Staffordshire Terrier Club of America - Legislative Committee

There is good news from Ohio.  The Ohio House of Representatives recently struck down a long-standing designation that ‘pit bulls’ are inherently vicious by passing House Bill 79.  The move to eliminate the ‘vicious’ designation for pit bulls was backed by the Ohio Veterinary Medical Association and passed in the House by a vote of 86-10. The bill now moves to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.

Ohio is the only state to deem a breed of dog ‘vicious’ by default, breed is subjective to the opinion of dog wardens, and can include all dogs that commonly fall under the “pit bull” designation, and some AC officers have gone so far as to label any dog with a short coat & blocky head a ‘pit bull.’

Please see the State Code below, as taken from the Franklin County Board of Commissioners website:

What is a Pit Bull?

Ohio Revised Code Section 955.11 (A)(4)(a)(iii) defines a “breed of dog commonly known as a pit bull” as a vicious dog. For enforcement purposes, the term “a breed of dog commonly known as a pit bull” refers to any of the following:

1. An American Pit Bull Terrier
2. A Staffordshire Bull Terrier
3. An American Staffordshire Terrier
4. An American Bulldog
5. Any other pure bred or mixed breed dog whose appearance and physical characteristics is predominately those of any of the dogs listed above, or is a combination of any of the dogs listed above.

Confining Pit Bull Dogs
(Ohio Revised Code Section 955.22D)

Dogs that are a “breed of dog commonly known as a Pit Bull” must be confined on the owner’s property by means of a locked fenced yard, a locked dog pen that has a top, or some other locked enclosure that has a top (such as a house). This law applies not only to pure bred American Pit Bull dogs, but also to other pure bred and mixed breed dogs that have similar physical and/or behavioral characteristics. Animal Control Officers make the determination as to whether or not a dog is a “breed of dog commonly known as a Pit Bull.” The maximum penalty for a violation of this section on a first offense is a $1,000 fine and up to six months imprisonment. If the dog seriously injures a person, or this is a second offense of this section, the charge may be filed as a felony.

Insuring Pit Bull Dogs
(Ohio Revised Code Section 955.22E)

Owners of dogs that are a “breed of dog commonly known as a Pit Bull” must maintain at least $100,000 of liability insurance coverage on these animals. The maximum penalty for a violation of this section is a $1,000 fine and up to six months imprisonment.

Please take a moment to write to your Ohio Senators and encourage them to pass HB79!

Region 3 Representative, Kristin Tresidder, was invited to attend an Anti-BSL conference hosted by AKC and held at the North Carolina State University Veterinary School on November 2nd 2009.  The purpose of the event was to educate Veterinary students about the dangers and pitfalls of BSL as they entered their new, and influential careers.

Here is the official write up of the event from the AKC website:

http://www.akc.org/news/blocks/print_article.cfm?article_id=4002

Bill Name: SB554
State: Alabama
Date of Proposal: 4/2/09

A bill recently proposed in Alabama seeks to implement a statewide mandatory spay/neuter policy for all dog over the age of six months. Similar in design to California’s AB1634, SB554 would:

• Make it illegal to own an intact dog over the age of 6 months, unless the dog met a certain set of requirements for exemption such as:
  • The dog is actively showing or competing and has competed in at least one show or sporting competition hosted by or under the approval of a recognized registry within the last two years
  • The dog is a puppy in training for such shows and competitions.
  • The dog is trained or in training for use in law enforcement, military, or rescue activities, or has been titled in the past in a sport
  • The dog has a note from a veterinarian specifying health reasons why it cannot be altered.
• Subject those owners found to be in violation to $50-$100 fines
• Result in forced mandatory sterilization of dogs found to be in violation upon a 3rd offense

Please contact your STCA Legislative Liaison to find out how you can help.

Bill Name: H626
State: North Carolina
Date of Proposal: 3/18/2009
STCA Legislative Contact: Al Bincarousky & Kristin Tresidder

A bill recently proposed in North Carolina seeks to implement a statewide limit on the use of tethers to confine dogs. Specifically, A7218 would:

• Make it illegal to tether a dog for more than 9 hours out of 24.
• Require all tethers to be at least 15 feet in length.

The STCA Legislative committee has written to NC state officials expressing our opposition of the proposed law and our support of the current animal cruelty laws, which cover the “issues” raised in support of anti-tether legislation.

Please contact Al or Kristin to find out how you can help.

Bill Name: A7218
State: New York
Date of Proposal: 4/7/2009
STCA Legislative Contact: Peggy Doster

A bill recently proposed in New York seeks to implement a statewide ban on the docking of tails. Specifically, A7218 would:

• Make all instances of tail docking unlawful, except those deemed necessary by a duly-licensed veterinarian to protect the life or health of the dog.
• Make anyone exhibiting a dog with a docked tail subject to a misdemeanor charge, punishable by a fine of up to $500.
• Allow any New York animal rights organization to sue a violator for declaratory judgment, via a private right of action, to obtain redress for a violation.

STCA Legislative Liaison, Peggy Doster, has spoken at all breed club meetings about this bill, and is working hard with other New York dog breeders to prevent the passage of this bill, which would impact over 50 breeds of dogs currently shown in the state of New York.

Please contact Peggy to find out how you can help.