The times -- they are a'changing?

"No dog should be euthanized solely because of their breed." Hear hear.

That's what Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell is trying to legislate in Virginia. When he was Attorney General in 2006, apparently, he issued an opinion stating the same thing. Now that he's governor, he wants to mandate that no public shelter can kill an animal based only on breed. Virginians, you can contact your local assemblyman to let them know where you stand on the Governor's amendment and don't forget to thank Governor McDonnell too.

Meanwhile, in Ohio, House Bill 79, which was introduced last year and currently assigned to committee, legislators heard testimony about whether or not to delete the language that defines a "vicious" dog as "belonging to a breed commonly known as a pit bull dog." Representative Murray, who's on the committee, seems to really be thinking about whether the current law had unintended consequences. "[The law] has probably caused a proliferation of ownership of these animals[.] [T]he unintentional result is we've stigmatized and probably caused more injuries in the long term."

Also in Ohio, after the resignation of dog warden Tom Skeldon, Lucas County animal welfare is ripe for positive change. Unfortunately, there are still some commissioners who are trying to maintain Skeldon's policy of euthanizing all pit bulls and refusing any pit bull adoptions. Newly hired dog warden Julie Lyle has a tough road ahead of her, and it looks like she could use some support.

I'm hopeful for these folks who are swimming against the current in an effort to influence their communities (despite internal politics) to treat each dog as an individual. I'm thinking that sending a little note of support or encouragement their way would be most welcomed.