Dunkirk Dog Owners Score - Did City Council Wake Up And Smell The Dog?
Richard Makuch, Ward 3, of The Town Of Dunkirk City Council - just got a whiff - or should I say a healthy snort - of the power of the vote. The dog vote.
That's because Richard Makuch couldn't get any other town council member to second the proposed breed ban ordinance for the Town Of Dunkirk - which is illegal as New York State PROHIBITS breed discrimination - at the last town council meeting.
No other council member would second the vote.
Coincidence? I think not.
That's because dog owners in Dunkirk and the surrounding area in and around the Buffalo had a strategy. And they executed on that strategy.
The Strategy From My Dog Votes
First - dog owners plastered the Dunkirk area with free campaign flyers from My Dog Votes. Each My Dog Votes flyer features a real dog owner with their dog and a GOTV - Get Out The Vote -message.
It doesn't matter if there is an local election or not. The My Dog Votes campaign is designed to CREATE AWARENESS of the political power of dog owners.
Download MDVAwareDoster2005.pdf
The My Dog Votes campaign flyers went up in shop windows, deli's, beauty parlors, bus stops - dog owners asked local businesses to support them, and they responded.
Next, local dog owners placed a My Dog Votes ad in the local Pennysaver paper, co-sponsored with The American Dog Owner's Association.
The co-sponsored My Dog Votes ad advised dog owners that Dunkirk was planning on breaking New York State law to discriminate against them:
Attention Dog Owners: Breed Discrimination Is illegal. Period. (Tell The Township Of Dunkirk NOT to Break The Law.)
The ad also included the mayor's phone number. That' because any good local politician LOVES to hear fron their constituents, right?
Did It Work?
Without a doubt. Here's what it accomplished:
- For the very first time in any ad campaign in history - ANYWHERE - My Dog Votes made dog owners VISIBLE AS VOTERS.
- The My Dog Votes campaign gave local dog owners a sense of their own political power.
- The My Dog Votes campaign gave local elected officials a sense of the political power of dog owners.
- The proposed breed ban did not get a second vote.
But what about the future?
Sure - Richard Makuch or any other Dunkirk Town Council member could float a breed ban ordinance again. And maybe it would pass. And then maybe angry dog owners would take up the legal challenge to overturn it. It could happen.
But then maybe Richard Makuch and the other Dunkirk City Council members would run for re-election. After all - local elections can be won or lost on a slim margin of votes. Richard Makuch, for instance -only won his district by 83 votes.
And then maybe dog owners would go to the polls. And then maybe Richard Makuck, and the other Dunkirk City Council Members wouldn't get elected. It could happen.
And then maybe other candidates - you know - the dog-friendly candidates - the ones who respect people's property rights - and the ones that would enforce local leash, sanitation, abuse and criminal laws - they would court the dog vote. It could happen.
And then dog owners would elect dog-friendly candidates who would work to create dog-friendly and dog-safe communities. It could happen.
So - ask yourself why didn't the Dunkirk breed ban get a second vote. I'm sure Dunkirk's elected officials did.
Dog owners - 44.9% of U.S. households. Don't piss us off.
Wake Up And Smell The Dog.
Congratulations on your campaign to thwart evil in Dunkirk NY! As you point out, ALL dog owners, not just affected owners, must rally together to fight BSL wherever it rears its ugly head. The hardest thing to do is to wake the sleeping giant - dog owners of all breeds. Fighting ignorance and hatred is an uphill battle.
I have passed your story on to newsies, politicians and others in Ontario. Hopefully, someone will be astute enough to get the message. Our politicians are even more arrogant than yours but we expect to win our constitutional challenge and put the bad guys in the 'dog house' at the next provincial election.
Keep up the good work!
Posted by: Selma Mulvey | September 22, 2005 at 10:41 AM
Thank you for posting this update!
New York voters, dog owners and TAX PAYERS are not keen on illegal proposals which would squander public funds, needlessly target good dog owners with well-managed dogs and yet -- after all of that -- FAIL to address public safety concerns.
Yeesh.
Posted by: Mahlon Goer | September 21, 2005 at 01:20 PM
Together we make the difference--dog owners unite! Join the ROVERlution and keep voting DOG! CAUTION: We are people who bite anti-dog legislators beware!!
See what we are doing in California www.roverlution.org Come to the Luv-a-Bully March on October 29th and help us fight BSL or start your own March in your city!
Posted by: Paula Terifaj DVM | September 21, 2005 at 12:30 PM