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.
Fred M. Kray
krisdiaz9
Stop BSL 
The answer is simple……………………… get rid of the scum that abuse these dogs .its not the dogs fault…you just look for the easy option all the time>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> dispicable….
Dear City Council Committee: So, is this like the “Separate But Equal” stage of dog breedism? #StopBSL
Ya know these types of laws bother me, but they bother me not only because of their bias, but because many people don’t know the laws exist. For example, I lived in a small town for years before I learned there was a muzzle law for certain breeds of dogs. My dog was a lab/chow mix and might have qualified for the law, but because he looked like a lab, I didn’t get popped for “breaking the law.”
There are many laws that would be of great benefit for humans and animals, so why do our elected officials waste their time and energy on laws like this?