Category Archives: Massachusetts

Malden, MA reminder: Council to take up BSL again, April 3

Posted on April 1, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Malden city council decided to delay any decisions on their breed-specific proposal until the council meeting on April 3, so as to give people the opportunity to speak up about the proposal.

Meeting details:
April 3 at 7:00 PM
City Council Chambers, Malden Government Center, 200 Pleasant St, Malden, MA

The Malden, MA, Ordinance Committee unanimously approved and recommended to council an ordinance that would define all “pit bulls” as “dangerous dogs.” This would subject owners of dogs that look like “pit bulls” to various restrictions.

The proposal can be read here: Malden, MA Proposed BSL 3-26-12

Residents and locals, please continue to speak up in Malden! Please respectfully ask Malden city officials not to pass an ordinance that discriminates against people based on what their dog looks like.

Contact info for Malden, MA city officials
200 Pleasant Street, Room 609, Malden, MA 02148
Email: citycouncil@cityofmalden.org
Telephone: (781) 397-7130
Fax: (781) 397-7004

All alerts for Malden: http://stopbsl.com/?s=malden

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Malden, MA update: Council to take up BSL again, April 3

Posted on March 29, 2012 by | Leave a comment

The Malden, MA, Ordinance Committee unanimously approved and recommended to council an ordinance that would define all “pit bulls” as “dangerous dogs.” This would subject owners of dogs that look like “pit bulls” to various restrictions.

The proposal can be read here: Malden, MA Proposed BSL 3-26-12

Malden city council decided to delay any decisions on the proposal until the council meeting on April 3, so as to give people the opportunity to speak up about the proposal.

Residents and locals, you must speak up to stop Malden from passing BSL! Please respectfully ask Malden city officials not to pass an ordinance that discriminates against people based on what their dog looks like.

Contact info for Malden, MA city officials
200 Pleasant Street, Room 609, Malden, MA 02148
Email: citycouncil@cityofmalden.org
Telephone: (781) 397-7130
Fax: (781) 397-7004

All alerts for Malden: http://stopbsl.com/?s=malden

Councilors Muzzle Pit Bull Ordinance, For Now

By Chris Caesar
March 28, 2012

[...] Councilor Jim Nestor, who chairs the ordinance committee, said the committee’s approval, came after “lengthy discussions,” which included the city’s animal control officer Kevin Alkins.

Councilor Barbara Murphy made a motion to table the proposal, and said she’d prefer councilors do more research before making the controversial move.[...]

“There have been ample times for people to show up at meetings – we didn’t try to hide this,” Councilor Neil Kinnon, who has strongly advocated for the change, said. [...]

Councilor John Matheson said [...] “I don’t think there’s particularly a lot of dog owners on the council – let’s let the people weigh in on this issue.”

Councilor Craig Spadafora said he thought having a robust discussion about the issue was important, but said he was concerned tabling the proposal could postpone it indefinitely. [...]

Full article retrieved 3/29/12 from http://malden.patch.com/articles/councilors-muzzle-pit-bull-ordinance-for-now

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Malden, MA: Breed-specific muzzle ordinance proposed

Posted on March 23, 2012 by | 3 Comments

A Malden, MA, city council committee has approved a new ordinance that would require “pit bull” owners to muzzle their dogs on public property. The council still has to hold a final vote on the ordinance. The next city council meeting is March 27, but this ordinance is not on the current agenda.

Unfortunately, I do not have a copy of the proposed ordinance, so I do not know the extent of the breed-specific proposal. However, I believe it is probably a modified version of a 2010 muzzle proposal, which you can read about here. The harsh 2010 proposal would have required “pit bull” owners to muzzle their dogs at all times, including on their own property. From the news article below, I believe that restriction has been modified to require muzzles only on public property. (An earlier news article came out in the Malden Advocate, but I believe that article’s description of the proposed ordinance is inaccurate.)

Please contact Malden city council members and RESPECTFULLY explain why breed-specific laws are ineffective, discriminatory, and inhumane. Please also offer acceptable breed-neutral alternatives to address their perceived dog problem.

Contact info for Malden, MA city officials
200 Pleasant Street, Room 609, Malden, MA 02148
Email: citycouncil@cityofmalden.org
Telephone: (781) 397-7130
Fax: (781) 397-7004

Pit bull ordinance approved

With news from Animal Control Officer Kevin Alkins of another pit bull attack this past weekend — which resulted in the death of a Yorkshire Terrier — the committee unanimously approved a new ordinance requiring pit bulls and pit bull mixes to be muzzled at all time on public property in Malden. [...]

The new ordinance must still be voted on by the council before it goes into effect.

Full article retrieved 3/23/12 from http://www.wickedlocal.com/malden/newsnow/x394115193/Malden-Ordinance-Committee-mulls-development-fees#axzz1pwpNXTJJ

Many thanks to Kim for putting this back on our radar.

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Dartmouth, MA: Board turns away from BSL discussions

Posted on July 12, 2011 by | Comments Off

The Dartmouth, MA, Select Board has been thinking about dog control options; a breed-specific law was one option suggested by members, but the Select Board no longer intends to pursue BSL due to an excellent and informative presentation by the town’s health director and animal control officer.

The select board intends to instead consider breed-neutral alternatives such as a leash law. Residents and locals may wish to participate in the select board’s discussion and adoption of dog ordinances to ensure that the outcome is reasonable, effective, and breed-neutral.

Contact info and meeting agendas for the Select Board and town administrators can be found here: http://www.town.dartmouth.ma.us/Pages/DartmouthMA_BComm/SelectBoard/index

Dartmouth veers from pit bull crackdown

By Brian Boyd, bboyd@s-t.com
July 12, 2011 12:00 AM

DARTMOUTH — The town’s health director and animal control officer told the Select Board that a bylaw targeting pit bulls could be impractical.

The board did not take any action at its Monday meeting. Instead, it will wait for the officials to recommend alternative ways for dealing with dangerous dogs, such as adopting a leash law. [...]

Full article retrieved 7/12/11 from http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110712/NEWS/107120320/-1/NEWS05

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Lowell, MA: BSL passed

Posted on June 19, 2011 by | 1 Comment

On June 14, Lowell, MA city council voted 5-4 in favor of BSL.

Councillors voting in favor: Rodney Elliott, Edward “Bud” Caulfield, Kevin Broderick, Bill Martin and Franky Descoteaux

Councillors voting against: Mayor James Milinazzo, Rita Mercier, Patrick Murphy and Joseph Mendonca

City Council votes to muzzle pit bulls

By Lyle Moran, lmoran@lowellsun.com
Updated: 06/15/2011 06:41:20 AM EDT

LOWELL — The City Council voted 5-4 last night to approve an ordinance that requires all pit bulls to be muzzled and leashed when off their owners’ properties.[...]

Last night’s public hearing on the ordinance sparked impassioned debate from the councilors and the handful of public supporters and about a dozen members of the public who spoke in opposition.[..]

The ordinance requires that all pit bulls be spayed or neutered to reduce their aggressiveness, and does not let anyone in the city own more than two pit bulls.[...]

Full article retrieved 6/19/11 from http://www.lowellsun.com/ci_18277011?IADID=Search-www.lowellsun.com-www.lowellsun.com

All alerts for Lowell: http://stopbsl.com/?s=lowell

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Lowell, MA reminder: Public hearing on proposed BSL, June 14

Posted on June 12, 2011 by | Comments Off

On June 14, Lowell, MA city council will hold a public hearing on a proposed breed-specific ordinance. They may vote on the ordinance at the same time. Locals are encouraged to communicate politely and respectfully with the council, to ask them to vote against the breed-specific law that has failed in Boston and nearby communities.

The public hearing takes place on June 14 at 7:00 PM at City Hall, 2nd Floor, Council Chambers, 375 Merrimack St., Lowell, MA.

Online contact form for the Lowell, MA city council:
http://www.lowellma.gov/contact/council/
Richard Johnson, City Clerk, 375 Merrimack Street, 1st Floor, Room 31, Lowell, MA 01852
(978) 970-4161, voice
(978) 970-4162, fax
Council meeting minutes and agendas: http://www.lowellma.gov/govt

All alerts for Lowell: http://stopbsl.com/?s=lowell

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Lowell, MA: Public hearing on proposed BSL, June 14

Posted on May 26, 2011 by | 3 Comments

On June 14, Lowell, MA city council will hold a public hearing on a proposed breed-specific ordinance. They may vote on the ordinance at the same time. The council members are not unified in their support; the vote on the ordinance is expected to be very close. Locals are encouraged to communicate politely and respectfully with the council, to ask them to vote against the breed-specific law that has failed in Boston and nearby communities.

The public hearing takes place on June 14 at 6:30 PM at City Hall, 2nd Floor, Council Chambers, 375 Merrimack St., Lowell, MA.

Councilmembers’ stances on the proposed ordinance
Mayor James L. Milinazzo – supports with the training exemption
Vice Mayor Kevin P. Broderick – unknown
Councilor Edward C. Caulfield – does not support; wants stronger restrictions
Councilor Franky D. Descoteaux – supports with the training exemption
Councilor Rodney M. Elliott – proposed the BSL; supports
Councilor William F. Martin Jr. – unknown
Councilor Joseph M. Mendonça – supports with the training exemption
Councilor Rita M. Mercier – does not support; calls it discriminatory
Councilor Patrick O. Murphy – unknown

Online contact form for the Lowell, MA city council:
http://www.lowellma.gov/contact/council/
Richard Johnson, City Clerk, 375 Merrimack Street, 1st Floor, Room 31, Lowell, MA 01852
(978) 970-4161, voice
(978) 970-4162, fax
Council meeting minutes and agendas: http://www.lowellma.gov/govt

All alerts for Lowell: http://stopbsl.com/?s=lowell

Lowell City Council to bring pit-bull muzzle law to public hearing

By Lyle Moran, lmoran@lowellsun.com
Updated: 05/25/2011 11:04:15 AM EDT

LOWELL — After months of debate, the City Council voted last night to forward to a public hearing a pit-bull muzzle law that provides exemptions for dogs that go through training programs.[...]

The ordinance requires that all pit bulls that don’t go through certified training programs must be on a leash and wearing a muzzle when not on their owner’s property. Pit bulls also do not have to wear a muzzle when off their owner’s property if they are in a secure enclosure, such as a dog crate.

A pit bull is defined as any dog that is an American pit-bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, Staffordshire bull terrier or any dog of mixed breed displaying the majority of physical traits of any of the above breeds.[...]

The ordinance also requires that all pit bulls be spayed or neutered to reduce their aggressiveness, and does not let anyone in the city own more than two pit bulls.

Animal-control officers would be required to provide monthly reports about the implementation of the ordinance, and the council would review the effectiveness of the law every six months.[...]

Full article retrieved 5/26/11 from http://www.lowellsun.com/rss/ci_18135599?source=rss#ixzz1NOktWgOB

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