Tag Archives: county

York County, SC: Proposed ordinance revisions contain BSL

Posted on August 12, 2012 by | Comments Off on York County, SC: Proposed ordinance revisions contain BSL

York County, SC, county council is revising their animal control ordinances. The current proposal includes language targeting “bully breeds” or “pit bulls.” If approved by the county council, the new ordinance would then go to all the cities and towns in York County for approval—so this is a county-wide issue.

Jodi at Bless the Bullys has more details in her alert:

One councilman has confirmed that the options being discussed include “regulating the breeding, sale and transfer of pit bulls and other dogs bred to fight; potentially prohibiting the tethering of bully breed dogs; and requiring bully breed dogs to be confined inside a house or inside a secure fence or other enclosure.”

We are working on getting the exact text of the proposal. The Public Safety Committee meets again on August 14.

The county council will meet next on August 20. We believe this proposal will be discussed at that meeting. The Council meets the first and third Mondays of each month beginning at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers, Agricultural Building, 6 South Congress Street, York, South Carolina. Citizens who wish to address the Council may do so at a scheduled public hearing or by contacting the Clerk to Council at (803) 628-3954.

Please be RESPECTFUL and INFORMATIVE in all correspondence with county council members!

Contact info for York County council:
Clerk to Council, (803) 628-3954
http://www.yorkcountygov.com/CountyCouncil/CouncilMembers.aspx
Note one councilmember does not have email
David.bowman@yorkcountygov.com; Bruce.henderson@yorkcountygov.com; ericwinstead72@gmail.com; Bump.roddey@yorkcountygov.com; blackwellpa@comporium.net; District7@yorkcountygov.com

County council launches third attempt at Animal Control ordinance

Posted August 9, 2012 9:48 pm

By Andrew Kiel

York County Council took another stab at updating the county’s Animal Control ordinance Thursday, as the county’s public safety committee addressed several revised changes to the law.

In its form now, the ordinance calls for county Animal Control officers to assume responsibility for enforcing the updated code from the Sheriff’s Office, requires the sterilization of a female dog tethered outside and identifies so-called bully breeds that are known to be dangerous.[…]

Blackwell says he’d like to see this proposed ordinance before the council later this month. If approved this fall, it would then go to the individual municipalities in York County for final adoption.

Full article retrieved 8/12/12 from http://www.wrhi.com/2012/08/county-council-launches-third-attempt-at-animal-control-ordinance-58413

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Posted in BSL Proposed, South Carolina

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Miami-Dade County, FL reminder: To repeal breed ban, residents must register to vote by July 16

Posted on July 12, 2012 by | 2 comments

The Miami-Dade County, FL, breed ban will go to a public vote on August 14, 2012. Registered voters in Miami-Dade County will be able to vote whether to keep or repeal the county’s longstanding “pit bull” ban.

If you are a resident of Miami-Dade, please make sure you are registered to vote in Miami-Dade by July 16. If you’re not a registered voter, you won’t be able to vote in August.

How do I register to vote?
http://www.miamidade.gov/elections/how_register.asp

All alerts for Miami-Dade County: https://stopbsl.org/?s=miami

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Posted in Community Initiatives, Florida, Proposal to Repeal

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Cuyahoga County, OH: BS-MSN proposed

Posted on June 1, 2012 by | Comments Off on Cuyahoga County, OH: BS-MSN proposed

A Cuyahoga County councilwoman has proposed breed-specific mandatory spay-neuter for “pit bulls” only. A public hearing on the proposal is expected to be held this summer (date currently unknown).

The reason proposed for MSN in this case makes no sense. County Councilwoman Simon says her proposed BS-MSN is meant to stop dog fighters. The reality is that this ordinance will only affect responsible, law-abiding citizens with “pit bull”-looking dogs. Dog fighters are already committing a felony—why would they suddenly agree to follow this law? We suspect this proposal is really giving the county a new way to portray “pit bull” owners as second-class citizens and criminals, now that the state law no longer enables such discrimination.

Please ask Cuyahoga County officials to drop the breed-specific portion of the proposal. Breed-specific MSN—like any other breed-specific law—discriminates against people and their dogs based on whether the owner or dog have a “desirable” or “undesirable” physical appearance. Breed identification is a subjective, non-scientific process, which results in unfair and unequal application of the law. Disputes over breed identification are also inevitable, and appeals and court cases fighting breed designations are expensive and resource-consuming.

StopBSL takes no position on mandatory spay/neuter as long as it is not breed-specific.

Cuyahoga County officials contact information:
Cuyahoga County Council, 1219 Ontario Street -Room 424, Cleveland, Ohio 44113
216-698-2010 (phone)
216-698-2040 (fax)
County Council email block
ceconnally@cuyahogacounty.us; ssimon@cuyahogacounty.us; dgreenspan@cuyahogacounty.us; damiller@cuyahogacounty.us; dbrady@cuyahogacounty.us; cgermana@cuyahogacounty.us; mjgallagher@cuyahogacounty.us; jschron@cuyahogacounty.us; yconwell@cuyahogacounty.us; pjones@cuyahogacounty.us; jrogers@cuyahogacounty.us
Additional administrative staff emails can be found here: http://council.cuyahogacounty.us/en-US/council-members.aspx

Cuyahoga County Council member proposes requiring pit bulls to be sterilized (poll)

By: Laura Johnston, The Plain Dealer

A Cuyahoga County councilwoman is […] proposing a countywide law that would force all pit bulls to be sterilized.

Council Vice President Sunny Simon […] plans to hold a hearing this summer before officially introducing pit bull legislation.

Simon said she wants to discourage dog fighters from breeding and selling pit bulls for sport, in the wake of the state dropping a provision that automatically labeled pit bulls as “vicious,” a designation that placed restrictions on owners. […]

Full article retrieved 6/1/2012 from http://www.cleveland.com/cuyahoga-county/index.ssf/2012/05/cuyahoga_county_council_considers_requiring_pit_bulls_to_be_sterilized.html

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Posted in BSL Proposed, Ohio

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DeKalb County, GA: County approves repeal of BSL

Posted on May 8, 2012 by | 1 comment

DeKalb County commissioners have unanimously voted to repeal the breed-specific language in their county zoning ordinance. Residents and locals, please write the county commissioners and THANK them for making a smart decision.

Contact information for county commissioners
Board of Commissioners, 1300 Commerce Drive, Decatur, GA 30030
Fax: 404-371-7004
ecboyer@dekalbcountyga.gov; jrader@dekalbcountyga.gov; larryjohnson@dekalbcountyga.gov; sbsutton@dekalbcountyga.gov; lmay@dekalbcountyga.gov; kgannon@dekalbcountyga.gov; stanwatson@dekalbcountyga.gov

DeKalb lifts pit bull ban

By April Hunt , The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The DeKalb County Commission unanimously agreed Tuesday to lift the ban on pit bulls — part of the county’s zoning code, not animal control ordinances — after more than a year of weighing the issue.

No other metro county has a ban on pit bulls, and DeKalb’s was less a ban than a source of confusion. Code enforcement officers cited owners who simply had to point out “pit bull” is not a breed of dog to have their tickets tossed.

“It has not been an effective tool for being able to get rid of dangerous animals,” said Commissioner Jeff Rader, who had championed the change. “We are better served relying on the criminal code.” […]

Full article retrieved 5/8/12 from http://www.ajc.com/news/dekalb/dekalb-lifts-pit-bull-1433546.html

All alerts for DeKalb County: https://stopbsl.org/?s=dekalb

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Posted in BSL Repealed, Georgia

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Miami-Dade County, FL: Breed ban will go to public vote, Aug 14

Posted on May 2, 2012 by | 10 comments

Update 7/12/12: Please note, Miami-Dade residents must be registered to vote by July 16 in order to vote on this ballot. More information: https://stopbsl.org/2012/07/12/miami-dade-county-fl-reminder-to-repeal-breed-ban-residents-must-register-to-vote-by-july-16/
(Thank you, Patrick Miracle, for prompting this reminder!)

Miami-Dade County will put its longstanding breed ban to a public vote on August 14.

The ballot question, which is terribly confusing to read, and contains bias (as expected), will be: “Shall the ordinance repealing the county’s 23 year old law prohibiting the ownership of pit bulls as a dangerous breed of dogs become effective?”

(Hint: Vote YES.)

All alerts for Miami-Dade County: https://stopbsl.org/?s=%22miami-dade+county%22

Miami-Dade pit-bull ban to go to voters in August

County commissioners placed Miami-Dade’s 23-year-old pit-bull ban on the August ballot, giving voters a say on the prohibition for the first time.

BY PATRICIA MAZZEI AND CHARLES RABIN
PMAZZEI@MIAMIHERALD.COM

Miami-Dade voters will get a say for the first time on the county’s ban on pit bulls, after county commissioners agreed on Tuesday to put the 23-year-old prohibition on the August ballot.

Commissioners approved the referendum on an 11-1 vote, with Commissioner Barbara Jordan voting against. […]

The question on the August 14 ballot will ask voters, “Shall the ordinance repealing the county’s 23 year old law prohibiting the ownership of pit bulls as a dangerous breed of dogs become effective?”

Pit-bull enthusiasts, who had preferred that the Legislature take action because it will likely be more difficult to repeal the ban by referendum, have objected to including the phrase “dangerous breed of dogs” in the ballot language. […]

Full article retrieved 5/2/12 from http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/05/01/2776226/miami-dade-commission-to-discuss.html

10 Comments

Posted in Florida, Proposal to Repeal

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DeKalb County, GA: County moves forward with BSL repeal

Posted on April 29, 2012 by | 1 comment

It’s taken nearly a year, but DeKalb County is finally moving forward with plans to repeal the breed-specific language in their county zoning ordinance.

A previous alert, and a more thorough explanation of the current ordinance in DeKalb County, can be found here: http://stopbsl.com/2011/07/21/dekalb-county-ga-opportunity-to-repeal-breed-ban/

Residents and locals, please write the county commissioners and THANK them for making a smart decision. The old zoning ordinance was confusing, unnecessary, and particularly deadly for shelter dogs. Please show your support for removal of the breed-specific language.

Contact information for county commissioners
Board of Commissioners, 1300 Commerce Drive, Decatur, GA 30030
Fax: 404-371-7004
ecboyer@dekalbcountyga.gov; jrader@dekalbcountyga.gov; larryjohnson@dekalbcountyga.gov; sbsutton@dekalbcountyga.gov; lmay@dekalbcountyga.gov; kgannon@dekalbcountyga.gov; stanwatson@dekalbcountyga.gov

This issue will be on the commissioners’ agenda for May 8 at 9:00 am in the Maloof Auditorium at 1300 Commerce Drive.

‘Pit bull’ may be removed from county ordinance

Written By: Andrew Cauthen
4/26/12

[…] Marian Eisenberg, zoning administrator, told commissioners April 10 that the intent of the amendment is to remove “pit bulls” from the county’s definition of [what is not a] household pet in the county’s ordinance. […]

“The text does not specifically state that you may not own a pit bull; it simply states that a pit bull by definition is not considered a household pet,” Eisenberg said. […]

Because ‘pit bull’ is not a recognized breed, “it is not a breed that has a legal definition,” said Burke Brennan, the county’s chief communications officer. […]

The ordinance has “caused a lot of misunderstanding and disadvantages to owners of dogs,” Cornell said. “It became more of an obstruction than anything helpful. It didn’t mean anything.” […]

The proposed text amendment is expected to be on the May 8 agenda for the Board of Commissioners.

Full article retrieved 4/29/12 from http://championnewspaper.com/news/articles/1647%E2%80%98pit-bull%E2%80%99-may-be-removed-from-county-ordinance-1647.html

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Posted in Georgia, Proposal to Repeal

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Pointe Coupee Parish, LA: New animal ordinance is not BSL

Posted on April 18, 2012 by | 1 comment

Good news in Pointe Coupee Parish. The police jury passed a new animal control ordinance in early April. The parish has considered BSL in the past, and there were concerns that this new ordinance could incorporate some of the breed-specific language that was previously under consideration.

We have received a copy of the new ordinance, and confirmed that it is breed-neutral. Many thanks to the parties in and around the parish who worked to make sure that the new ordinance was not breed discriminatory.

If you would like to read the text, we noticed that the parish has not posted it online (their website isn’t very up to date). So, here it is, for your convenience: Pointe Coupee Animal and Fowl Ordinance 3_27_12

All alerts for Pointe Coupee: http://stopbsl.com/?s=pointe+coupee

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Posted in BSL Defeated, Louisiana

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