Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Mayor May Petition State Legislature to Enact BSL on State Level
From the Times Leader:
Mayor Tom Leighton said the city will do whatever it can to prevent dangerous dog attacks. (more…)
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Sioux City Councilman Learns Folly of Breed-Specific Legislation
Editor’s note: Seems Councilman Rochester should have spent less time worrying about everybody else’s dog and focused more on his own.
From reason.com:
Aaron Rochester, a city councilman in Sioux City, Iowa, who led an effort to get pit bulls banned in the city is now appealing to prevent his own dog from being euthanized after it apparently bit a neighbor. His dog? A Labrador. (more…)
Letter Sent by Elgin Resident to the Elgin, Illinois City Council Regarding BSL
Editor’s note: Following is a letter sent by an Elgin resident to the Elgin, Illinois Mayor and City Council regarding their intent to propose breed-specific legislation (BSL). The Elgin resident was originally corresponding with Councilman John Prigge, who it sounds like is in support of BSL, but the letter was sent to the whole council.
Mr. Prigge:
I’m going to CC the rest of the council in on my response to you because there is pertinent information here that I hope they will find valuable as well.
Thank you for sending me the article about the recent dog attack in Texas. No one would dispute the horror of a dog bite/attack, especially one resulting in a fatality. But dog-bite-related fatalities are not limited to one breed, and again, “pit bull” is a catch-all designation that can refer to countless breeds. Do you propose to ban or restrict ten, twenty, or thirty breeds? Even the articles written about the incident in question refer to the dogs as both “pit bulls” and American Bulldogs. Well which is it? It is typical of the media and those involved in dog bites/attacks to get the breed wrong. So how do you know these breeds are “dangerous” or “vicious” when the dogs in question are seldom ever even properly identified? Doesn’t it worry you that you may be restricting or banning the wrong breeds? And how do you and the Council propose to define “pit bull”? (more…)
Des Moines, Iowa May Consider “Pit Bull” Ban
From the Des Moines Register:
A Des Moines City Council member has come out in favor of a pit bull ban while local leaders weigh tougher regulations on breeds of dogs deemed vicious in the city code. (more…)
Mt. Clemens, Michigan to Consider Breed-Specific Ordinance for “Pit Bulls”
From the Detroit Free Press:
City officials are reviewing a proposal that would require owners of pit bulls to buy public liability insurance and erect a 6-foot-tall fence around their property or have a kennel. When a pit bull is outside and not confined to a fenced-in yard or kennel, owners would be required to muzzle the dog and have it on a leash.
Although the city hasn’t reported any attacks, neighbors have asked for measures to be taken to prevent one. Violators would face up to 90 days in jail and a $500 fine under the proposed ordinance. (more…)
Woonsocket, Rhode Island Police Push for “Pit Bull” Ban with City Council
From The Call:
…[T]he Police Department has launched a campaign to persuade the City Council to impose strict new regulations on pit bull terriers similar to those in effect in Pawtucket and Central Falls. Capt. Kenneth Paulhus has compiled more than three years’ worth of reports he says show an alarming trend: Pit bulls are responsible for more dog bites in the city than any other breed, often causing serious injuries that require costly medical or veterinary treatment. (more…)
Elgin, Illinois to Consider “Pit Bull” Ban Yet Again
From The Daily Herald:
In 1996, Elgin City Councilman Robert Gilliam unsuccessfully tried to ban pit bulls within the city.
Wednesday night, after hearing emotional, graphic and heartbreaking stories from residents who were attacked themselves or had their own dogs mauled by pit bulls, Gilliam pledged to re-examine the topic this summer. (more…)
Whitehall, Ohio Councilwoman Jacquelyn Thompson Pushes Her Breed Ban Yet Again
From The Columbus Dispatch:
Whitehall Councilwoman Jacquelyn Thompson surprised her fellow city council members tonight when she presented a proposal to ban pitbull dogs in the suburb, almost exactly a year after a similar law was rejected. (more…)
Lincoln, Nebraska May Consider Breed-Specific Ordinance for “Pit Bulls”
From kolnkgin.com:
Lincoln City Councilmen have been recieving concerns from residents [due to an] attack. Some residents suggesting that Pit Bull Terriers be banned from the city.
City Councilman Jon Camp says members are carefully considering all options. (more…)
Fremont County, Idaho Considers “Pit Bull” Ban
From Island Park News:
In this week’s regular county commission meeting, County Attorney Joette Lookabaugh presented commissioners with a draft ordinance that would ban dogs from running at large and ban pit bulls and other dogs known to be “extraordinarily dangerous.” (more…)
Oelwein, Iowa May Consider Breed Restrictions for APBTs, Staffy Bulls, and Rottweilers
From the Daily Register:
Oelwein Mayor Larry Murphy asked councilmen Monday night to take another look at the city’s dog ordinance in the wake of “more than normal” vicious dog hearings including a recent attack on a letter carrier. (more…)
Oppose & Boycott Illinois Task Force
by JOHN YATES
American Sporting Dog Alliance
http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org
asda@conline.net
SPRINGFIELD, IL – Legislation creating a task force designed specifically to compromise the rights of conscientious dog owners passed the Illinois State Senate handily last week and has been sent to the House.
In the strongest possible terms, the American Sporting Dog Alliance urges Illinois dog owners to oppose this devious plan to compromise our rights, ask the House to reject the task force resolution in its entirety, and to put pressure on some misled Illinois dog clubs to spurn seats on the task force and refuse to negotiate with animal rights fanatics whose sole purpose is to trample us. (more…)
Spring is in the Air, Time to Stage More “Pit Bull” “Attacks”
Yes, you read that right. Many BSL fighters have long known that animal rights activists often stage so-called “pit bull” attacks in order to push for breed-specific legislation on the state and municipal levels. We’ve also long known that animal rightists ship dogs and cats to shelters in order to pad numbers so that they can claim an “overpopulation” of domestic pets and push for mandatory spay/neuter laws. In their twisted thinking (and what of theirs isn’t twisted?) if you can wipe out all the domestic pets then they can’t “suffer” at the hands of their owners who care for them and love them. (more…)
Hays, Kansas Considers Breed-Specific Ordinance for “Pit Bulls”
From The Hays Daily News:
“Recent events made it very clear to me that it’s time we revisit our ordinance that dealt with dangerous dogs,” Commissioner Henry Schwaller IV said. (more…)
Must We Forever Have to Debunk This CDC Report????
What has become of the media? If it’s not the constant misspellings and grammatical errors one might expect to see from the likes of a 6th grader, it’s factual errors or shoddy reporting. For instance, consider the following excerpt from a CBS 2 article about Highland Park, Illinois’ consideration of a “pit bull” ban:
There’s also no reliable data on whether some dogs are more likely to bite than others. A 2000 study cited by the CDC and other health agencies reports pit bull-type dogs were responsible for more bite-related deaths than other breeds from 1979 to 1998, but it cautions that may mean pit bulls are just more common than other types of dogs.
It also cautions that “pit bull-type dog” is not an actual breed. “Pit bull-type dog” is certainly not a breed you’d find on any breed registry like the AKC. That’s because there is no breed called “pit bull-type” which is why the CDC statistics are skewed and therefore meaningless. (more…)
Anderson County, Kentucky Considers Breed-Specific Ordinance for “Pit Bulls”
From The Anderson News:
Magistrates received their first look at a pit bull ordinance during Tuesday morning’s meeting of the Anderson County Fiscal Court. (more…)
Highland Park, Illinois May Consider Breed Ban for “Pit Bulls”
From the Chicago Tribune:
Highland Park Mayor Michael Belsky called for a citywide ban on pit bulls today, three days after a 14-year-old girl was bitten on the face and arm, requiring hundreds of stitches, he said. (more…)
Indianapolis, Indiana May Soon Consider Mandatory Spay/Neuter for “Pit Bulls”
From the Indianapolis Star:
…Councilman Mike Speedy has crafted a proposal on “dangerous dogs” that he expects to submit to the full council sometime this month — and one that almost certainly will face stiff opposition.
His proposal not only would require that all pit bulls in the county be spayed or neutered but also would empower animal control officials to require dog owners to purchase liability insurance if they mistreat their dog or fail to keep it confined…
Read this article in its entirety here.
Breed-specific legislation (BSL) — no matter what form it takes, whether a full ban or restrictions like mandatory spay/neuter — is still unenforceable and therefore ineffective. Not to mention that BSL is unconstitutional. Please contact the Indianapolis City-County Council here and politely inform them that breed-specific and mandatory spay/neuter laws are failed policies that force responsible dog owners to give up their beloved pets; these laws also turn once law-abiding dog owners into a criminal class that, due to poor government policy, is forced to fly under the radar where they may not vaccinate or vet their dogs.
Sioux City, Iowa Animal Control “Accidentally” Euthanized Couple’s “Pit Bulls” After Ban Goes into Effect
From KMEG channel 14 in Iowa:
Sioux City’s pit bull ban went into full swing on March 21st, the deadline for owners to register and microchip their animals. Since that date Cindy Rarrit with Animal Control says her department has impounded more than 10 pit bulls from owners who didn’t follow the rules. “They are immediately impounded, the owner has the option at that point in time to either sign the dogs over or appeal the process,” she says. The owner may also see a ticket for as much as $150. (more…)
Norwalk, Ohio Considers Breed-Specific Ordinance for “Pit Bulls”
From the Norwalk Reflector:
…After a lengthy discussion, council asked Law Director Stuart O’Hara to prepare two versions of the resolution for consideration at the next meeting one with language identifying all pit bulls as vicious dogs and another without labeling any breed as vicious and is based solely on a dog’s behavior. (more…)