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Appeals Court Throws Out Lima, Ohio’s Breed-Specific Dangerous Dog Law
On Monday, December 23, 2013, the Third District Court of Appeals in Ohio reversed a lower court ruling, and, in effect tossed Lima, Ohio’s breed-specific dangerous dog law by declaring it unconstitutional. The appeals court ruling stemmed from a November 19, 2012, incident in which Lima, Ohio resident Theodore T. Stepleton was charged with…
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Animal Friends Kills “Pit Bull” They Say Could Not be Rehabbed Due to Dog Aggression
Normally I don’t do commentaries on animal shelters because the dog lobby has its hands full with the politics of bad animal legislation. But every once in a while I’m reminded that animal shelters play politics all their own; politics that tend to replace the mission and cause people to forget that they’re supposed…
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Lakeland, Florida Hearing Officer Overturns Dangerous Dog Ruling for “Pit Bull”
I have long written about the unconstitutionality of administrative hearing provisions in dangerous dog laws, but a Lakeland, Florida Administrative Hearing Officer recently illustrated why administrative hearings are unconstitutional and adversely affect owners of certain breeds more than others. On Monday, December 16, 2013, Lakeland Administrative Hearing Officer Maria C. Gallo overturned her own…
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Newark, Ohio Passes Canine Good Citizen Allowance for “Pit Bulls”
As expected, the Newark, Ohio City Council voted in its Monday, December 16, 2013, meeting to drop the ‘vicious’ label for “pit bulls” who have had formal training and pass their Canine Good Citizens (CGC) test. Once “pit bulls” have fulfilled these requirements, they no longer have to fulfill the requirement of a “dangerous”…
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Newark, OH: Resolution Allowing Bypass of Pit Bull Regs for Canine Good Citizens Moves to Full Council
Perhaps Newark, Ohio should take a hint from Canton, Michigan who will soon remove the “pit bull” language from their dangerous dog law and likewise remove all the hoops “pit bull” owners in Newark have to jump through in order to be able to keep their dogs. As Newark’s breed-specific law (BSL) stands now,…
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Canton, Michigan to Drop ‘Vicious’ Pit Bull Designation from Dangerous Dog Law
As we posted earlier this month, Jessica and Marcin Kowalewski lobbied the Canton, Michigan Township Board of Trustees to remove the ‘vicious’ label for so-called pit bulls from Canton’s dangerous dog law. Thankfully, the Kowalewskis were successful in their lobbying at the December 10 meeting, and Township Attorney Kristin Kolb has undertaken an ordinance…
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Australia: Jade Applebee Wins Reprieve for Kerser; Case to be Reconsidered
We first heard about the plight of Kerser, a dog labeled a “pit bull” and ordered to death by Australia’s Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, in March. Under Victorian dangerous dog laws, so-called “pit bulls” are restricted, must be registered, and must adhere to strict containment requirements. Thankfully, Kerser has won a temporary reprieve…
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Some St. Marys County, MD Residents Use Hysteria, Not Logic in BSL Push
Fresh off their “win” in the embarrassment that was the Tracey v. Solesky kangaroo court ruling in 2012, which deemed so-called “pit bulls” “inherently vicious” via extremely flawed and one-sided information, anti-pit bull protesters of the Avonlea Farm neighborhood in Mechanicsville, Maryland pushed for even more breed-specific legislation (BSL) by lobbying the St. Mary’s Board…
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Chicago Infant Killed by Neglect, Not Pit Bull
Out of respect, I was going to wait to write about Jah’Niyah White, the adorable 2-year-old Chicago toddler mauled to death by her grandfather’s dog. But since the media didn’t wait to sensationalize the incident, I guess I can’t wait either to put the story straight. Little 2-year-old Jah’Niyah White was fatally mauled…
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Maryland Pit Bull Advocates Will Take on Tracey v. Solesky Once Again in Coming General Assembly Session
The 2012 Maryland Court of Appeals ruling in Tracey v. Solesky was a perfect example of why it’s not always a good idea for the judiciary to be involved in matters of legislation. In fact, poor rulings which change existing laws or even create new laws are what have come to be derisively known…