BSL Message To The Ignorant

A Pit Bulls Christmas Carol

Author not known.


T'was the night before Christmas and the shelter is dark,

The whole place is silent, not even a bark.

The dogs are all locked in their pens for the night,

The staff has gone home and turned out the light.

As I lay my head on the cold concrete floor,

I fondly recall the home I had before.

The family I loved who loved me right back,

We'd share everything from secret to snack.

Things couldn't be better at this time last year,

But that has all changed and now I am here.

I won't see the tree, the lights or the snow,

I'm scared and alone, my spirits are low.

The others like me weren't put up for adoption,

A new family and home, for us aren't an option.

We've been locked up in cells as if we're all crooks,

We don't deserve homes because of our looks.

Not Diesel, or Bingo or the young one named Percy,

Deserve to be loved nor shown any mercy.

While families celebrate holiday cheer,

I know in my heart that my end is near.

The vet will arrive, the lights will go on,

By the time you awake, we all will be gone.

A stranger will come and take me away,

I'll never wake to see another day.

As I close my eyes I'll shed you a tear,

The fond memories I'll always keep near.

The only thing I've ever asked of Santa Claus,

Is to stop all these unfair, ridiculous laws.

You said without me, your life was not full,

So why does it matter that I'm a "pit bull"?


In my dream Santa shouts when he's finished his deed,

*
"MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL...REGARDLESS OF BREED"!

A Win In Court

COURT EXTENDS SIZE OF THE FIGHT OVER PIT BULL


Katie Bice

December 15, 2007 12:00am

A DOG owner has won Supreme Court action against a local council that wants to destroy her beloved pet, claiming it is an American pit bull.

Paula Nicholson said she was pleased after a judge yesterday ruled she had been denied natural justice.

But Ms Nicholson still faces an agonising wait for a review of "Pony's" case, and a final decision on his future.

She claims Pony is not a pit bull, but a bull mastiff-Staffordshire terrier cross.

She took the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council to court after its ranger impounded Pony in May as a restricted breed and told her the dog would be put down.

Ms Nicholson said in an affidavit she was shocked by the news.

"The thought of my dog Pony being destroyed has affected me emotionally and physically, and I have not been able to sleep properly," she said.

"Being an animal lover, I can not understand why anyone would want to destroy my companion and my best friend.



"Pony is a victim in this whole saga, yet he has done nothing wrong. This is a cruel and inhumane act."

The court heard Ms Nicholson appealed the ranger's decision, saying she had proof Pony was not a pit bull.

A hearing by three members of a Department of Primary Industry panel was held at the pound in July to determine Pony's breed.

In a secret ballot the panel members voted two to one that Pony was a pit bull.

Ms Nicholson claimed the panel hearing dismissed her photographic evidence of Pony's parentage and did not allow a vet called by her to fully address the hearing.

Her vet says Pony is not a pit bull and the method used by the panel to determine the breed was flawed.

Dr Gordon Watt said a panel member claimed because Pony had hazel eyes, a pink nose and rough coat he was a pit bull.



"In 24 years as a registered veterinary surgeon, I have come across many dogs with these characteristics who are not pure-bred American pit bull terriers," Dr Watt said.

Justice John Forrest said in his judgment yesterday Ms Nicholson should have been able to call evidence at the hearing, and the panel members did not perform their task within the law.

"It is clear, beyond doubt, that no proper hearing was afforded to the plaintiff," Justice Forrest said.

"The members of the panel simply examined the dog and then determined whether it did or did not conform with DPI guidelines.

"Evidence or submissions by the plaintiff were disregarded and the veterinarian was cut off by a non-panel member when giving evidence."

Justice Forrest ordered the council to hold a new hearing, noting that it should be performed by different officials.