Union County Commissioner Jon Thomas has called for a ban on “pit bulls” in the wake of a fatal attack in Waxhaw, N.C. However, Thomas then learned that North Carolina state law prohibits breed bans (where he heard this is unclear; state law does not appear to prohibit breed bans). Nevertheless, he says he is determined to find solutions to avoid a repeat of the tragedy.
Keep in mind the following facts as explained by the local news media:
- Waxhaw has no animal control.
- Without animal control, dog laws (including leash law) are unenforced.
- The dogs involved in the attack were reported to county animal control as neglected, malnourished, running loose, and mistreated. County animal control did not do anything about the dogs because they cannot enforce city laws.
It is unclear at this time what laws might be considered. However, locals should attend Waxhaw’s council meeting to guide the discussion toward realistic, effective non-breed-specific solutions.
Waxhaw Board of Commissioners meeting, January 17 at 6:30 PM, at the Museum of the Waxhaws.
Waxhaw officials contact info
Mayor Daune Gardner, 704-843-2195 ext 27, mayor@waxhaw.com
Mayor Pro Tem Martin Lane, 704-843-9606, mlane@waxhaw.com
Commissioner Joyce Blythe, 704-843-2246, jblythe@waxhaw.com
Commissioner Erin Kirkpatrick, 704-843-2195, ekirkpatrick@waxhaw.com
Commissioner Brett Diller, 704-843-2195, bdiller@waxhaw.com
Town Manager Michael McLaurin, 704-843-2195 ext 25, mmclaurin@waxhaw.com
Union County Commissioner Jonathan Thomas, who is calling for a ban or restrictions on “pit bulls”: Jonathan.Thomas@co.union.nc.us
Waxhaw has no animal control
Posted: 01/15/2011 3:41 PM
WAXHAW, N.C.– [...] Waxhaw Mayor Daune Gardner said town leaders will meet on Monday to discuss possible new ordinances, including forcing pet owners to register potentially dangerous animals with the police.
“We will be looking at what we can do to make our community safer,” Gardner said.[...]
Waxhaw stopped providing animal control service five years ago because there were so few complaints, said McLaurin, the town manager.[...]
Union County Commissioner Jonathan Thomas said he looked into whether the county could ban pit bulls. Thomas said he was told state law would prohibit such a measure but he says it would protect residents.
“You should get rid of all of the pit bulls,” Thomas said. “You have to mitigate threats.”[...]
Some Waxhaw leaders indicated they would not support a ban on pit bulls, saying it is too difficult to separate breeds that are dangerous from those that are not.
But Mayor Gardner vowed officials would find out “what we can and cannot do.”
Full article retrieved 1/15/11 from http://m.wcnc.com/wcnc/db_20148/contentdetail.htm;jsessionid=F1CD2BE43C864A2E501F499C1C6F8145?contentguid=jwDzaI74&src=cat&full=true#display
A similar article on the topic can be found here: http://www.wsoctv.com/news/26506683/detail.html
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