Staffordshire Terrier Club of America - Legislative Committee

Whitehall passes vicious-dog law

Wednesday,  July 2, 2008 3:13 AM

By Alayna DeMartini

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

The owners of dogs that injure a person or another pet in Whitehall will have to buy liability insurance and register their dogs with the police department.The City Council passed the dog ordinance last night after dealing with a flurry of complaints about vicious dogs roaming neighborhoods.

Under the new law, even the owner of a dog that kills a person would have a chance to tell an appeals board why the dog isn’t vicious. Then that board, whose members will be chosen by Mayor John Wolfe, will be asked to decide: Is the dog a threat?

If the board labels a dog vicious, the owner will have to meet a number of requirements, including having a microchip implanted in the dog to identify its owner. The owner also will have to neuter or spay the animal and buy $100,000 worth of liability insurance to cover injuries should the dog attack again.

The state automatically considers pit bulls vicious, so they must get the microchip, and their owners must obtain the insurance and pen the dog up when it’s not on a leash.

City Councilwoman Jacquelyn Thompson cast the only vote against the law. She wanted to ban pit bulls from Whitehall, but the council rejected that proposal last month.

Thompson pointed out that under the new law, a Whitehall resident could own three dogs that have maimed or injured another animal or person.

“That’s insanity, as far as I’m concerned,” she said. “It’s inviting the pit bulls in.”

Barb Penn, who runs an animal-rescue organization in Whitehall, said she wanted the council to ban or at least limit the number of pit bulls an owner could have.

At least, she noted, the new ordinance puts more requirements on owners of vicious dogs. “We have to start somewhere,” she said.

Last week, a pit bull charged Penn when she opened her front door. The dog didn’t retreat until a neighbor brought meat to coax it away from Penn’s house, she said.

The council also passed an ordinance last night that makes it a minor misdemeanor for dog owners to allow their pets to bark outside for more than 15 minutes. The city’s old law did not specify the time period.

Council members have debated proposed dog laws since February. Residents from throughout central Ohio attended council meetings to speak on the issue of a pit-bull ban.

Last night, only a handful of people were in the audience.

“We’ve been talking about dogs for five months,” Councilman Wes Cantor said. “It’s time to move on.”

ademartini@dispatch.com

HARRISBURG, Pa., June 30, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ —-HARRISBURG, Pa., June 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Votes on two House bills as early as tomorrow could help dogs in commercial breeding kennels live safer, healthier lives, said Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff today.

House Bills 2532 and 2525, designed to improve Pennsylvania’s commercial breeding kennels, are scheduled to be voted on this week.

Introduced in May, H.B. 2525 would strengthen current dog laws and provide better standards for the health and safety of dogs in commercial breeding kennels without affecting other types of kennels that house dogs.

H.B. 2532 makes improvements to the welfare of dogs under animal cruelty law.

“Currently, a kennel owner can choose to confine dogs in small, stacked, wire-floored cages with no heat, no opportunity for exercise, and no routine medical care. There are commercial breeding kennels operating with those conditions today, and it is completely legal under the current Pennsylvania Dog Law,” said Wolff. “Swift passage of these bills will significantly improve the conditions in Pennsylvania’s commercial breeding kennels.”

Wolff said that through amendments to the original legislation, many of the major concerns of the groups who opposed the bill have been addressed, clearing the way for passage in the House.

Among other protections for dogs, H.B. 2525 doubles the minimum floor space for dogs and requires solid flooring, as well as access to an outdoor exercise area twice the size of the dog’s primary enclosure. Current law does not require dogs ever be taken out of cages, much less given access to exercise areas.

The legislation would also mandate annual veterinary care, and eliminate the stacking of cages for adult dogs. Current law does not require that dogs ever receive routine veterinary check-ups and Wolff said that as a result, many go without. H.B. 2525 will require veterinary examinations for each dog at least once per year or during each pregnancy.

Current law treats all kennels the same, regardless of size or function. The proposed legislation would allow the health and welfare needs of the dogs housed in large commercial breeding kennels to be addressed.

Requirements are virtually unchanged for other types of kennels, like sporting and hobby dog kennels, because they do not operate with the purpose of breeding large quantities of dogs to sell for profit. Instead, they operate for the purpose of sporting, hobby, boarding or finding homes for dogs.

Improvements to the welfare of all dogs are included in H.B. 2532. Specifically, debarking, the practice of cutting or destroying a dog’s vocal cords, would only be done by a veterinarian, as would surgical or cesarean birth. Tail docking would be allowed by individual owners until the dog is three days old, after which point it must be done by a veterinarian.

The proposed legislation is a result of Governor Edward G. Rendell’s effort to improve living conditions for dogs in Pennsylvania kennels.

Since 2006, Governor Rendell has made improvements to the staffing and enforcement efforts of the Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement, which oversees the inspection and licensing of kennels.

For more information on the proposed legislation overhauling Pennsylvania’s Dog Law, visit

www.DogLawAction.com

CONTACT: Chris L. Ryder

(717) 787-5085

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture

http://www.agriculture.state.pa.us

Colt – The first reading of a new dangerous dog ordinance was held. City attorney Steve Routon. told the council that the ordinance was a draft and suggested that the council hold three readings over the course of three months. He also told the council that they could make changes if they wanted. The ordinance restricts the keeping of “dangerous dogs” inside the city limits. It lists these dogs as, Staffordshire bull terriers, American pit bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, Rottwellers, any dog that is a combination of those breeds or appears to be predominately of those breeds and any dog who bites or attempts to bite. It provides that all dogs that meet those descriptions must be registered with Colt City Hall within 10 days, including photos of the dogs, and that owners put up “Beware of Dog” signs. The fines for violations of the ordinance were set at no less than $200 and no more than $1,000. There were many descriptions of where the dogs could be housed and how. Councilwoman Marjorie Vansandt stated she liked the ordinance, but wanted to see longer time limits. http://www.thnews.com/article.php?id=5694

Greenwood – City council placed a 90-day moratorium on the sale of animals on its streets and parking lots, pending passing ordinances to regulate it and to encourage responsible pet ownership. A suggestion to have the police department’s code enforcement officer take on animal control duties rather than hiring an animal control officer immediately, buying time to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a city-run program. Measures suggested then included required registration of pets and banning vicious breeds such as pitbulls. http://www.swtimes.com/articles/2008/06/11/week_in_review/news/wednesday/news10.txt

Mayflower – Conway – (6/4/08) – The Mayflower Police department, Animal Control section, will have a public meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday (6/5/08) at the Mayflower City Hall to explain and define the Mayflower Pit Bull Ordinance for all residents in the Mayflower city limits. There will be a question and answer time allowed for all owners of any AKC registered Pit Bills or any animal who may have been bred with a pit bull breed or any lineage from a pit bull. All these animals must be registered with the city by Aug. 1. Any citizens of Mayflower interested in this discussion, or the ramifications of the ordinance, are invited to attend. For any questions about this meeting or the ordinance, call the Mayflower Animal Control office at 470-1000. Hours are 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.
http://www.thecabin.net/stories/060308/sty_0603080029.shtml

UPDATE: 6/7/08 – Mayflower Police Chief Steve Young organized a public info session on the city’s breed-specific dog ordinance Thursday night, and only two concerned owners of pit bull mix dogs showed up.
http://www.thecabin.net/stories/060708/loc_0607080004.shtml

Dothan – (6/4/08) – Most Dothan City commissioners agreed: A new animal control ordinance will not solve the problem of aggressive dogs roaming freely in some parts of the city. Commission members heard the voices of opposition which directed them to “enforce the ordinance you got” and voted 5-1 against a new one. John Craig, who chaired the animal control ordinance committee, was the sole commissioner to vote for the draft which required all animals to be registered and included a mandatory spay and neuter program. In the end the ordinance designed to protect grew into this rabid document few could support. http://www.dothaneagle.com/dea/news/local/article/whole_lotta_bark_not_much_bite/19374/