Monthly Archives: September 2011

Tupelo, MS: BSL proposed (additional breeds)

Posted on September 19, 2011 by | Comments Off

Edit 10/15/11: Tupelo apparently already has BSL for “pit bull” owners. “Pit bulls” are automatically considered “dangerous animals” and are specially regulated. The news article below was not very specific, but I would guess that Tupelo is either considering adding breeds to their BSL, or instituting a whole new breed-specific law.

Tupelo, MS, is looking at a breed-specific ordinance that will affect “pit bulls” and may also include Rottweilers, German Shepherds, and Dobermans. StopBSL has not received exact wording or seen the proposal, so it is unclear at this time what the ordinance will require and what types of dogs will be targeted.

Tupelo councilmembers will introduce the ordinance in the near future. According to the city website, Tupelo city council has a meeting tomorrow, September 20, at 6:00 PM at City Hall, 71 East Troy Street. This item is NOT on the agenda. If you wish to make a public comment at the meeting for an item not on the agenda, I think there is a special process you must follow; please contact Kim Hanna, City Clerk, Kim.Hanna@tupeloms.gov , 662-841-6509

Contact info for city officials:
City Hall, 71 East Troy Street, Tupelo, MS 38804
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1485, Tupelo, MS 38802-1485
662-841-6513
Mayor Jack Reed Jr., Jack.Reed@tupeloms.gov
Markel Whittington, markel.whittington@comcast.net
Fred Pitts, rfred@sguard.net
James (Jim) Newell, jimwnewell@comcast.net
Nettie Davis, nettiedavisward4@bellsouth.net
Jonny Davis, jstuartdavis@yahoo.com
Mike Bryan, mike.bryan@comcast.net
Willie Jennings, wljennings@yahoo.com

Email block for cut-and-paste
Jack.Reed@tupeloms.gov; markel.whittington@comcast.net; rfred@sguard.net; jimwnewell@comcast.net; nettiedavisward4@bellsouth.net; jstuartdavis@yahoo.com; mike.bryan@comcast.net; wljennings@yahoo.com

Tupelo is looking at mean-dog ordinance

By EMILY LE COZ – Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal

TUPELO — Large-breed dogs with dangerous reputations could come under stricter control if a proposed ordinance passes the City Council.[...]

In addition to pit bulls, other breeds could be singled out in the proposal, said the subcommittee’s chairman, Ward 5 City Councilman Jonny Davis. He wants to recommend mandatory registration and annual permit fees for owners of Rottweilers, German Shepherds and Doberman Pinschers, too.

Read more: http://www.sunherald.com/2011/09/17/3436943/tupelo-is-looking-at-mean-dog.html#ixzz1YQcJwDEL

Thanks to KCDogBlog and Kathy for the heads up!

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Posted in Additional Breeds, BSL Proposed, Mississippi

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Charles County, MD: Public forum on possible BSL, Sept 20

Posted on September 19, 2011 by | 2 Comments

Charles County, MD, has been working on animal ordinance revisions that currently include breed-specific language. Although public forums don’t have formal agendas, we’ve been advised that the ordinance will probably be discussed during the Public Forum on Sept 20 at 5:30 PM in the Commissioners’ Meeting Room, Charles County Government Building, First Floor, 200 Baltimore Street, La Plata, Maryland 20646.

One of the major revisions would declare all “pit bulls” to be “potentially dangerous” dogs, thereby placing numerous special restrictions on ownership of dogs identified as pit bulls. “Pit bull” is defined as American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Bulldog, any dog that has ever been identified at any time (including in adoption or veterinary paperwork) as a “pit bull” type dog, and any dog that resembles one of these breeds.

You may read the full ordinance here: http://www.boarddocs.com/md/chrlsco/Board.nsf/files/8JZNZM625FC5/$file/Bill%20Number%202011-07%20Animal%20Control%20Regulations.pdf

The purpose of a public forum is to allow the public to speak to the commission, so we encourage residents and locals of Charles County to attend this meeting and continue speaking against BSL.

Contact information for Charles County Commissioners:
Attn: Charles County Board of Commissioners
Post Office Box 2150
La Plata, Maryland 20646-2150
301-645-0550 or 301-870-3000
Entire Commission: commissioner@charlescounty.org
President Candice Kelly, KellyC@charlescounty.org
VP Reuben Collins, CollinsR@charlescounty.org
Ken Robinson, RobinsonK@charlescounty.org
Debra Davis, DavisD@charlescounty.org
Bobby Rucci, RucciB@charlescounty.org

Email block for cut-and-paste
commissioner@charlescounty.org; KellyC@charlescounty.org; CollinsR@charlescounty.org; RobinsonK@charlescounty.org; DavisD@charlescounty.org; RucciB@charlescounty.org

All alerts for Charles County: http://stopbsl.com/?s=%22charles+county%2C+md%22

Thanks to Twitter follower @MdDogFed for the reminder!

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Posted in BSL Proposed, Maryland

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Lakewood, OH: Council to discuss breed ban amendments, Sept 19

Posted on September 18, 2011 by | Comments Off

A Lakewood city council committee has ”clarified”—but did not repeal—the language of their two-year-old breed ban on “pit bulls” and “canary dogs.” The city council will now discuss the committee amendments during the council meeting on September 19 at 7:30 PM, Lakewood City Hall, 12650 Detroit Avenue.

The public may comment at the meeting; please see the agenda to find out how you can make a public comment on this agenda item:

7. Public Safety Committee Report regarding Ordinance No. 35-11 – amending sections within Chapter 506 to clarify the definitions and hearing processes related to dangerous and vicious dogs. (Pg.22)

8. ORDINANCE NO. 35-11 – AN ORDINANCE amending Section 506.03 of the Codified Ordinances, Pit Bull Dogs or Canary Dogs; Section 506.08, Alternative Confinement; Section 506.09, Hearing by Director of Public Safety; Notice; Section 506.10, Evidence; Section 506.11, Decision of the Director of Public Safety; and Section 506.13, Disposition of Dangerous Animals, for the purpose of clarifying the definitions and hearing processes related to pit bull dogs, canary dogs, other dangerous dogs and vicious dogs. PLACED ON 1ST READING & REFERRED TO THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE 6/20/11, 2nd READING 7/5/11, DEFERRED 7/18/11) (Pg. 23)

The amended ordinance can be read here (last known version in July; unclear if it has been changed since then): http://stopbsl.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/lakewood_amended_animal_ord.pdf

For more information about Lakewood, please read previous alerts. All alerts for Lakewood, OH: http://stopbsl.com/?s=%22lakewood%2C+oh%22

Thanks to Mel for keeping tabs on this!

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Posted in Ohio, Results of BSL

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Egelston Township, MI reminder: Proposed BSL to be discussed, Sept 19

Posted on September 18, 2011 by | Comments Off

A new proposed ordinance in Egelston Township would place restrictions on ownership of “pit bulls.” The Board of Trustees is expected to discuss the ordinance on September 19 at 7:00 PM. Meetings are held in the meeting room at the Egelston Township Complex, 5428 E. Apple Ave. Muskegon, MI 49442
Phone: 231-788-2308
Fax: 231-788-5248

Contact information for Town Trustees
Supervisor Mike Thompson, mthompson@egelstontwp.org
231-788-2308 Ext. 11
Clerk Joan Raap, jraap@egelstontwp.org
231-788-2308 Ext. 16
Treasurer Deb Ackerman, dackerman@egelstontwp.org
231-788-2308 Ext. 15
Walt Bowen, wbowen@egelstontwp.org
Maria Harjer, mharjer@egelstontwp.org
John Holter, jholter@egelstontwp.org
Bethann Rahn, brahn@egelstontwp.org

Email block for cut and paste
mthompson@egelstontwp.org; jraap@egelstontwp.org; dackerman@egelstontwp.org; wbowen@egelstontwp.org; mharjer@egelstontwp.org; jholter@egelstontwp.org; brahn@egelstontwp.org

View the Sept 19 agenda: http://www.egelstontwp.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=oUGPLcvNSi0%3d&tabid=75&mid=537

All alerts for Egelston Township: http://stopbsl.com/?s=egelston

Pit bulls, crocodiles and panthers targeted in Egelston Township’s proposed dangerous animal ordinance

Published: Friday, September 02, 2011, 11:04 AM
By Lynn Moore | The Muskegon Chronicle

Pit bulls would have to be kept indoors or in a covered kennel and walked with a muzzle under a new ordinance proposed in Egelston Township. [...]

Full article retrieved 9/3/11 from http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2011/09/pit_bulls_targeted_in_egelston.html

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Posted in BSL Proposed, Michigan

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Schenectady, NY: Council discusses dog problems

Posted on September 14, 2011 by | 1 Comment

A couple of city councilmembers in Schenectady, New York, apparently think that BSL is the most reasonable option to resolve their dog problems. There’s only one problem—state law doesn’t allow them to enact BSL.

There are a number of breed-neutral options on the table for council to consider. Residents and locals may wish to participate in this discussion and offer additional breed-neutral options for the council’s consideration. From the public comments made by two of the councilmembers (in article below), it seems that some gentle education about stereotypes and discrimination are in order as well.

Next city council committee meeting: September 19, 5:30 PM, Room 110, City Hall, 105 Jay Street, Schenectady, New York 12305.
Next city council full meeting: September 26, 7:00 PM, Room 209, City Hall, 105 Jay Street, Schenectady, New York 12305.
To contact any of the City Council Members via e-mail: cthorne@schenectadyny.gov

Council mulls pit bull issue

Schenectady officials discuss attacks and consider what to do

By LAUREN STANFORTH Staff writer
Updated 07:08 a.m., Wednesday, September 7, 2011

SCHENECTADY — City Council members at their Tuesday night meeting discussed two recent pit bull attacks and came to one conclusion — they don’t know what tack to take to eliminate dangerous dogs roaming city streets. [...]

“People keep saying ‘poor little bit bull,’” said City Councilman Joe Allen. “I’ve never seen a nice pit bull in my life. They’re scary.” And their owners …”are even scarier,” City Councilwoman Denise Brucker said, completing Allen’s sentence. [...]

Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Council-mulls-pit-bull-issue-2158290.php#ixzz1Xxf9Thar

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Posted in New York, Whispers of BSL

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Waterville, ME: Police chief suggests breed ban

Posted on September 14, 2011 by | 2 Comments

Waterville Police Chief Joe Massey thinks the city should ban certain breeds of dogs. Maine state law prohibits municipalities from passing BSL, so this is not likely to go anywhere, but locals and residents may wish to reassert the need for breed-neutral laws.

Next city council meeting: September 20, 7:00 PM, City Council Chambers, 1 Common Street, Waterville, ME 04901

City officials contact information:
City Council, City of Waterville, 1 Common Street, Waterville Maine 04901
Fax: 207-680-4207
http://www.waterville-me.gov/departments/council/contacts/index.php
Police Chief Joseph Massey, jmassey@waterville-me.gov
Charles F. Stubbert, fred4444@msn.com
George Myers, Jr, george@georgemyersjr.com
Rosemary Winslow, rosemary.winslow@mail.house.gov
Erik Thomas, ethomas@waterville-me.gov
John O’Donnell, johnodonnell@mewireless.net
Eliza Mathias, emathias@waterville-me.gov
Karen Rancourt Thomas, krancourt@waterville-me.gov

Email block for cut-and-paste
fred4444@msn.com; george@georgemyersjr.com; rosemary.winslow@mail.house.gov; ethomas@waterville-me.gov; johnodonnell@mewireless.net; emathias@waterville-me.gov; krancourt@waterville-me.gov; jmassey@waterville-me.gov

Waterville Chief Sounds Alarm On Dangerous Dogs

by Rob Poindexter – September 12th 2011 09:29pm

Waterville – Waterville Police Chief Joe Massey [...] says statistics show most attacks happen in the victims own homes. “The top three biters according to their study are Pitbulls, German Shepards, and Rottweilers.” [StopBSL Ed: Unclear what statistics or study has been used here. No source cited.] [...]

Adding that he’d also like to see the city get tougher. “Matter of fact I would almost like to see, and I know this is very controversial, to see the city take a stand where they try to prohibit specific breeds.” [...]

Full article retrieved 9/14/11 from http://www.wabi.tv/news/23450/waterville-chief-sounds-alarm-on-dangerous-dogs

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Posted in Maine, Whispers of BSL

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Buchanan, MI: City commission to consider new dog laws

Posted on September 14, 2011 by | 2 Comments

After two dogs got out and bit people in Buchanan, Michigan, the city commission is reviewing their dog laws. Buchanan has a barking dog ordinance, but no other animal laws. (Presumably they are using state law to deal with animal issues.) During the next city commission meeting, commissioners will hear from the state director of animal control regarding the applicability of state laws in the case of dangerous dogs, and this discussion may suggest additional local ordinances that Buchanan can pass.

Because the bite incident involved two “pit bull” type dogs, because the news media has focused on the dogs’ breed rather than any other aspect, and because Michigan does not have a state law that prohibits BSL, StopBSL feels that there is a possibility that Buchanan commissioners may consider breed-specific measures.

StopBSL would like to suggest that locals and residents in and around Buchanan make an effort to participate in community and commission discussions regarding potential animal ordinances, and to guide those discussions toward effective breed-neutral options.

Next city commission meeting: September 26, 7:00 PM, Buchanan City Hall, 302 N. Redbud Trail.

Contact info for city commissioners:
**Please don’t flood these folks with emails opposing breed bans. A breed ban has not been mentioned, and sudden widescale opposition from all corners will only confuse them. Instead, politely encourage commissioners to consider breed-neutral ordinances and to avoid breed-specific ones. Please encourage them to do the right thing; please don’t criticize them for something they haven’t done.**
Carla Cole, Mayor, sienna@qtm.net
Michael A Terrell, terrelm@gmail.com
David Hagey
Patricia Moore, PMDPM@aol.com
Earl “Joe” Scanlon III, Mayor Pro Tem, midasjoe94@yahoo.com
City Manager & Police Chief Bill Marx, wmarx@buchananpolice.net

Please note, in the article below, it sounds like the city is experiencing a rash of unrelated pit bull attacks. In fact, the article reveals that these attacks were committed by the same two loose dogs on the same day.

Buchanan pit bull attacks prompt potential crackdown

STAN MADDUX
South Bend Tribune Correspondent
11:22 a.m. EDT, September 13, 2011

BUCHANAN— In response to recent pit bill attacks on three people Buchanan officials could be looking to crackdown on dangerous animals. [...]

[City manager and police chief Bill Marx] asked [state animal control director Val] Grimes to attend the next regularly scheduled commissioners meeting to go over the existing state statute governing dangerous animals and answer any questions.

Marx said the information could be used by the commissioners to decide whether a local dangerous animal ordinance should be drafted to fill any gaps in the state laws as that presently exist. [...]

Full article retrieved 9/14/11 from http://www.southbendtribune.com/sbt-buchanan-pit-bull-attacks-prompt-potential-crackdown-20110913,0,975644.story

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Posted in Michigan, Whispers of BSL

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