In the greyhound racing industry, law reforms have not been entirely effective in delivering just outcomes. In 2015, ABC’s Four Corners broadcasted “Making a Killing”, exposing “the New South Wales greyhound racing industry for widespread systemic mistreatment of animals; unnecessary slaughtering; deliberate misreporting; and a culture that lost the community’s trust” as the Honour Niall Blair stated. In response, a Special Commission of Inquiry into Greyhound Racing investigated the treatment of greyhounds, integrity and governance issues. The Greens MP Dr. Mehreen Faruqi revealed the Inquiry found “97,783 greyhounds were bred and 50 per cent to 70 per cent were deliberately killed, because they never were, or were no longer, capable of being …show more content…
Furthermore, the media, campaigns against animal cruelty and independent investigations by the RSPCA and Animals Australia raised public awareness on the mistreatment of greyhounds, changing the society’s values concerning greyhound racing and catalysing law reforms to accommodate changing society values. Responding to the findings, the Greyhound Prohibition Act 2016 (NSW) was introduced to repeal the Greyhound Racing Act 2009 (NSW), which effectively ceased all greyhound races, preventing further cruelty to greyhounds. The prohibition of greyhound racing was reflective of the society’s values, as an independent survey of 800 people by the RSCPA showed 64% favoured the ban and 59% of voters who favoured the ban were from rural areas. However, the ban was not effective in fully satisfying animal welfare standards for greyhounds, as Greyhound Racing NSW reported 544 greyhounds were still exported overseas without paperwork, 408 were NSW-registered animals, highlighting the ineffectiveness of the …show more content…
As the Greyhound Prohibition Act 2016 (NSW) did not achieve just outcomes for all parties involved, the Greyhound Racing Act 2017 (NSW) was introduced with stricter regulations to repeal both the Greyhound Prohibition Act 2016 (NSW) and the Greyhound Racing Act 2009 (NSW). The introduced Act of Parliament was effective in achieving just outcomes because it allows ethical greyhound trainers to work and the legislation is enforceable. This is evident when the Sydney Morning Herald reported prominent greyhound owners were guilty of 464 charges of unauthorised sales of unwated greyhounds to overseas. However, the reform costs $41 million of taxpayers’ money, better invested elsewhere, and is “obscene” as stated by Farqui. Humane Society International Australia stated public funds "should not be allocated to an industry exposed for mass dog killings, fatal injuries, live baiting and doping with dangerous drugs”, accentuating the new Act’s injustice towards greyhounds and their
Pit bulls are targeted in this ineffective solution to dog attacks. Perhaps the reason why pit bulls are feared by society because we are afraid of what they are associated with. Pit bulls are often thought of as a gangster’s pet; a role in violent and illegal activities. People stereotype this breed because of the unfortunate acts of few. In contrast, society needs to understand that they are being racist towards a breed of dog. Denver’s systematic killing of pit bulls could be compared to the actions of the Nazis during the holocaust. Although BLS is not even close to being on the same scale as the Holocaust, it is targeting and killing a specific group of living beings. Breed Specific Legislation is genocide of this breed. Denver alone has killed at least 3,500 pit bulls. It’s heart wrenching to think about how many families lost their steadfast companions because of the ignorance of others. A common phrase among pit bull supporters is, “Judge the deed: not the breed”. This rings true; if we are to bring justice to the breed, then we need to abolish BSL. True pit bulls are a far from the monsters they are made to
What words come to mind when one hears the words “pit bull?” How about aggressive, violent, or dangerous? In many cases, this isn’t actually true. Because of the negative media attention for attacks on humans and other dogs that pit bull breeds receive, many Americans place a stigma on pit bulls, tagging them as dangerous and vicious. This stigma typically applies to all pit bulls, not just the ones that are actually dangerous. To remedy the issue of dangerous dogs attacking other beings, the legislative act known as breed-specific legislation is being debated throughout the United States. Gary J. Patronek, a veterinary doctor, defines breed-specific legislation as a law than “bans, restricts, or imposes conditions on ownership of specific breeds or dogs presumed to pose greater risk of biting people” (788). Breed-specific legislation is commonly debated in communities that have recently experienced a dog-bite related injury or fatality (Patronek, Slater, and Marder 788). However, this law would ban all dogs of the pit bull breed or any related dog based solely on their breed, rather than disposition. Therefore, breed-specific legislation should not be enacted throughout the United States because is biased against pit bulls and is ineffective in reducing dog-bite attacks by ignoring other aggressive dog breeds.
The modern fight for animal rights has been geared toward factory farms and the removal of animal testing and ag-gag laws. Protection for test animals and farm animals has become an important focus for many animal rights groups including ASPCA. The end of uncomfortable and inhumane treatment of animals is still a fight thousands are fighting
After the 30th of November 1991, it is an offence to have specially controlled dogs unless it is being held as the result of seizure or destruction. However there is an exemption scheme which lets owners keep the controlled dogs as long as they inform police that the dog has been neutered or spayed and can be identified permanently and as long as there is an insurance plan in place, a fee has been paid and then a certificate of exemption will be issued. Many of the first attacks were from Rottweiler’s and then pit bulls and the Act was speedily passed, some say it being passed so fast has made the draft deprived.
Why breed-specific legislation doesn't work. (2013, January 9). The Humane Society of the United States. Retrieved March 20, 2014, from http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/breed-specific-legislation/fact_sheets/breed-specific-legislation-flaws.html
The term “breed-specific legislation” is not one that comes up often in day-to-day discussion for most people. Breed-specific legislation refers to all laws that seek to restrict or eliminate ownership of certain animal breeds, most often dog breeds. It was first conceived as a method of controlling and reducing animal cruelty, as well as mitigating the occurrence of dog-related human injuries and the illegal activities of dog-fighting and related crimes. Breed-specific legislation is distinct from animal control laws that restrict ownership of wild or demonstrably dangerous (those with a past history of unacceptable, aggressive behavior) animals, because breed-specific legislation makes a blanket restriction on all animals of a certain breed regardless of individual history. This means that breed-specific legislation is often promulgated on the basis of breed reputation. In recent years it is the pit bull which has come under the scrutiny of legislative bodies, as their reputation becomes more and more sullied by street crime.
One of the biggest issues with BSL is breed identification. A law that bans a “vicious” being is too broad and can encompass many individuals as it is a personality trait rather than a breed. These laws would then be dependent on what the legislators would define “vicious” to mean. Likewise, there is confusion on what breeds are dangerous. Dogsbite.org claims that breeds such as wolf-dog hybrids, dogo argentinos, presa breeds, cane corsos, and especially pit bulls are indeed dangerous animals and should be banned. However, there are discrepancies involved in even that statement. Of the listed breeds perhaps the most commonly targeted is the pit bull. But what exactly does anyone mean by pit bull? Merriam Webster defines “pit bull” as follows, “a dog (as an American Staffordshire Terrier) of any of several breeds or a real or apparent hybrid with one or more of these breeds that was developed for and is now often trained for fighting and is noted for strength and stamina”. On the contrary, the United Kennel Club has recognized the American Pit Bull Terrier, also called APBT, as a standalone breed since 1898 when UKC founder C.Z. Bennett registered her APBT Bennet’s Ring (Uk...
In the latest years, greyhound racing has gained negative media attention, whereas in 2015 the abc four corners revealed that several owners and trainers were using live baits as a training form for the dog to gain a competitive advantage (Hanna, & Clark, 2015). Another issue concerning the sustainability of the industry is the mass greyhound killings because they were considered too slow (Hanrahan, 2016). Due to all the issues concerning the industry, New South Wales were set to ban Greyhound racing in 2016. Nevertheless, the ban got overturned due to political populism and the economic benefits and the numerous livings the sport provides for. The government now searches for other solutions to make the industry more sustainable. Still, frustrated
In 18 August, 2011, the source of this event is from Herald Sun. A four-year-old lovely child named Ayen Chol was mauled and killed by a pit bull cross while she was playing in her home. The vicious pit bull escaped from a neighbour’s yard and mauled Ayen in a sudden attack. The dog rushed inside the house and set upon Ayen and some other children who were watching television. Ayen’s mom tried to beat the dog away from the children with a table, but she failed. Then the dog turned on Ayen and the vicious injuries caused Ayen’s death. Dr Cam Day, who is the RSPCA’s Queensland pit bull expert, has claimed that American pit bull terriers are ‘head, shoulder, feet and everything else above other breeds’ in terms of their capacity to injure and maim. If the government doesn’t ban pit bulls, these tragedies would continue to happen and children’s lives would be threatened all the
In 2005, the Ontario Liberal government passed The Dog Owner’s Liability Act: a ban against pit bull terriers in the province. After the bill passed, Attorney General Michael Bryant said, “Mark my words, Ontario will be safer” (Ontario passes ban on pit bulls, 2005). The legislation prevented people from acquiring a number of breeds of dogs that would be classified as pit bulls. In addition, Ontario residents who already owned a pit bull terrier prior to the ban were required to neuter and muzzle their animals. Such policies against this breed of animal are not unprecedented. In fact, similar laws are already in place in Britain, France and Germany. In Canada, Winnipeg has had a ban against pit bull terriers in place for 20 years (Ontario passes ban on pit bulls, 2005). Ontario and other regions have imposed these sanctions because the evidence clearly indicates that pit bull terriers pose a much higher than average risk to people.
The ugly truth is that animals are dying at the hands of their owners everyday, some in very violent ways that can be avoidable given the right solution. Slaughterhouses, puppy mills, dog fighting, and so on, are just a few examples of how animals are being treated badly by people. Animal cruelty is a form of violence which, un...
Since the beginning of the modern day circus in the early 20th century millions of Americans have enjoyed the performances by both the people and the animals that perform for our entertainment. However, the audience is blinded by shock and awe of the show from what really happens behind the curtain. Animal cruelty, poor living conditions, and lack of legal regulation scars the animals and becomes very dangerous to the overall health of the animals and those who are around them. The mistreatment of animals in circuses has been occurring for far too long, and new laws need to be implemented in an effort to prevent future acts of cruelty toward these animals.