By….. Barbara-Telesmanic

 

 

Dear Pasadena Council members,
A little bit about myself, I’m a registered nurse with a specialty certification in pediatric oncology (CPON). A large part of
what I do professionally requires an understanding of research an applying evidence based science. I also co-chair a nonprofit that focuses on dog safety, outreach programs and advocacy. My background allows me to develop best practice models when teaching the public, especially children.
Your fellow council member Steve Madison has been using one particular site to convey his sentiments about pit bulls and public safety to the city council board members and Pasadena residents.

 

 

That site is Dogsbite.org, it is notoriously known for being inaccurate and overflowing with fabrications. It uses outdated data and biased media reports to replace accurate statistics.

 

 

Colleen Lynn (the founder of DB.org) has absolutely zero credentials, she is a website designer and a self-proclaimed dog bite victim, who exploits children and the truth to pursue her vendetta against pit bull type dogs.

 

She has no peer reviewed publications, has never been cited as credible in any peer reviewed publication, holds no doctorate nor degree indicating the ability to conduct independent research and has never been  considered an expert by any academic body, only the media.

 

Accurate data has overwhelmingly contradicted Steve Madison and DB.org’s viewpoint. It has been obtained from accredited, science based, professionals throughout the animal community.

 

 

In 2013, The American Veterinary Medical Association, which boasts 84,000 members and acts as a collective voice for its membership and the profession, published: “Why breed-specific legislation is not the answer” in its professional journal (JAVMA).

 

In 2013, The Federal Government of the United States and the Centers for Disease Control posted on its We the People webpage, “Breed-Specific Legislation Is a Bad Idea”.
Dr. Lehr Brisbin, Senior Research Scientist/Ecologist at the University of Georgia, conducted a study on the perception of the locking jaw.

 

 

“Their jaw structure and thus inferred functional morphology, is no different than that of any breed of dog. There is absolutely no evidence for the existence of any kind of “locking mechanism” unique to the structure of the jaw and or teeth of the American Pit bull.

 

Dr. Kris Irizarry, PhD, professor of Genetics, Genomics and Bioinformatics at Western University of Health Sciences (Pomona, CA), state’s : “Attempts to “protect society” from dangerous dogs are flawed because the inherent assumption in these laws is that anatomical and morphological characteristics in dogs correlate with certain behaviors.

The “science” of inferring cognitive and behavioral traits from physical properties of the head and skull (phrenology) had been discredited in the last century. Why we would allow laws based on phrenology to be enacted in the 21st century is a question worth investigating”.

http://www.nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/uploaded_files/tinymce/Irizarry%20viewpoint.pdf

 

In 2013, 12 municipalities repealed BSL, 3 partially repealed and 18 rejected it. In 2014 already, 2 cities have repealed decades old bans (Bonner Springs, Kansas and Canton, Michigan).
Where does Pasadena want to be? The American people are speaking out in droves to protect their dogs and their rights. Thankfully, we now have science based facts from Veterinarians, Geneticists, Behaviorists and PhDs that were not available to us decades ago.

The citizens of Pasadena deserve the best possible scenario for public safety, which is a universal desire. As respected council members, do your due diligence and provide them with comprehensive, current, resolutions (breed neutral dangerous dog laws), that have been proven to increase public safety.

Say goodbye to antiquated, scare tactics that have been historically proven ineffective, costly, unfair and unenforceable.
Sincerest thanks,
Barbara Telesmanic,

 

Registered nurse, Co-founder of SoCal Pitbull TEAM

Socal Pitbull Team – Home | Facebook

 

More to come…..