Dear Friend of Animals,

Hi there!



It's me, Briley... the official mascot of Nashville Paw and beloved canine kid to our publisher, Heather Dowdy! I have some URGENT news to share with you, so I hope you'll read on to learn how YOU can help prevent some bad legislation from making trouble for me and my "kind"...







As you may know, I am an American Pit Bull Terrier. Mom and dad rescued me from a kill shelter where I was about to be euthanized. If you have ever met me at one of our events, then you'll know that I am a 44-pound lap dog, a total cuddle bug, and the sweetest pooch you've ever had the pleasure of belly-rubbing!



I'm super smart, athletic, playful, goofy and fun. I love to give kisses and love bigger than you can even imagine. I get along great with everyone from babies, kids and adults to other dogs. Most importantly, I am a beloved member of my family, and they cannot imagine ever being without me!



That is why our whole family -- and the entire team here at Nashville Paw -- takes it very seriously and very personally when legislators try to ban my kind, or when they create bills that deem me a "vicious dog" to impose special regulations on my family for rescuing me and giving me a loving home. No mind that I have never shown any aggression to anyone and that I am well-mannered, loveable and friendly to all... in the mind of some misinformed folks, the sheer name "pit bull" warrants my persecution. Not fair, right?



That's why I need YOUR help today! Please read below to learn how you can be a voice for me!



BSL (Breed-Specific Legislation) Has Been Introduced in the TN House and Senate - URGENT ACTION NEEDED!



On March 14, bills were introduced in the Tennessee House and Senate that would regulate the ownership of and automatically label “pit bulls” (like me!) as "vicious dogs" at the state level. House Bill 621 is sponsored by Representative Gilmore, and Senate Bill 865 is sponsored by Senator Tate, and both were introduced as amendments to bills already pending in the legislature.



Please note, the breed specific language was added as an amendment yesterday, and is not yet reflected in the bills posted on the Tennessee Legislature’s website, but includes the following statement:



a) "Vicious dog" means a dog that:



(iii) Belongs to a breed that is commonly known as a pit bull dog. The ownership, keeping, or harboring of such a breed of dog shall be a prima-facie evidence of the ownership, keeping or harboring of a vicious dog.



The amendment goes on to impose special regulations on the guardians of "pit bull" type dogs, and could pave the way for breed banning, too -- a terrifying thought for me and my loving family!



Tennessee Residents: How You Can Help!



Please reach out to the members of both the House Subcommittee on Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Senate Judiciary Committee, as well as your respective legislators, and ask them to oppose these bills. Breed discriminatory ordinances promote a false sense of security in communities and actually put their constituents at risk to the truly dangerous dogs not designated as such because they don’t meet the physical characteristics established by breed discriminatory laws. A dog’s appearance or breed has no bearing on the risk or danger that any dog poses to a community. Instead, strongly enforced breed-neutral dangerous dog laws that target irresponsible and reckless dog owners benefit the entire community, people and animals alike.



By the way: did you know that according to the American Temperament Testing Society, American Pit Bull Terriers scored better on the good temperament scale (at 86.8 passing rate!) than Beagles and Golden Retrievers? So why are innocent pit bulls being singled out?



Here are 2 WAYS you can help stand up for innocent pitties like me TODAY!



1) Click here to sign this petition asking TN legislators to remove breed-specific language from House Bill 621 and Senate Bill 865.



2) Write a letter using this easy template and facts to the legislators listed below asking that breed-specific language be removed from from House Bill 621 and Senate Bill 865, and please share the facts about pit bulls in a professional and polite manner so that we are taken seriously and listened to.



a) Write to the sponsors of each bill and politely and respectfully ask that they withdraw their bills:

Senator Reginald Tate

sen.reginald.tate@capitol.tn.gov



Representative Brenda Gilmore

rep.brenda.gilmore@capitol.tn.gov





b) Write to the House Subcommittee on Agriculture and Natural Resources and to the Senate Judiciary Committee, below:



(Copy and paste this block of email addresses below to send a letter to the House Subcommittee on Agriculture and Natural Resources):



rep.ron.lollar@capitol.tn.gov

rep.brenda.gilmore@capitol.tn.gov

rep.curtis.halford@capitol.tn.gov

rep.andy.holt@capitol.tn.gov

rep.judd.matheny@capitol.tn.gov

rep.billy.spivey@capitol.tn.gov

rep.john.tidwell@capitol.tn.gov

rep.ron.travis@capitol.tn.gov



(Copy and paste this block of email addresses below to send a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee):



sen.brian.kelsey@capitol.tn.gov

sen.doug.overbey@capitol.tn.gov

sen.stacey.campfield@capitol.tn.gov

sen.mike.bell@capitol.tn.gov

sen.lowe.finney@capitol.tn.gov

sen.ophelia.ford@capitol.tn.gov

sen.todd.gardenhire@capitol.tn.gov

sen.mark.green@capitol.tn.gov

sen.john.stevens@capitol.tn.gov



For More Information



More details courtesy Bless the Bullys: CLICK HERE



Education about pit bulls via our website: CLICK HERE





Don't I LOOK like a vicious dog in my cuddly dog sweater? I really can't believe that folks are still believing the negative hype! Can't they just let me cuddle the ones I love? Help be my voice today!

Thank you for taking a moment to speak up for me and so many innocent, beloved family pets just like me all across Tennessee!



Woofs, wags and pittie wiggles,