasibility of
> whether to start a dog bite database. My letter, among others, was also
> published in The Gazette.
> I was forwarded a copy of Ms. Gabi Woiwode's email to you which gave
> gruesome details of the mayhem Germany's legislation on dog breeds has
> caused in the 16 Federal Lands (Bundeslander), and in which she wrote:
> > The fact is that Germany is a disaster concerning dog owners since then. There
> > were people heavily attacked in the streets by dog haters and had to be
> > given hospital treatment. One man died. Another man of 29 years of age
> > committed suicide, because the authorities threatened to take his beloved dog
> > away - the only soul he could rely on. His dog was not individually
> > dangerous, just belonging to the wrong breed. Hundreds, maybe even
> > thousands of dogs have been injured and killed in the middle of the street
> > by dog haters. Thousands of children are more than desperate and cannot
> > understand why their family pet has been declared a fighting dog when all
> > it has ever done was fight off the heat of a summer day.
>
> This is only one poignant part of a letter full of tragic details by a
> German citizen bearing witness to what thoughtless and bandaid solutions
> might result in.
> I beg you to pay close attention to what Ms. Woiwode describes, and to
> think carefully about the manner and with which criteria you set up your
> bite database. Here is another letter, also published by The Gazette, which
> may give you food for thought if you choose to pursue this avenue:
> > from Letters to the Editor (The Montreal Gazette)
> > People seem to forget that small dogs bite more often than large dogs.
> > People just don't report them because they don't do as much damage. Does
> > that mean it is OK? Of course not. The problem isn't the breed of dog but
> > the ignorant public, bad breeders and cruel or uneducated owners.
> > If a man attacks another man, do you round up all his relatives and put
> > them in jail? Or if a black man kills a neighbour, are all black men evil?
> > I have had enough of the ignorance of politicians and the general
> > public who think banning breeds is the solution.
> > It is people who make dogs mean. I have seen plenty of vicious poodles
> > in my day, more than pitbulls. Punish the deed, not the breed.

> > Jordan Heppner,

> > Winnipeg (Manitoba)

Dear Mrs Richardson,

> I think, it is a very fine action to work on a global level against this
> international "dog hysteria". The instigation of hate against animals
> was something only found in communist states like China during the
> "Cultural Revolution" or in the CSSR after the suppression of the
> "Prague Spring" 1968. (You should read the fine novel of Milan Kundera,
> "The unbearable lightness of being", or better every politician should
> read it, too).
> Down below you will find the mail, I sent to the CSC. (No reaction, of
> course!)
> I hope we all will succeed in keeping dogs alive and companion to the
> people who love them.!
>
> Dear Mr Therien,
> I am also very fond of reliable statistics, but your information about
> the European situtation especially Germany seems to be a little
> one-sided.
> All kinds of dog-owners fight desperately against state regulations that
>
> were issued after terrible accident. A known criminal whose animals were
>
> trained to act as dangerous attack dogs, caused the death of 6 year old
> boy in a school yard.
> In the following media hysteria regulations were passed in only a few
> days, that banned up to 42 different breeds of dogs or ordered
> compulsory muzzle and leash!
> To whom who do not know dogs that might sound safe, but as it hinders
> the proper social training of dogs they might get aggressive just
> because of the permanent muzzle. To make things worse: the public
> hysteria caused disturbance of public peace. People who hate dogs at all
>
> placed poisoned food pieces in public parks, owner of dogs of all sizes
> had been attacked and beaten up, dogs were put on fire next to there
> terrified holders and so on.
> I really pray that this is not the idea of public safety you hold dear
> in Canada!
> On the other hand please take a close look at the figures:
> Last year around 2800 people in Germany died by manslaughter or murder.
> We have more than 11.000 suicides every year and more than 8.000 people
> died in traffic accidents.
> Around 5,5 million dogs killed 1 to 5 persons yearly.
> As we see these figures, don´t you think there must an easier way to
> safe human lifes than to extinguish dog breeds? In statistics to erase a
>
> very low number of incidents you would have to act most radical, you
> would have to eliminate all dogs! (Not only large dogs can kill people,
> the wellknown expert Dr Bea Stalter cites the case of two small dachs
> hounds killing a baby which was mistaken as a prey)
> An additional fact seems important to me: dogs do also save lifes,
> especially those of the elderly and lonely who are isolated from
> society. Germany is a country of keen competition, there are many who
> call a pet their only friend. I think if we go on with this frenzy of
> dog-hunting we will easily get even higher suicide numbers.
> 140 children die from drowning, last year it was one less because
> a two year old was save by a bull terrier. The animal won a award from a
>
> pet food company for its deed, since four weeks the breed is banned in
> most states. The state police of North Rhine Westphalia did not record a
>
> single accident with this breed for several years, but in the current
> hysteria nobody cares about facts and figures.
> All this happens because we had a long campaign in the yellow press
> against dogs for several years. The authorities did not deal properly
> with dog holders who caused accidents by carelessnes or on criminal
> purpose. The results are sad.
> I think, one should consider the real dangers of modern life and deal
> properly with people who are not fit to train their dog correctly. Pets
> enrich the life of many people, please do not follow the German way
> which might turn the sight of a dog into something rare here someday.
> Most sincere regards,

> Peter Enderlein,
Geesthacht,
Germany

Click here to read editorial #32-b, titled, "Politics and our K-9's," and read our opinion on this subject.

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