California state law PROHIBITS breed specific legislation (with the exception of mandatory spay/neuter for specific breeds).
The Exeter City Council is considering an ordinance that would regulate the ownership of:
Pit bulls
Rottweilers
Chow Chows
Akitas
Doberman Pinschers
Anatolian Shepherds
Wolf/wolf hybrids
This issue will be heard by the council on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.
Please send your POLITE, RESPECTFUL AND INFORMATIVE opposition to breed specific legislation, as well as viable alternatives and suggestions for the council’s consideration. The meeting is TUESDAY, so please get your letters out ASAP.
Jodi Preis
Bless the Bullys
www.blessthebullys. com
City of Exeter
137 North “F” Street
PO Box 237
Exeter, CA 93221
Phone (559) 592-9244
Fax (559) 592-3556
exetercity@aol. com
Mayor
Victor Howell
City Council
Charles Norman
Leon Ooley
Jon Stearns
Bailey Hagar Jr.
February 6, 2010
Exeter proposal would regulate certain dog breeds
BY HILLARY S. MEEKS
hmeeks@visalia. gannett.com
After a neighbor’s pit bulls killed her 5-pound malti-poo, Benji, Kathy McDaniel went to the Exeter City Council with a plea for the city to put more restrictions on dangerous dogs.
On Tuesday, the council will consider an ordinance that would do just that. Some critics say the restrictions would be akin to “racial profiling.”
“I really stand with the American Kennel Club — they say they strongly oppose any breed-specific legislation, ” said Geraldine Card, an Exeter resident who owns Denzel, a blind pit bull.
Card, who adopted Denzel this summer through Fresno Bully Rescue, said he is a gentle and sweet dog. He lets her 2-year-old twin daughters play with him and, because of his disability, he never attempts to get out of the yard.
But Denzel would be affected by the proposed ordinance, as would any other dog identifiable as an American pit bull terrier, Staffordshire bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier or any mix of those breeds. Other breeds included in the ordinance are: Chow
Rottweiler
Akita
Anatolian shepherd.
Doberman pinscher.
Wolf/wolf hybrids
Any dog the City Council deems, on an individual basis, to be dangerous or vicious.
Kelly Austin, director of the Valley Oak SPCA, said that, to her knowledge, no other cities in Tulare County impose breed-specific restrictions. Housing in the shelter would be affected because any dogs in violation of the Exeter ordinance would be sent there.
The rules have been a long time coming, Exeter Police Chief Cliff Bush said.
“We’ve had, in the last couple of years, several attacks by dogs on other dogs and dog bites on people. Primarily, every time it’s the same breed of dog, which is pit bull,” he said.
The ordinance
Some of the rules that dog owners such as Card would have to follow are:
Owners would have to have the animals spayed and neutered.
The listed breeds would be limited to one per household.
The breeds would not be allowed outside, even in a fenced yard, unless in a “securely enclosed and locked pen or kennel, except when leashed and muzzled.” The pens would need a secure top, and any structures built to house dogs would have to comply with city zoning and building regulations.
A “Beware of Dog” sign would have to be put on the premises.
All owners or others with such dogs would have to within 10 days of ownership provide proof of public liability insurance for a single incident of $50,000 for bodily injury or death or for damage to property.
All pet owners currently are required to register their dogs with the city, but those who own these “dangerous or vicious breeds” would have to also provide two color photos of the dog and file a report if the dog leaves the city or dies, or if the owner moves within the city.
Violations of the ordinance include a fine of $200 to $500 for an infraction. The penalty would be the same for a misdemeanor, but the court could sentence the defendant up to 30 days in jail. In either case, the dog would be taken from the owner and removed from the city.
Felix Ortiz, interim city administrator, said removal from the city would mean placing the dog at the Valley Oak SPCA in Visalia.
Ortiz said that if any individual dog were deemed vicious or dangerous, the ordinance would also apply. These could include very small dogs that harm people or other dogs.
“It’s sad that we have to do this, but a lot of it has to do with the owners and not the dogs,” he said.
Additional Facts
How to attend
What: Exeter City Council meeting
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Where: 137 N. F St., Exeter
Information: 592-9244
City Commission members in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin are considering a ban on “pit bulls” stating they want to be “proactive” and to “err on the side of caution.” A proacive ordinance would include measures to educate dog owners on responsible dog ownership, as well as tough penalties for owners who are not responsible with their dogs — regardless of the breed of dog they own. 
State Representative Henry Fincher visited Bark in the Park and took a few pictures with his old buddy, Harlan. Personally, I think this should be Henry’s next campaign poster! 
I was absolutely thrilled when I arrived at the Public Works building in Dandridge to see so many concerned people already there ready to voice their opposition to BSL! We handed out stickers that read “no pit bull ban,” and it was amazing to see the news footage that panned the crowed and everyone was wearing a sticker!
When I moved to Ocean City, I was newly divorced and experiencing life on my own for the very first time. It was a frightening time for me, and I was in a strange place where I didn’t know a single person. The “9” stands for 9th Street, and that was where my first apartment in Ocean City was. That lifeguard stand was a marker for me. When I walked the then unfamiliar beach, I knew this was my stop. This was where I turned to head home. That period of my life, while it was lonely, was very empowering, as well. I had always been a free spirit and extremely independent, but for the first time I was truly free and entirely on my own. Those years in Ocean City cultivated an inner strength, resolve, and determination that shaped the person I am today. 
One thing that was noticeably different with respect to Tiffin was the way he was received by people. The last time we were home, people reacted so negatively toward him – a total stranger even called him a killer. This time, many people approached us on the beach and elsewhere wanting to talk about him and pit bulls in general – how they get a bad rap. He was a great ambassador, as usual.
