Please only sign if you are from Rochester, MN or its surrounding area.  Thank you.

Recently somebody spoke to Rochester City Council encouraging Council to enact laws against people in our community based on a dog’s breed, specifically regarding dogs that people would label as "pit bulls" or any dog that could be considered to be a “pit bull” mix.  Breed discriminatory legislation (BDL) is panic policy making, and we encourage Council to continue with breed neutral legislation that holds owners accountable for the actions of their dog regardless of breed.  

The State of Minnesota has a statute that was put in place to prevent local municipalities from legislating based on breed.  This statute exists for a reason.  While dog attacks can often be tragic, they are relatively rare.  With emotions running high, BDL is sometimes suggested as a knee-jerk reaction.  However, BDL is proven to be ineffective in regards to creating safer communities, and it has been proven to waste tax dollars and waste employee time trying to enforce these unenforceable laws.  These are just a few reasons why there is a national trend of cities and states rejecting and repealing breed based laws and enacting and continuing with breed neutral laws in their place.  We encourage Rochester to listen to the advice of reputable organizations such as The American Bar Association, the  American Veterinary Medical Association, the CDC, the ASPCA, Best Friends Animal Society, and the National Animal Control Association, among others and follow this trend.  

The below signed ask that Rochester City Council not pass ineffective laws that would waste tax dollars, that would waste employee time, and that would target innocent members of the community based on what their dog looks like.

Thank you.  We appreciate your time on this matter.