I've been trying to contact a few people about what was said by Antonovich's spokesperson. I have a few more e-mails sent out, but the one that I recently got a response to is this:
From:
Bonnie
To punish a breed of dog, or any animal for that matter, is completely unconscionable. Dogs are a reflection of their owners and their past, therefor it is the irresponsible, abusive and neglectful people in their lives that should receive the full force of the law.
As a man who served in the military, I would hope that you would honor the lives of a breed that has such a rich history of heroes including Sgt. Stubby who served in Unit 102nd Infantry, 26th (Yankee) Division in World War I who not only received a medal, but also received a wound stripe while protecting the soldiers in his unit.
Another hero pit bull is L.A.’s very own Diamond who shielded 16 year old Sierra from a fire in her apartment, taking the brunt of the fire and receiving severe burns and smoke inhalation just to keep her human from harm.
And Chief, who saved an 87 year old woman and her granddaughter from a poisonous snake by alerting them and then shielding them from the attack of the snake, taking the bite instead, while taking it down to the ground — giving his life to protect them.
Do not punish responsible and loving pet owners and be a part of ending the lives of innocent dogs in California.
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This mail is sent via contact form on Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich http://antonovich.com
And what response do I get?
Thank you for your correspondence regarding vicious dogs and the recent fatal mauling of a 63-year old resident in Littlerock.
While there is currently no effort to change State legislation to ban or restrict any particular breed, Los Angeles County is dedicated to protecting the public from the threat of vicious dogs. At my direction, the Department of Animal Care and Control will provide the Board of Supervisors with a comprehensive package of recommendations to enhance our efforts to protect the public.
We will work to expand our County’s mandatory spay/neuter ordinance and support vigorous prosecution and severe penalties, fines and jail time for negligent and irresponsible owners who allow their animals to breed, fight, roam and attack people, horses and other animals.
We will also continue working with the community, our town councils and cities to address this threat to public safety and prevent future attacks.
To report animal-related public safety concerns, residents are asked to contact the County’s 24-hour call center at(562) 940-6890.
Thank you.
Office of Supervisor Michael D. AntonovichFifth District, County of Los Angeles500 West Temple Street, #869Los Angeles, CA 90012(213) 974-5555(213) 974-1010 - FAXfifthdistrict@lacbos.org
I immediately began contacting Antonovich's office about this response and about what was said by his spokesperson. If anyone needs a refresher on what was said, here is a direct quote:
"We're going to go back to the state legislature and see if we can change that law, allow the local communities to make up their own minds with regards to breeds... Pit bulls are a different breed of animal. They're capable of incredible damage to humans, to other dogs, to horses."
