In this issue:

• Help us end BSL in Michigan
• BSL rocks GPS community
• 2023 Better Together award winners
• MPA member events this month
• Thank you to our corporate members
• Free on-demand training videos

The science exists.

The data is there.

Twenty-two other states have done it, yet Michigan continues to battle for passage of legislation that promotes safe communities, legislation that protects all dogs and dog owners, legislation that encourages policies and ordinances that treat all dogs and dog owners fairly and equally.

Michigan continues to battle to end breed specific legislation (BSL).

Source: National Canine Research Council

But, there's good news.

On Sept. 27, Michigan House Bills 5039-5041 were introduced by State Reps. Aragona, Paiz and Tsernoglou. This package of bills will prevent cities, villages, townships and counties in Michigan from enacting and enforcing breed bans.

Why is this issue important to you? BSL can enter any community at any time. Any dog breed or perceived breed can be banned at any time.

Here are just some of the breeds that have been subjected to BSL:

• Akita
• Alaskan Malamute
• American Bulldog
• American Staffordshire Terrier
• American Pit Bull Terrier
• Belgian Malinois
• Bullmastiff
• Bull Terrier
• Catahoula
• Chihuahua
• Chow Chow
• Dalmatian
• Deerhound
• Doberman

• English Bulldog
• French Bulldog
• German Shepherd
• Great Dane
• Malamute
• Mastiff
• Miniature Bull Terrier
• Neapolitan Mastiff
• Pit Bull Terrier
• Rhodesian Ridgeback
• Rottweiler
• Shar Pei
• Siberian Husky
• Staffordshire Bull Terrier
• Wolfhound

"A dog's physical appearance is only influenced by about 50 out of their 20,000+ genes. Their true complex nature is influenced by many factors. We shouldn't let breed biases and stereotypes influence us when it comes to understanding a dog's personality and behavior."

- Dr. Victoria Voith, Professor of Animal Behavior

Two examples of canine DNA test results:

"Thanks to recent revolutionary research, we now know that breed has minimal correlation to personality. You also have no way of knowing what 21.8 % of the “shetland sheepdog” your dog acquired. Was it is coat length, tail shape, or something you can’t see on the outside like nerve function or digestive function?"

Source: National Canine Research Council

Results of BSL coming to your community:

• Fails to address problematic owner behavior
• Discriminates against responsible pet owners
• Places unequal financial burdens on some, but not all, pet owners
• Has a chilling effect, potentially lowering compliance with other responsible pet ownership ordinances, such as licensing
• Places a burden on already strained public service departments and private nonprofits that must deal with an influx of animals when owners are forced to comply with new laws
• Creates unsolvable enforcement problems for animal control officers and law enforcement
• Wastes precious public resources and diverts funds for enactment and enforcement
• Brings about costly and time-intensive legal challenges
• Sets neighbors against each other and divides the community
• Leaves a false sense of safety that dog bites will be reduced
• Altogether fails to solve the problem BSL was created to address

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First and foremost, become a member of Michigan Pet Alliance today. You can join as an individual member for $35 a year. Nonprofit organizations, rescues and shelters can join and take advantage of membership benefits. Businesses and corporations can join and show their customers and potential customers that they care about pets.

Your membership positively impacts our voice and its reach. When we're working with policymakers and lawmakers, the greater our membership, the more they listen.

Be their voice. When HBs 5039-5041 move to the House floor, we'll ask you to call and email your state representative. Prepare by looking up your rep's contact information now. You'll simply tell them that you're a constituent and a voter and you want them to vote yes on HB 5039-5041.

Help us collect letters of support from local elected officials, such as mayors, city councilmembers, judges and county commissioners, and from law enforcement, from medical doctors and from veterinarians. Send those letters of support to admin@michiganpet.org and we'll present them to the legislature when they're needed.

If you're the director of a Michigan animal shelter, nonprofit rescue or outreach organization, send your name and logo to admin@michiganpet.org and we'll add you to the sign-on letter of support we're now creating.

Don't forget to become a member of Michigan Pet Alliance, our state's only nonprofit association representing pet owners, pet lovers, businesses, shelters and nonprofit animal welfare organizations

On Tuesday, September 19, four members of the Grosse Pointe Shores city council voted to enact an ordinance to ban breeds. In addition to being discriminatory toward dogs and their owners who have done nothing wrong, the archaic, inhumane language includes a provision mandating the immediate destruction of all litters of puppies that resemble pit bull-type dogs.

Michigan Pet Alliance strongly supports the ethical decisions made by Michigan Humane and by Grosse Pointe Animal Adoption Society (GPAAS) to end their partnerships and contracts with Grosse Pointe Shores due to its BSL ordinance.

Michigan Pet Alliance also thanks Grosse Pointe Shores Mayor Kedzierski, Councilwoman Cavataio and Councilwoman Gehlert for their strong stance and no votes against the breed specific legislation (BSL). Thank you for speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves.

Michigan Pet Alliance takes a strong stand against breed discrimination in every form.

MPA's official position statement on BSL/BDL:

"Public and private policies, as well as laws, that ban or restrict dog ownership based upon a dog’s known breed, perceived breed or appearance negatively impact individuals and society at large in many ways. Breed discriminatory laws are bad public policy solutions and have been shown to be ineffective at protecting the public and are costly to enforce. Studies have repeatedly shown that these laws and policies do not keep communities safe. Rather they deny individual dog owners equal opportunity, cause strife and conflict between neighbors, and in some situations have resulted in family pets being forcibly removed from their homes.

For these reasons Michigan Pet Alliance and its members are vehemently opposed to any law or policy, public or private, which restricts ownership of a certain dog based upon the breed or perceived breed of that dog.

Further, Michigan Pet Alliance and its members encourage the adoption of comprehensive breed-neutral dangerous dog/reckless owner laws and policies which ensure due process protections for owners, encourage responsible pet ownership and focus on the behavior of both dog owners and dogs.

Finally, Michigan Pet Alliance and its members encourage the immediate repeal of any breed specific provisions in current laws or policies, both public and private."

You can review all MPA position statements on our website.

WXYZ: Michigan Humane moving Mutt March out of Grosse Pointe Shores after pit bull ban

CBS Detroit: Attorney speaks on Grosse Pointe Shores banning pit bulls

WZZM 13: Animal shelters concerned over impact as latest MI city moves to ban pit bulls

WDIV: City council passes pit bull ban in Grosse Pointe Shores

FOX 2: Pit bulls banned in Grosse Pointe Shores after dog attack

WDET: Pit bull ban passes in Grosse Pointe Shores

DETROIT FREE PRESS: Grosse Pointe Shores votes to ban pit bulls – and it all started with dog of a Detroit Lion (article contains misinformation regarding pit bulls)

DETROIT NEWS: Grosse Pointe Shores OKs ban on pit bulls (article contains inaccurate stats regarding number of states that have banned BSL)

The 2023 Better Together Awards and Grants program recognizes animal welfare organizations that demonstrate their ability to accomplish more and how their programs and operations are Better Together.

Michigan Pet Alliance proudly presents 2023 Better Together awards and grants to the following organizations:

CSNIP, Grand Rapids

Better Together Community Outreach Award, $3,000 cash grant

Bark Nation

Better Together Creative Programs Award, $2,000 cash grant

Humane Society of Bay County

Better Together Fundraising Award, $2,000 cash grant

Constellation Cat Café, East Lansing

On-site Cat Training Grant ($1,000 grant value)

Paws for Life Rescue, Troy

On-site Dog Training Grant ($1,000 grant value)

Little Traverse Bay Humane Society, Harbor Springs 

Scentwork in a Shelter or Foster Home ($400 grant value)



Michigan Pet Alliance board member Namiko Ota-Noveskey (right) presents the Better Together Community Outreach Award to Sharon Caldwell-Newton (left), CSNIP executive director, and Natalia Schnarrs (center), CSNIP bilingual special programs coordinator.

CSNIP earned the Better Together Community Outreach Award and $3,000 cash grant for building bridges for more access to vet care.

CSNIP is a high-volume, low-cost spay/neuter clinic in Grand Rapids that began to restructure its outreach program in 2018 with "better together" at its core. The organization felt that it wasn't meeting the needs of pet owners living in marginalized, underserved or high-poverty areas of greater Grand Rapids. 

CSNIP reached out to frontline human service organizations that were already located in and serving target neighborhoods. Over the course of a year, relationships were established with several local community hubs offering food pantries, employment services, after-school and summer programs for kids, and housing assistance.

CSNIP built a network of 10 community partners that became neighborhood ambassadors, sharing information about CSNIP services, making introductions and referring pet-owning clients to CSNIP.

Jenna Hudy, Bark Nation shelter manager (left), and Claire McCarthy, Pitness Protection volunteer (right), celebrate earning the Creative Programs Award with canine Peggy.

Bark Nation earned the Creative Programs Award and $2,000 cash grant for its Pitness Protection program, an initiative to serve local, state and federal law enforcement with the seizure, sheltering and placement of dogs involved in cruelty and/or blood-sport legal cases.

Bark Nation assists law enforcement with the housing of these seized dogs, alleviating pressure and expenses from local shelters being required to hold court case animals for extended periods of time, which takes up valuable kennel space for adoptable dogs.

Deborah Schutt, MPA chair, presents the Creative Fundraising Award to Humane Society of Bay County (HSBC). From left: HSBC Board Member Dani Munsch, Schutt, HSBC Assistant Director Karma Postema and HSBC Director Donna Billow.

Humane Society of Bay County earned the Creative Fundraising Award and $2,000 cash grant for building community partnerships to raise funds for veterinary costs.

In 2022, the Humane Society of Bay County (HSBC) placed 956 cats and 110 dogs in forever homes and provided TNR for 337 community cats. These efforts cost $164,500 in veterinary care. Fundraising was critical and the organization needed to think creatively.

So, HSBC decided to reach out to multiple business partners, including three local bars, a golf course and an annual community art festival, to collaborate on new and established events. Using creativity and relationship-building skills, HSBC was able to meet and exceed its fundraising goals.

Honorable Mentions, 2023 Better Together Awards

So many organizations across Michigan are accomplishing great things by working together. Michigan Pet Alliance recognizes the following award submissions with honorable mentions:

Community Outreach:

• Little Traverse Bay Humane Society for its lost pet reunification program
• Tyson’s Place Animal Rescue for its intake diversion program to keep families and their animals together
• Humane Society of West Michigan for its resource distribution program, working with human service agencies

Creative Programs:

• Little Traverse Bay Humane Society for its animal transfer program
• Pleasant Hearts Pet Food Pantry for its resource distribution program
• Tyson’s Place Animal Rescue for its pet assistance program for elderly or ill owners who can no longer care for their pets

Fundraising:

• Animal Aid of Branch County (AABC) for its annual golf outing

A benefit of MPA membership is free promotion for the upcoming events and fundraisers of member organizations. Here are a few opportunities to support animal welfare organizations this month:

October 1-15: Flowers, Herbs & Seeds Fundraiser, Paws for Life Rescue, virtual

October 8: TNR Training, All About Animals, Warren

October 13-14: Howling Haunted Trail & Halloween Party, Adopt-A-Pet, Fenton

October 13-14: Holiday Yard Sale, Shelter to Home, Wyandotte

October 14: Distribution Day, Pleasant Hearts Pet Food Pantry, Grand Rapids

October 15: Dog Pound Tea Dance, Wishbone Pet Rescue, Douglas

October 19: Volunteer Orientation, Ingham County Animal Shelter, Mason

October 21: Muttster Mash, Humane Society of Huron Valley, Ann Arbor

October 21: Howl-o-ween Bowling Party, Sanilac County Humane Society, Lexington

October 21: Trunk or Treat, Noah Project, Muskegon

October 27: Home Forever Masquerade, Humane Society of Bay County, Bay City

Enjoy the benefits of membership and join Michigan Pet Alliance today!

A special thanks to our corporate members. We encourage you to support companies that support animal welfare. Your business can become a corporate member, too.

Here's a great way to support your local animal shelter or nonprofit rescue. You can sponsor certification training for their staff and volunteers.

Feline and Canine Humane Caregiver Certification courses are available in person or virtually. Students will learn best practices for stress reduction, safe handling, enrichment, body language, behavior modification and communication.

Additional courses available for rescues, shelters and animal welfare organizations:

• Dog Intros and Playtime
• Scentwork in a Shelter or Rescue: Use a Dog’s Nose to Build Confidence, Minimize Stress and Calm Inappropriate Behaviors to Increase Adoptability
• Creating and Managing a Well-rounded Cat Program: Keep Your Population Behaviorally Sound and Find Homes Faster
• Creating a Successful Barn Cat Program: Saving More Lives Through Non-traditional Placement

Take advantage of our free on-demand training and DIY videos.