On Tuesday, December 4, 2012, the Schuyler, Nebraska city council will hold the second reading of a proposed dangerous dog ordinance that targets several breeds of dogs including:
American pit bull terrier,
American Staffordshire terrier,
Staffordshire bull terrier,
Dogo Argentina,
Presa Canario,
Cane Corso,
American bulldog,
Chow chow,
Doberman,
Rottweiler;
and American bandagge.
Posted in BSL, BSL Proposed, Nevada
Tagged american bandagge, american bulldog, American Pit Bull Terrier, american staffordshire terrier, Cane Corso, chow chow, city council, doberman, dogo argentina, Nebraska, pit bull, Pitbull, pitt bull, presa canario, Rottweiler, schuyler, staffordshire bull terrier
Just weeks after Miami-Dade asked the public to decide the fate of the pit bull ban, two Commissioners propose separate bills to change the current dangerous dog ordinance.
Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz has proposed that officials adopt measures to create an online dangerous dog registry that would be available on Animal Services website. The registry would include mug-shots and a biography of any dog deemed dangerous, would include the circumstances of any attack, and the owners address. His proposed ordinance would also increase current fines from $500 to $1000, increasing with repeated offenses upward of $2000. In addition to the dangerous dog changes, Diaz added increased fines for anyone convicted for abusing an animal.
Commissioner Sally Heyman also proposed a change to the current dangerous dog laws that would require owners of dogs designated dangerous to obtain and maintain $50,000 in liability insurance.
Both measures introduced are non-breed-specific. According to the Miami-Herald “Whether a yippy Chihuahua biting a mail carrier or a regal Great Dane taking a chunk out of a neighbor, whether on the pet owner’s property or at a park, the penalty would be the same.”
Commissioner Heyman supported removing the ban that targets pit bulls. Diaz opposed removing the ban and strongly interjected when Legislators considered a state law that would have caused the Miami-Dade ban to fall earlier this year.
Animal Services staff members recalled only one case in more than a decade resulting in a court-ordered euthanizing. Two American Bulldogs that attacked an 80-year-old man causing life-threatening injuries. More recently a waitress was attacked by a Cane Corso causing severe injuries.
Neither proposed ordinance addresses the current ban or the fact that other dogs are as dangerous as any dog affected by the ban.
Please visit the Miami-Herald article to vote on the poll:
Should dogs that attack people or other pets have their photographs and owner’s address posted on a Miami-Dade County online registry?
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/09/30/3028075/miami-dade-could-require-online.html#storylink=cpy
Posted in BSL, Florida, Non-BSL, Non-BSL Proposed
Tagged american bulldog, Cane Corso, Commissioner Diaz, Commissioner Heyman, dangerous dog, Miami-Dade, pit bull, registry
We first reported on Lennox in late 2010, after he was seized from his home by authorities who said his appearance fit their idea of a ”pit bull type” — a “type” of dog that is not legal in the U.K. Lennox had not actually done anything wrong; he was born looking “wrong.”
After two years of court battles, not even high-profile advocates and celebrities, tens of thousands of ordinary citizen supporters, and multiple sanctuary offers could save Lennox. Belfast refused to compromise. Lennox was killed yesterday by Belfast authorities simply for the crime of looking like a “pit bull.”
Lennox is not the only dog to be put down simply for being the wrong shape. We’ve shared with you many other individual dogs who have had the misfortune to be born with the wrong appearance in the wrong place. Breed discriminatory laws are everywhere, from cities in the U.S., to provinces like Ontario, to entire countries like the U.K. But although Lennox’s circumstances are not unique, he and his family had a large outpouring of public support that was quite unusual.
Lennox has become a symbol for many people of the injustice that is BSL. We also know that many people first heard about BSL because of Lennox.
We are hopeful that Lennox’s plight and the injustice to his human family, the Barnes family, leaves in his followers a legacy of awareness about BSL and a long-burning passion to stop BSL across the globe.
Our sympathies today are with the Barnes family and the many other families around the world who have lost friends, companions, and family dogs for no other reason than that their dog was born with the wrong physical appearance.
Breed discriminatory laws are in effect in many places. Innocent people and voiceless animals are suffering. If you haven’t already, please join us as we continue our efforts to stop BSL.
We appreciate these wise words from Animal Farm Foundation: “Every day there is a need — and an opportunity — to ‘Save Lennox.’”
More thoughtful commentary from KC Dog Blog: http://btoellner.typepad.com/kcdogblog/2012/07/lennox-the-dog-is-dead-and-the-power-of-channeled-passion.html
Xenia, OH, has revised their dog ordinances once again, in response to the recent change in state law.
The new ordinance prohibits anyone whose dog is declared vicious by a judge from owning “an American Bulldog, Canary dog, or pit bull terrier or any previously labeled dangerous or vicious dog in the City of Xenia in the future.”
So, vicious dogs are now identified by their behavior, but if you happen to have a court-designated vicious dog of any breed, then you must get rid of any other of your dogs that look like a “pit bull,” Presa Canario, or American Bulldog, and you can’t own a dog that looks like those breeds so long as you live in Xenia.
Get it?
As an example, let’s say you own two dogs: a German Shepherd Dog, and a Bull Terrier. The German Shepherd, and only the German Shepherd, gets loose and seriously injures someone, and the court declares it a vicious dog. You can keep the German Shepherd as long as you pay a special registration fee to the city of Xenia and follow the state law requirements regarding vicious dogs. But you must get rid of the Bull Terrier and you are forbidden from owning any “pit bull”-looking dog so long as you live in Xenia.
Yeah.
Read the recently passed ordinance here (received from city clerk): Xenia 6-26-12 Ord. 12-30 Amending XCO Chapters 604 and 618 Animals
We shouldn’t be surprised. Xenia has never managed to get its vicious dog laws quite right. All alerts for Xenia: http://stopbsl.org/?s=xenia
Contact information for city officials:
jmills@ci.xenia.oh.us; bmiller@ci.xenia.oh.us; mbayless@ci.xenia.oh.us; jcaupp@ci.xenia.oh.us; mengle@ci.xenia.oh.us; dlouderback@ci.xenia.oh.us; wsmith@ci.xenia.oh.us; mjohnson@ci.xenia.oh.us
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Posted in Ohio, Results of BSL
Tagged american bulldog, animal control, ban, breed specific legislation, city council, dangerous, dog, meeting, ordinance, pit bull, presa canario
Bermuda has moved some previously prohibited breeds into a new restricted-breed category. (We last told you about this plan in September 2010, but the official breed list is now finalized.)
Prohibited breeds may not be imported or bred. All of the below breeds were also prohibited under the previous prohibited-breed list.
Restricted breeds can be imported or bred, but there are restrictions on ownership, such as special enclosures, property inspections, etc. Some of the below breeds were previously on the prohibited breed list, and some of the below breeds were not previously restricted or prohibited. I have noted the changes. Restricted breeds are as follows:
News articles with details regarding the new breed lists:
http://bernews.com/2011/12/minister-bean-on-dog-importations/
http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20111229/NEWS01/712299932
All alerts for Bermuda: http://stopbsl.com/?s=bermuda
Xenia, OH, has passed a new animal ordinance. Rather than remove the breed-specific language that was already in the old ordinance, the new animal ordinance has clarified the language and increased the restrictions for owners of certain breeds. However, there’s also a twist—due to conflicting language in the ordinance, it appears Xenia may actually have a breed ban, not restrictions.
Section 604 of the ordinance defines and describes the following breeds: American Bulldog, Canary Dog, and pit bull terrier (Am Staff, APBT, Staff Bull Terrier, Bull Terrier, mixes of these, and look-alikes). It also defines “vicious dog” as all of the above breeds.
Section 618.02 describes the new requirements for keeping vicious dogs (including American Bulldogs, Canary Dogs, and pit bull terriers). These requirements include special registration, liability insurance, special containment, muzzling, and a limit of 3 ”vicious” dogs.
And then there’s Section 618.15. This is an old section of the code and was not changed by the recent revisions. This section bans the keeping of wild, vicious, and dangerous animals. In particular, the section bans without exception ”vicious domesticated animals.”
Although “domesticated animal” is not defined in the code, we assume it includes dogs; therefore, it seems that vicious dogs cannot be kept or owned in Xenia—to include American Bulldogs, Canary dogs, and pit bull terriers.
See the conflict? The new revisions in 618.02 increase the restrictions on ownership of vicious dogs, but 618.15 bans vicious animals/dogs.
This conflict between the sections leads us to believe that Xenia city council is unaware of the ramifications of 618.15. We also suspect that those charged with enforcing the ordinance are unaware of the ban imposed by 618.15. Although the ban probably isn’t being enforced, if you own any of the aforementioned breeds (including look-alikes and mixes) that are designated as “vicious,” we suggest that you avoid Xenia.
Read the revised ordinance for yourself: http://www.ci.xenia.oh.us/uploads/City%20Clerk%20Documents/2011%20Ordinances%20and%20Resolutions/Ord.%2011-70%20Amend%20XCO%20Chap.%20604%20and%20618%20Animals.pdf
News articles about the recent ordinance changes: http://www.wdtn.com/dpp/news/local/greene_county/xenia-requires-viscous-dog-registration
http://www.wdtn.com/dpp/community/dangerous-dog-registration-in-greene-co
Contact information for city officials:
Jeanne Mills, Council President, jmills@ci.xenia.oh.us
William (Bill) R. Miller, Vice President, bmiller@ci.xenia.oh.us
Marsha J. Bayless, Mayor, mbayless@ci.xenia.oh.us
John G. Caupp, jcaupp@ci.xenia.oh.us
Michael D. Engle, mengle@ci.xenia.oh.us
Dale Louderback, dlouderback@ci.xenia.oh.us
Wesley Smith, wsmith@ci.xenia.oh.us
City Clerk, (937) 376-7235, mjohnson@ci.xenia.oh.us
Email block for cut and paste: jmills@ci.xenia.oh.us; bmiller@ci.xenia.oh.us; mbayless@ci.xenia.oh.us; jcaupp@ci.xenia.oh.us; mengle@ci.xenia.oh.us; dlouderback@ci.xenia.oh.us; wsmith@ci.xenia.oh.us; mjohnson@ci.xenia.oh.us
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Posted in BSL Passed, Ohio
Tagged american bulldog, animal control, ban, breed specific legislation, city council, dangerous, dog, ordinance, pit bull, presa canario, vicious
Lithuania currently classifies the following breeds as “aggressive” or “fighting” breeds, and the government is now working on a law that will ban dogs of these breeds:
Various drafts of the law are being considered, so at this time, it’s not clear how they intend to address the dogs of these breeds that are currently living in the country. It has been suggested that currently-existing “aggressive” breeds will be allowed to live out their lives with their owners, but they may not be bred, and any such dogs that become homeless (i.e. end up in a shelter) would be killed rather than rehomed.
The following links are in Lithuanian. If you don’t know Lithuanian, you can use Google Translate to get the gist of things, but the translation isn’t great.
A group in Lithuania that opposes the breed ban (rough translation “Against Dog Racism”) can be found on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/groups/265365626833937/266727803364386/
An article about the proposed Lithuanian law can be read here. http://www.grynas.lt/gyvenimas/agresyvus-sunys-lietuvoje-drausti-negalima-pasigaileti.d?id=51038443
This is a link to the official Lithuanian government proposal page. I’m afraid I don’t understand it well, due to poor translation: http://www3.lrs.lt/pls/inter3/dokpaieska.showdoc_l?p_id=403129
Thank you to Arvydas for this information!
Posted in BSL Proposed, Outside of U.S.
Tagged american bulldog, ban, breed specific legislation, dangerous, dog, dogo argentino, Fila Brasileiro, nationwide, pit bull
Fred M. Kray
krisdiaz9
