Controversial Proposal to Ban Young Children Prompts PETA Idea
For Immediate Release:
May 26, 2011
Contact:
Kristin Richards 202-483-7382
Arlington, Va. - On the heels of the Arlington County Parks Department's controversial proposal to ban children younger than 8 years old from Community Canine Areas (CCAs), PETA has sent a letter to Parks Division Chief Caroline Temmermand with a friendly suggestion: Make the CCAs safer for dogs, adults, and children by banning unsterilized dogs from entering the parks. In the letter, PETA points out that dogs who haven't been "fixed" are nearly three times as likely to bite as are dogs who have been sterilized—and that only dogs who haven't been spayed or neutered can contribute to the animal overpopulation crisis.
"From aggressive outbursts to litters of puppies, unsterilized animals can cause all kinds of problems," says PETA Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. "By allowing only 'fixed' dogs into Arlington's CCAs, the county would make parks safer and send a strong message to dog guardians that spaying or neutering their animal companions is a necessary, responsible thing to do."
For more information, please visit PETA.org.
PETA's letter to Caroline Temmermand, division chief of Arlington County Parks and Natural Resources, follows.
May 26, 2011
Caroline Temmermand
Division Chief, Parks and Natural Resources
Arlington County, Va.
Via e-mail
Dear Ms. Temmermand,
I am writing on behalf of PETA and our more than 2 million members and supporters worldwide, including thousands across Virginia, in light of the Arlington County Department of Parks' controversial proposal to ban children younger than 8 in community canine areas (CCA). We have a related suggestion that would make Arlington's CCAs safer for everyone, young and old alike, who uses them: Ban unsterilized dogs from entering the parks.
Allowing only dogs who have been spayed or neutered in CCAs is a smart and proactive way to protect children, adults, and the dogs who use the parks. Dogs who haven't been spayed or neutered tend to be more territorial and more aggressive, and statistics reveal that unsterilized dogs are nearly three times as likely to bite as are dogs who have been altered. Preventing unsterilized dogs from entering the parks would substantially reduce the likelihood that a child or another dog will be knocked down, bitten, or even killed by an aggressive dog.
Banning unsterilized dogs would also help prevent another type of accident—litters of puppies. While dogs in heat aren't allowed in Arlington County's dog parks, the threat of a dog's being impregnated elsewhere is real. There aren't enough good homes for all the dogs who already exist in Arlington and communities across the country, and some 3 to 4 million animals must be euthanized in animal shelters in the U.S. every year. Just one unaltered male dog can impregnate dozens of unspayed female dogs. Each new puppy who is born takes away a chance at a home from a dog in a shelter or on the streets, or they will end up homeless themselves.
Making sterilization a requirement for entrance into Arlington's CCAs would send a strong message to dog guardians that spaying and neutering their animal companions is the responsible thing to do, and it would make the parks safer for everyone. May I please hear from you that you will consider allowing only spayed and neutered dogs into Arlington's CCAs? Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Tracy Reiman
Executive Vice President