WHAT'S NEXT

Tell Lee's Summit Parks and Recreation District to Stop Discriminating Against Dogs
  1. Signatures
    179 out of 200
    Petitioning
    1. city councilman (+ 9 others)
      Petitioning
      close
      • city councilman (Joseph Spallo)
      • city councilman (Ed Cockrell)
      • city councilwoman (Kathy Hofmann)
      • parks director (J. Lovell)
      • Mayor (Randy Rhoads)
      • city councilman (Dave Mosby)
      • city councilman (Bob Johnson)
      • city councilman (James Hallam)
      • city coucilman (Brian Whitley)
      • city councilman (Allan Gray)
  2. Created By
    Ledy VanKavage
    Collinsville, IL
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates
How We Won

Dec 20, 2010

The city of Lee's Summit's website said that pit bulls weren't welcome at their training classes. Shortly after Change.org brought the breed discriminatory policy to Lee's Summit's attention, council member Brian Whitley followed up with the Parks and Recreation Department. He was assured that pit bulls were allowed in classes, but materials had not been updated in years, giving the impression that the community did not welcome pit bulls. Within a few days of hearing from nearly 200 Change.org community members, the city updated its website to reflect that all breed are welcome in their training classes.

Update December 18, 2010: Councilman Brian Whitley contacted the Parks Department to follow-up on concerns about restrictions within the dog obedience classes in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. Lee’s Summit had recently opened a dog park. This dog park is open to all breeds of dogs.

Whitley was told that the policy referenced from the cityofls.net website was implemented by the dog obedience instructor in the early 2000’s. The instructor has since retired and the Parks Department has contracted with a few different providers since that time. Staff has verified with the current dog obedience contractor that specific breeds are not prohibited in obedience classes. Staff are in the process of updating brochures and other media to state that the programs prohibit aggressive dogs as opposed to specific breeds. 

   

In October, Lee's Summit, Missouri won a national award for their parks and recreation department. Their progressive parks and recreation department runs dog obedience classes to teach dogs to be well-mannered, but they refuse to let "pit bulls" into the class. This is Lee's Summit's Park District Policy -- not the obedience class instructors.

Any dog that is well trained makes a good canine citizen, regardless of breed. The city of Lee's Summit should want pit bulls to be obedience trained. All dog owners, including pit bull owners, should be encouraged, not discouraged from taking their dogs to obedience classes.

Recent Signatures

All Dogs Should Be Allowed in Obedience Classes, "Pit Bull Terriers," too!

Greetings,

I was saddened to learn that your Parks Department refuses to allow "pit bull terriers" into its obedience classes.

The Parks Department and the City Council should want all dogs, regardless of breed or appearance, to be well-behaved and obedient. The Parks Department's failure to allow dogs of every breed into the class is misguided, especially since the obedience instructor is willing to allow pit bull-type dogs into the class.

Canine profiling is wrong. Dogs, like people, are individuals and should be judged as individuals. It's sound public policy to encourage, not discourage, people to train their dogs to be good canine citizens.

Please repeal the Parks Department's breed discriminatory policy. Thank you.

[Your name]

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