Category Archives: BSL Defeated

Ionia, MI: Breed ban rejected

Ionia, MI, city council voted against a proposed breed ban by 5-3. It’s not a totally done deal, as some council members suggested they may look at BSL again in the future.

We hope that residents will take note of who voted for and against the breed ban, and take that into consideration during the next election.
For breed ban: Tom Millard, Mayor Dan Balice, Deputy Mayor Kim Patrick
Against breed ban: Gordon Kelley, Jeff Winters, John Milewski, Brenda Cowling-Cronk, Matt Johnson

Pit bull ban fails in Ionia: council members vote 5-3 against proposed animal ordinance

By Jon Szerlag, The Ionia Sentinel-Standard
Posted Jan 03, 2012 @ 11:56 PM

IONIA, Mich. — An animal ordinance to phase out pit bulls within the city limits of Ionia failed with a 5-3 vote at the Ionia city council’s Tuesday meeting. [...]

With the ordinance failing upon the second reading, Ionia City Manager Jason Eppler explained that the ordinance will be revised to remove all items regarding the phasing out of pit bulls and be brought back at the February meeting. [...]

At the end of the meeting, council members stated that they will look at ways to ensure the public’s safety, have that be looking at a later date of dangerous breeds, or increasing fines for individuals who do not follow current laws, like the leash law.

Full article retrieved 1/4/12 from http://www.sentinel-standard.com/topstories/x1569735402/Pit-bull-ban-fails-in-Ionia-council-members-vote-5-3-against-proposed-animal-ordinance

All alerts for Ionia: http://stopbsl.com/?s=ionia

Bristol, CT update: BSL no longer on table

Bristol, CT council appears to have given up on a proposal to restrict certain breeds of dogs.

No Dog Ban in Bristol

The city’s ordinance committee formally rejected the idea.

By Debra Bogstie | Thursday, Dec 22, 2011 | Updated 7:51 AM ESTView

Pit bulls and other breeds that some consider dangerous will not be banned in Bristol.

The city’s ordinance committee formally rejected the idea during its meeting on Wednesday evening.[...]

City officials said they have no plans to bring the issue up again in the future.

Full article retrieved 12/22/11 from http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/politics/No-Dog-Ban-in-Bristol-136029748.html

Another good summary of the Bristol outcome, from a witness at the meeting.

Because of the way this issue unfolded, StopBSL will continue to keep an eye on the agendas for a while.

All alerts for Bristol, CT: http://stopbsl.com/?s=%22bristol%2C+ct%22

Petaluma, CA: Breed-specific MSN proposal rejected

One of the Petaluma Animal Services Advisory Committee members asked that the committee consider mandatory spay/neuter for “pit bulls.” Last night, the committee voted 6-1 against breed-specific MSN. The issue probably will not come up again in the foreseeable future.

Thank you to Gabe Kearney, Petaluma City Councilman and member of the Animal Services Board, for this update.

All alerts for Petaluma: http://stopbsl.com/?s=petaluma

Cumberland County, NC: Breed-specific no-adopt policy proposal dropped

We encourage residents and locals in Cumberland County to remain engaged and involved with the Animal Control Board in order to address the problems that prompted this proposal in the first place.

The board’s new suggestion that animal control do a better job of vetting people who want to adopt “bully breeds” is still breed-specific and potentially discriminatory. There’s no reason why more careful vetting of adopters shouldn’t be done for all dogs, regardless of their appearance, to ensure they are all being placed with responsible owners.

Sarge Wolf-Stringer also makes some excellent points about adoption processes that are breed-specific:

When we make dogs like pit bulls “special,” we make them different. Different becomes deviant. Adopters don’t want “deviant” dogs, they want family pets, so those dogs are less likely to get adopted. [...] If the issues facing Cumberland County are reckless owners who fail to control/contain/maintain their dogs, then why are they punishing responsible people who want to adopt a shelter dog (chances are, the reckless owners who allow their dogs to behave dangerously did NOT adopt those dogs from shelters in the first place)? [...] Here is some info to get started: http://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/pages/RESOURCES_FOR_HUMANE_COMMUNITIES

No Kill Nation has expressed similar concerns, noting that more restrictive adoption policies are likely to decrease adoptions without actually addressing the irresponsible dog owners that created this problem.

Bully breed proposal dropped; Cumberland board urges better vetting of dog owners

By Gregory Phillips
Staff writer

Faced with a 100-strong crowd who condemned the demonizing of certain dog breeds, the Cumberland County Animal Control Board backed away Monday night from a move to limit adoptions of some breeds from the county shelter.

Instead, the board directed Dr. John Lauby, the animal control director, to look into ways the county can more carefully vet the people who adopt animals from the shelter to ensure they’ll be responsible owners.

[...] After hearing from some 15 speakers, Chairman Cris Berry-Caban moved to amend the board’s recommendation from October to instead suggest that animal control start checking into the suitability of people seeking to adopt so-called “bully breeds” of dogs. [...]

Full article retrieved 12/6/11 from http://www.fayobserver.com/articles/2011/12/06/1142020?sac=Local

All alerts for Cumberland County: http://stopbsl.com/?s=cumberland+county

Terrebonne Parish, LA: Parish rejects BSL

Terrebonne Parish began to consider BSL back in February. Discussion on the breed-specific proposal continued through at least April. But by September, the board had returned with a new breed-neutral proposed dog ordinance. The breed-neutral ordinance passed last night.

Terrebonne council adopts dog law

Published: Thursday, December 1, 2011 at 9:31 p.m.

Sweeping changes to Terrebonne Parish’s animal-control laws set tougher standards for vicious animals and their owners though it does not single out any specific breeds.

The changes, which have been debated and discussed for nearly a year, passed unanimously at Thursday night’s council meeting. [...]

Councilman Billy Hebert [...] said he was swayed during the last nine months of debate away from a vicious-animal law that singled out specific breeds.

“We needed one for all breeds,” he said. [...]

Full article retrieved 12/2/11 from http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20111201/HURBLOG/111209936/1320?Title=Terrebonne-council-adopts-dog-law

All alerts for Terrebonne Parish: http://stopbsl.com/?s=terrebonne+parish

Taylorsville, UT: Council decides against BSL

Taylorsville city council and residents have been “discussing pit bulls” for a few weeks, leading some to worry that the city was considering BSL or a breed ban. The Deseret News has now clarified that the council is not interested in BSL.

No pit bull ban in Taylorsville

Published: Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 4:52 p.m. MST

TAYLORSVILLE — There will be no ban on pit bulls in Taylorsville. City officials decided not to develop an ordinance to outlaw pit bull breeds. Instead, Taylorsville will try to strengthen its existing vicious animal ordinances.

Several weeks ago a resident spoke at a council meeting, asking city council members to ban pit bulls. After considering the issue, civic leaders stated they were not interested in breed-specific restrictions, but tightening their current vicious animal ordinance would be a suitable option. [...]

Full article retrieved 11/20/11 from http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705394659/No-pit-bull-ban-in-Taylorsville.html

Mayor and City Council contact info
rwall@taylorsvilleut.gov; bcatlin@taylorsvilleut.gov; mpratt@taylorsvilleut.gov; jrechtenbach@taylorsvilleut.gov; dbarbour@taylorsvilleut.gov; ljohnson@taylorsvilleut.gov

All alerts for Taylorsville: http://stopbsl.com/?s=taylorsville

Springfield, TN: Retroactive BSL proposal nixed

The Springfield council was considering a new retroactive registration fee for “pit bull” owners, on top of its current breed-specific ordinance. The vote in October was deferred, which means delayed but still alive. As of this week, the proposal is officially dead. The council voted—against the fee.

Springfield Leaders Vote Against Pitbull Fee

Posted: Nov 16, 2011 6:28 AM CST

SPRINGFIELD, Tenn. – A plan to charge pitbull owners a $50 fee has been shot down in Springfield.

On Tuesday night, Springfield city leaders voted against the plan which was proposed last month. [...]

Full article retrieved 11/16/11 from http://www.newschannel5.com/story/16052513/springfield-leaders-vote-against-pitbull-fee

Unfortunately, Springfield’s existing BSL (restrictions on “pit bull” ownership) is still in place. Residents are encouraged to continue dialogue with Springfield council to see if BSL repeal can be achieved.

Contact info for Springfield, TN city officials
City Hall, 405 North Main Street, Springfield, Tennessee 37172
615.382.2200

All alerts for Springfield, TN: http://stopbsl.com/?s=springfield%2C+tn