Peter Vallone Jr. Hates New York's Dogs

Eight Million NYC Residents Face a "Humane" Law They Don't Understand

Sponsor Peter Vallone dodges and weaves

Will the author of NYC 10/2011, possibly the worst written law in the history of the City of New York, please step forward?

Cause you got some 'splaining to do, baby.

Reality is setting in, and the pet and animal owners of New York City are beginning to realize that -- thanks to a handful of radical animal rights whackjobs and extremists -- normal, everyday practices involving the leashing, collaring and humane restraint of animals are now illegal.

Read.  The.  TEXT.  

February 2's blog was devoted to NYC's new and absolute prohibition on walking leashed dogs and other animals while using a "choke" or "pinch" collar. If left standing, could the new law be used to harass participants or even shut down purebred dog shows? Only time, the size of the balls on the animal rights freaks humane law enforcement personnel interpreting the law, and the city's justice system, will tell.

But one thing is absolutely certain:  when the law takes effect in early May, NYC dog walkers using a choke or pinch collar -- popular training accessories and standard equipment for many dogs -- will be breaking the law.  I'm guessing 99% of city dog owners have no idea that the city ruled on what sort of dog collar they can use.  To be honest, I don't think the City Council members themselves realized they did that.

Swivel Trubbel:  Peter Vallone Jr. haz it

It is clear that the new law's sponsor doesn't understand the law he introduced.   In response to the Dog Federation of New York's criticism that, among many other flaws and failings, 10/2011 does not allow a family at a picnic to tie their dog's leash to a park bench or picnic table while they eat, Vallone issued the kind of embarrassing, food-spraying splutter most politicians would do anything to avoid.

And he lied. 

No one listens to the head of that so called federation, even in animal rights circles, and as usual his reading of the bill is all wrong. Of course a family can tie up a dog at a picnic, just not for more than three hours straight. If he would do that, he probably shouldn't be in the animal rights business in the first place. If he has any problem with the bill, he should talk to the legitimate animal rights groups like the ASPCA who helped draft it.

Oh my.  My, my, my.

Councilman Vallone is a city councilman, and a former Assistant District Attorney.  Surely he knows that when a law says . . .

Any person who. . .leashes an animal. . .to a stationary object outdoors for a permissible period of time shall provide such animal with adequate food, water and shelter, and shall restrain the animal with a device with having swivels at both ends. . .

it means you better be damn sure you've got "a device with swivels at both ends." 

Not a normal leash.

This dog is therefore illegally restrained--regardless of how long she's been there.  Five minutes or five hours--it makes no difference.

She's also illegally collared. 

And I don't see any food, water, or a dog house.  That could be a problem for the dog's owner under the new law, too.

Without a caliper, I can't be sure about the thickness of the links of chain on her collar.  But since the entire collar is illegal under this gibberish new law anyway, it hardly matters. 

Finally, of course this dog appears to be a "pit bull."  Peter Vallone Jr. wants her the hell out of the city anyway.

It doesn't matter that the dog is just fine, chomping on her stick and posing for the camera.  Not bothering anyone.

This is a crime scene.

Fake Science Rules in NYC

Vallone and his supporters quote claims floating on the Internet that tethering dogs increases aggression, and cite a single, elderly study in which the finding regarding tethered dogs was a tertiary result. 

That's it.  That's all they've got. 

The findings of that one study have never been reproduced. 

On the other hand, Dr. Katherine Houpt of Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine Department of Biomedical Sciences is the country’s leading expert on the issue of tethering. Dr. Houpt, who has studied the issue for years, found that tethering does not increase aggression in dogs.

Legitimate Animal Rights Businesses Chip Away at Animal Ownership

Peter Vallone Jr. chastised DFNY and referred them to the ASPCA, an extremist organization which opposes animal ownership. In Vallone-speak the ASPCA is a legitimate animal rights business and it helped draft his law.

Vallone also welcomed the support of PeTA on his law.  The folks that donated money to felon, terrorist and convicted arsonist Rodney Coronado are legitimately in the animal rights biz, too. 

HSUS's New York lobbyist Patrick Kwan ?  The animal advocate who can't tell a hen from a rooster?  Also a legitimate animal rightist and supporter of Vallone's law.

It's not personal. This is business. The animal rights business. The legitimate animal rights business in which any restriction on animal ownership is a "win."  Any restriction at all.

Vague and arbitrary prohibitions

There is no logic here.  No science.  All we've got is bombast and attempted career enhancement.

What an embarrassment for the flim-flammed New York City Council.  They were used and abused by Peter Vallone Jr., the animal rights extremist flunkey.

What a tragedy for NYC's many, many caring dog and animal owners.  They have to comply with this mess -- and trust me, if you think the swivel thing is bad, stay tuned.

Let Hizzoner Mayor Bloomberg know:  repeal 10/2011 in its entirety.  The sooner, the better.