Monthly Archives: March 2010

Hinds County, MS: BSL Proposed

Thanks to Jodi for this alert.

Under the proposed ordinance, owners of “pit bulls” would be required to obtain a special permit and insurance.

Board of Supervisors
Hinds County Chancery Court Building, 316 S. President St., Jackson, MS 39201
Phone: 601.968.6501
Fax: 601.968.6794

Robert Graham, rgraham@co.hinds.ms.us
Fax: 601.714.6306

Doug Anderson, danderson@co.hinds.ms.us
Fax: 601.968.6794

Peggy Calhoun, pcalhoun@co.hinds.ms.us
Fax: 601.968.6774

Phil Fisher, pfisher@co.hinds.ms.us
Fax: 601.857.2890

George Smith, gsmith@co.hinds.ms.us
Fax: 601.968.6794

Board meeting agendas: http://www.co.hinds.ms.us/pgs/BoardAgenda/BoardAgenda.asp

Animal control facility ‘out of space’

Hinds County sheriff wants more kennels, new site for operations

Kathleen Baydala • kbaydala@clarionledger.com • March 15, 2010

[...] Maj. Teresa Gardner … who supervises animal control, said the county’s proposed approach to dangerous dogs is different than the one considered by the city of Jackson because it does not seek to outlaw a specific breed. The Jackson City Council killed a proposed pit bull ban on March 8 for lack of support.

However, the county’s drafted ordinance would require residents who own pit bulls, exotic animals and hybrid wolf dogs to obtain a permit … and hold insurance….

The Board of Supervisors has not set a date to vote on the ordinance. District 5 Supervisor George Smith said the board must have a public hearing first.

Full story retrieved May 15, 2010 from http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20100315/NEWS/3150322/1001/Animal-control-facility-out-of-space

Poplar Bluff, MO: Pit bull ban passed

Poplar Bluff pit bull owners must register, microchip dogs by April 1

Monday, March 15, 2010
By David Silverberg ~ Daily American Republic

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — April 1 is the deadline for all pit bulls in Poplar Bluff to be microchipped and registered, according to the animal control officers who will be enforcing the new city ordinance. [...] “At least 50 percent of the dogs in Poplar Bluff are pit bulls,” Hastings said.[...]

Story retrieved 3/15/10 from http://www.semissourian.com/story/1618351.html

Memphis, TN reminder: Public meeting on possible BSL, March 16

Edit 11/3/10: The new ordinance is confirmed breed-neutral.

Although word is that the proposed ordinance is no longer breed-specific and now applies to all cats and dogs in Memphis, Memphis City Council was considering an ordinance that would require the mandatory spay/neuter of all “pit bulls.”

The revised ordinance, which is supposed to be breed-neutral, will be discussed on:

March 16, 4 PM
City Hall, 125 North Main Street

Because I have not seen a copy of what Councilmember Flinn intends to present at the meeting, I recommend that Memphis locals attend the public meeting to make sure the ordinance does not contain breed-specific language. (Whether you agree with mandatory spay/neuter is another matter, but StopBSL does not track anything outside of BSL.)

Previous alerts for Memphis: http://stopbsl.com/?s=memphis+tn

UK: Dangerous dogs: Bred to fight, left to die

Dangerous dogs: Bred to fight, left to die

The cult of ‘status dogs’ has led to a huge rise in the number of pets abandoned by their young owners, reports David Harrison

By David Harrison
Published: 5:58PM GMT 13 Mar 2010

[...] To illustrate his point he walks along a line of cages, each containing a dog with sad eyes, mostly “staffie crosses”, Staffordshire bull terriers cross-bred with larger dogs in an attempt to make their owners look tougher.

“This one was beaten by its owner,” he says. “That one was starved and emaciated. This one was injured after a fight with another dog. And that one was tied to a railing and abandoned after being used to breed.”

It is a depressing gallery. Last week, in the face of growing concern about “status dogs”, the Government announced a review of the Dangerous Dogs Act and a proposal that owners should have to take out compulsory insurance for their pets. But Mr Grant is not convinced that will have any impact on the huge numbers of status dogs being bred in Britain for profit, for protection and for fights.

[...] “There’s no point banning a breed of dog because, as we are seeing today, they will simply use other breeds and crosses and turn them into vicious animals,” he says. “The Staffordshire bull terrier and the bull mastiff are great family pets, but they have been demonised because of what irresponsible owners have done.”

Full article retrieved 3/13/10 from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/petshealth/7436751/Dangerous-dogs-Bred-to-fight-left-to-die.html

Springfield Township, OH: Township no longer enforcing BSL

Springfield Township puts hold on dog legislation

By Heidi Fallon • hfallon@communitypress.com • March 12, 2010

[...] Trustees approved putting the breed-specific regulations on hold at the March 9 meeting.

[...] Township Administrator Mike Hinnenkamp said several factors went into the decision including veterinarians being unable to determine specific breeds.

[...] Saying that any action against dog owners would be based on the dog’s behavior, not the breed, Heimpold said his department would follow state laws regarding vicious dogs.[...]

Full article retrieved 3/13/10 from http://communitypress.cincinnati.com/article/20100312/NEWS/3120309/Springfield+Township+puts+hold+on+dog+legislation

Memphis, TN: Public meeting regarding breed-specific spay/neuter, March 16

Edit 3/13/10: This proposed ordinance appears to have been revised as a breed-neutral ordinance. Concerned residents should still attend to confirm that this is the case.

Memphis City Council is considering an ordinance that would require the mandatory spay/neuter of all “pit bulls” during their city council meeting on:

March 16, 4 PM
City Hall, 125 North Main Street

It is important to remember that breed-specific mandatory spay/neuter (MSN) is breed-specific legislation. Breed-specific MSN is fraught with all of the problems associated with breed-specific laws–including unequal treatment of dog owners, subjective identification of dog breed based on appearance alone, and no evidence that such laws improve public safety.

Additionally, mandatory spay/neuter is not supported by No-Kill advocates, as it has not been shown to reduce shelter populations. MSN is a financial hardship on many people. Low-cost voluntary spay/neuter is a much more effective alternative.

Councilmembers:
Bill Morrison
William C. Boyd
Harold B.Collins
WandaHalbert
Jim Strickland
Edmund Ford, Jr.
Barbara Swearengen Ware
Joe Brown
Janis Fullilove
Myron Lowery
Kemp Conrad
Shea Flinn
Reid Hedgepeth

Contact all members at once by mailing, calling, or faxing the City Council office:
125 North Main Street, Room 514, Memphis, TN 38103
Ph: (901) 576-6786
Fax: (901) 576-6796
Or visit the website and view contact info for each member:
http://memphistn.gov/framework.aspx?page=690

Previous alerts for Memphis, TN: http://stopbsl.com/?s=memphis+tn

Elgin, IL: Elgin toughens pet law, won’t target pit bulls

Previous alerts for Elgin: http://stopbsl.com/?s=elgin%2C+il

Elgin toughens pet law, won’t target pit bulls

March 11, 2010
By MIKE DANAHEY mdanahey@stmedianetwork.com

ELGIN — The city council unanimously adopted a tougher animal control ordinance Wednesday night, but without the bite of suggested pit bull-specific regulations….

Now, all of the modified rules will apply only to any dog that a hearing officer or court deems to be dangerous or vicious….

The new rules also give police more tools to address how people treat their dogs….

Mayor Ed Schock complimented pit bull owners on how they conducted themselves during the debate on the issue….

Full story retrieved March 11, 2010 from http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/couriernews/news/2096536,3_1_EL11_06COUNCIL_S1-100311.article

Additional article: http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=365174