Xenia, OH: BSL revised (still BSL)

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: https://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