New York City Housing Authority Bans 27 Dog Breeds

Are some dog owners more equal than others in Big Blue NYC? Pet-friendly New York's Eve of Destruction On May 1, New York's NYCHA intends to enforce its new "pet policy" for the almost 178,000 apartments scattered throughout New York's five boroughs in its control. NYCHA provides homes to more than 400,000 New Yorkers.

Never much of a pet-friendly landlord, in 2002 NYCHA agreed to allow tenants one dog or cat, providing the pet was neutered and weighed 40 lbs. or less. But that was then. This is now. Seems that policy was just too liberal. Dig it. With explanations like "too many incidents of people’s dogs doing what they aren’t supposed to", NYCHA announced new rules, including breed specific prohibitions in a state that forbids breed specific laws. NYCHA's policy is in direct contradiction to an exisiting state law. As of May 1, 2009, the following dogs are prohibited (maybe):

Akita Inu, Alangu Mastiff, Alano Español, American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Argentine Dogo, Bedlington Terrier, Boston Terrier, Bull and Terrier, Bull Terrier, Bully Kutta, Cane Corso, Dogue de Bordeaux, Dogo Sardesco, English Mastiff, Fila Brasiliero, Gull Dong, Gull Terr, Irish Staffordshire Bull, Korean Jindo Dog, Lottatore Brindisino, Neapolitan Mastiff, Perro de Presa Canario (Canary Dog), Perro de Presa Mallorquín (Ca de Bou), Shar Pei, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Tosa Inu. Also: any dog predicted to weigh more than 25 lbs. when full grown And even more: Even though this is all supposed to commence tomorrow, the list of breeds seems to change several times a day. The above list came from an NYCHA publication. Since then Boxers, Dobermans, German Shepherds, and Rottweilers have been included in assorted other news items. I think I saw Golden Retrievers on one. SNAFU at NYCHA Your guess is as good as mine as to which dogs are going to be illegal in six hours or so. I called NYCHA. Three times. NYCHA isn't talking. They're too busy "tweaking" their list. Who came up with that bizarre list of prohibited breeds? Was it their carefully compiled and well-documented records of dog-related incidents involving Gull Dongs ? How many problem Alangu Mastiffs live in the New York City public housing projects, anyway? Unexplained weight loss

Here's how it all began:

Dogs in public housing were becoming a headache. So, rather than work towards the enforcement of New York's comprehensive animal control laws (don't they watch Animal Precinct??? how do they avoid it???) the agency decided that 40 lbs. was "too much."

They figured 25 lbs. was a better number. And then . . . . . .the agency looked into popular breeds used for dog fighting. The result was a list of about 30 types of dogs that will be prohibited from being registered in public housing after May 1. NYCHA’s pet policy overview consists of an odd mix of large and small dogs believed to be aggressive, and rare breeds. Like a lot of other dog-bite related "science", the list seems to be stuck together with chewing gum and bullshit, and maybe a little 'net surfing. Poor people and their dogs don't count ? New Yorkers aren't crazy about BSL. Not at all. Big blue New York has resisted negative stereotyping of dogs and dog owners for years. Maybe NYCHA figures New Yorkers just don't want to know happens in the projects? Is this a "people like us" vs. "people like them" thingie? Poor people just don't deserve pets? Is that the reasoning? Rich people have more rights than folks in the projects?

Say whaaat? Enter Dracula Peter Vallone Jr., Stage Right

Proving once and for all that he is a complete media whore, Vallone couldn't resist the opportunity to shoot his mouth off uh make a fool of himself uh pander once again to the public's most fearful, most racist tendencies-- "Finally someone is realizing that these potentially dangerous animals have no place in a confined urban space," said City Councilman Peter Vallone (D-Queens), who has unsuccessfully lobbied state legislators to ban the dogs. Think Vallone has a clue about what he's saying? Any clue at all? How many out of control Bedlington Terriers are there in New York public housing projects ? I'm so excited. I just can't hide it. With the ASPCA in there "negotiating" with NYCHA, and May 1st just hours away. . . the tension's killing me. To calm my nerves, I'm gonna write a letter to the Chairman of the New York City Housing Authority, Ricardo Elías Morales. I'm going to ask him why rich people are protected by the laws of New York State, but people living in city housing projects aren't. Then I'm going to ask him what he's got against Boston Terriers and the people who love them. . .even if they aren't rich.

You should, too.