Fond du Lac, WI (Thank you, Jill!)
Thanks to all the people who showed up to defend a great breed of dog, the Fond du Lac pit bull ban has been dropped. There were so many people there, we were over capacity at the FDL court house!

The FDL Reporter has some great photos of the crowd that showed up to voice their opposition to the council.

Wentzville, MO (Thank you, Teal!)

The ordinance will be presented on Feb 8th. Discussion tonight was to remove all breed wording and ramp up fines for irresponsible owners.

Have no doubt, your voice DOES make a difference! We are creating positive change one city at a time. Keep up the incredible work everyone!

Pet News In Brief

Breed-specific bill off agenda

A controversial bill proposed to change the definition of the state’s Dangerous Dog Act won’t be heard this legislative session.

The Governor’s Office told KOAT-TV recently that Sen. Sue Wilson Beffort’s bill to define pit bulls as dangerous dogs won’t be placed on the agenda. The spokesman said the governor was concerned over portions of the proposed legislation and increased costs associated with the bill.

Beffort told KOAT that she wanted to tighten up loopholes in the law and require pit bull owners to register their dogs. Peggy Weigle of Albuquerque’s Animal Humane New Mexico said she applauded the governor’s decision. Weigle said the group backs dangerous dog legislation, but doesn’t back breed-specific legislation.

“It doesn’t work,” Weigle told the station, and few people can identify breeds of dogs.

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Scoop/Pet-news-in-brief-Jan-19-2012

Please send your polite, respectful and informative letters in opposition to BSL to the Band Council, along with your viable alternatives and suggestions for their consideration.

Council of Wagmatcook Band
PO Box 30001
Wagmatcook, NS
B0E 3N0
Phone: (902) 295-2598
(902) 295-3222
Fax: (902) 295-3398

Call for pit bull ban after Wagmatcook attack
Girl, 7, bitten by dog while playing

CBC News
Posted: Jan 24, 2012

A Wagmatcook, N.S., mother wants pit bulls banned from her reserve after one attacked her daughter last week.

Charlotte Bernard’s neighbour’s dog Boss attacked her seven-year-old in front of her home in the Cape Breton community.

Charlize Bernard said she was sliding down a hill when the dog struck.

“I was really scared and he attacked me,” Charlize said Tuesday.

The pit bull grabbed her from behind and shook her. The girl has a bruised back caused when the dog’s teeth ripped through her coat.

It then attacked a second time and bit the girl’s leg.

Brother saves the day

Her 13-year-old brother Edwin kicked the dog and stopped the attack.

“Charlize was screaming and it went back to her, so I kicked it harder and it just went off and ran down the hill,” he said.

The pit bull involved in this attack was destroyed.

The same dog attacked Anne Isador last year. She needed six stitches.

“It scares me every time I see a dog. I am afraid of the dog,” Isador said.

Charlotte Bernard said her daughter is now frightened of dogs. She wants pet owners to be held responsible for the actions of their animals.

“They should ban the pit bulls. If not, at least get them tagged and tie them up,” she said.

Wagmatcook has a dog bylaw and a control officer visits about three times a week.

The Wagmatcook band council said banning pit bulls is on their agenda.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2012/01/24/ns-pitbull-attack.html

Even though it appears the issue is put off for two weeks, whenever BSL is on the table, I encourage residents to attend the council meetings until the issue has been resolved. The Board of Aldermen meets tonight at 6:30 at City Hall.

In addition, please continue to write to city officials to encourage them to move forward with repealing the current breed specific ordinance.

Previous alert for Wentzville: http://blessthebullys.wordpress.com/2012/01/18/wentzville-mo-considering-repeal-of-bsl/

Wentzville City Hall
310 West Pearce Boulevard
Wentzville, MO 63385
636-327-5101
636-639-2017 fax

City Clerk
Vitula Skillman
Vitula.Skillman@wentzvillemo.org

City Administrator
Dennis Walsh
Dennis.Walsh@wentzvillemo.org

Contact Form for Mayor and Aldermen can be found at this link.

Pit Bull Ordinance Put on Hold, More Discussion Expected
Legislation would increase penalties on pit bull owners.

By Brian Feldt
Email the author
5:58 am

The Wentzville Board of Alderman will have to wait at least another two weeks before it can introduce legislation that would increase penalties for owning pit bulls within city limits.

City officials were slated to discuss the proposal at Wednesday’s regularly schedule meeting. Instead, interim City Administrator Dennis Walsh said, the proposal has been put on hold while lawyers fine tune the language.

The legislation was written by the Wentzville Police Department. Essentially, the proposal would get rid of the city’s reistrictions on owning pit bulls and replace it with increased penalties.

Mayor Paul Lambi told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch the current law has worked well and he sees no need for a change. Lambi, who isn’t running for another term in the April 3 election, says he’ll leave it up to aldermen to decide.

From the Post-Dispatch:
Supporters of changing the law include Mark Lucas, a veterinarian whose private practice includes the animal control holding facility for Wentzville and nearby O’Fallon.

Of 19 bite cases in those two cities over the past year, only three involved pit bulls, he told aldermen last month. He said any type of dog can pose a problem if the owner is irresponsible. He said O’Fallon’s law takes a better approach in treating all breeds the same.

The Board of Alderman meets Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall.

http://wentzville.patch.com/articles/pit-bull-ordinance-put-on-hold-more-discussion-expected

There are two state level issues that require your support, as well, so please take a moment to urge elected officials to move forward with breed-neutral ordinances/laws.

Monday, January 23, 2012 @ 9:30 a.m.
The Edmonton, Alberta, Canada officials are considering repealing their breed-specific bylaw. The Community Services Committee will take up this matter on January 23, 2012. Please continue to write to the committee members and urge them to move forward with the repeal and enact a breed-neutral ordinance.
http://blessthebullys.wordpress.com/2011/11/15/opportunity-for-repeal-edmonton-alberta-canada/

Tuesday, January 24, 2012 @ 6:00 p.m.
The Trussville, Alabama City Council is considering a ban on owning “breeds of pit bull dogs” within city limits. City council meetings are held at City Hall at 131 Main Street at 6:00 p.m.
http://blessthebullys.wordpress.com/2011/12/15/bsl-alert-trussville-alabama/

Wednesday, January 25, 2012 @ 6:30 p.m.
The city of Wentzville, Missouri is considering repealing their breed specific ordinance. City council meetings are held at City Hall, 310 West Pearce Boulevard at 6:30 p.m.
http://blessthebullys.wordpress.com/2012/01/18/wentzville-mo-considering-repeal-of-bsl/

Wednesday, January 25, 2012 @ 7:00 p.m.
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin Councilman Rob Vande Zande plans to bring up an ordinance that would add rules for pit bull owners and prohibit new pit bulls from being licensed in the city limits. The issue is on Wednesday’s council agenda. No vote will be taken at this meeting, and it is imperative that citizens attend and speak out against this proposal.
http://blessthebullys.wordpress.com/2012/01/22/bsl-alert-fond-du-lac-wisconsin/

Next Week
The Terrell County, Georgia Commissioners are considering a county-wide ban on pit bulls. The board will vote on a final ordinance at the next County Commission meeting on Wednesday, February, 1, 2012 at 8:30 a.m. Please continue to send your polite, respectful and informative opposition to BSL to the county officials.
http://blessthebullys.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/bsl-alert-terrell-county-georgia/

State Bills that need your SUPPORT:

Ohio HB14
HB14 would, among other things, remove “pit bulls” from the definition of “vicious dog” in state law. The next step for this monumental Bill is the full Senate where it is expected to be heard this week. Ohio residents, PLEASE write to your state legislators and urge them to pass HB14!
http://blessthebullys.wordpress.com/2012/01/11/ohio-hb14-passes-senate-committee/

Florida HB997 and SB1322
Florida House Representative Carlos Trujillo and Senator Jim Norman filed HB997 and SB1322, respectively. These bills aim to repeal the portion of the Florida statute that allows Miami and Dade County to discriminate against dogs simply because of their appearance and perceived breed. Florida residents are strongly encouraged to support these bills and contact their legislators.
http://blessthebullys.wordpress.com/2012/01/05/help-repeal-bsl-in-miami-dade-county-florida/

10. PETITIONS OR COMMUNICATIONS
Councilperson Vande Zande
Subject: Proposed Dangerous Animal Ordinances

The new rules would prohibit pit bulls at the Fond du Lac Humane Society from being adopted by city of Fond du Lac families. It also would prohibit people who move to the city from bringing their pit bull pet with them.

No action will be taken on the proposal on Wednesday, and citizens will have the opportunity to voice their concerns to city officials. If there appears to be some support for the proposal from other council members, it could be brought back for a vote at the Feb. 8 meeting.

If you are in or around the Fond du Lac area, please make every effort to attend this meeting. Council meetings start at 7:00 p.m. and are held in the Legislative Chambers of the City/County Government Center, 160 S. Macy St. Council meetings are also televised on cable Channel 25.

In the meantime, please send your polite, respectful and informative letters in opposition to breed specific legislation to the Fond du Lac city officials listed below. Please include viable alternatives and suggestions for their consideration, as well.

City Hall
160 South Macy Street
Fond du Lac, WI 54935
Phone: 920 322-3405
City general e-mail: lagnew@fdl.wi.gov

City Clerk
Sue Strand
sstrands@ci.fond-du-lac.wi.us

City Council
Rick Gudex
rgudex@fdl.wi.gov

Jeff Ruedinger
jruedinger@fdl.wi.gov

Gary Miller
gmiller@fdl.wi.gov

Mick Burroughs
mburroughs@fdl.wi.gov

Rebecca Lunde-Ross
rlunde-ross@fdl.wi.gov

Jim Sabel
jsabel@fdl.wi.gov

Rob Vande Zande
rvandezande@fdl.wi.gov

Fond du Lac considers ban on pit bulls
‘Dangerous pet’ ordinance in FdL will be topic of discussion at Wednesday’s meeting

10:36 PM, Jan. 21, 2012

Proposed restrictions for pit bulls and other “dangerous animals” promise to stir emotions with pet owners.

City Councilman Rob Vande Zande will discuss his plan Wednesday night for ordinances that would add rules for pit bull owners and prohibit new pit bulls from being licensed.

“If you have a pit bull now, you’re not going to have to give your pit bull up,” Vande Zande said. “If there are any new pit bulls — a female with a litter of pups — after 12 weeks, those pups would not be allowed to be in Fond du Lac.”

The new rules would prohibit pit bulls at the Fond du Lac Humane Society from being adopted by city of Fond du Lac families. It also would prohibit people who move to the city from bringing their pit bull pet with them.

The Fond du Lac City Council meets at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Legislative Chambers of the City County Government Center, 160 S. Macy St. The public is welcome to attend.

No action on the pit bull/dangerous animal proposal will be taken Wednesday night. Citizens normally have the opportunity to speak for up to five minutes on any agenda items.

If there appears to be some support for the proposal from other council members, it could be brought back for a vote at the Feb. 8 meeting.

Dog bites

Vande Zande said he has researched the numbers of reported dog bites in the city over the past five years. The percentage that is attributable to pit bull breeds has increased from 10.7 percent of the bites in 2007 to 33.3 percent of the bites in 2011.

“I’m not saying all pit bulls are bad,” he said. “The numbers speak volumes — we need to seriously look at this.”

About 20 other Wisconsin communities have ordinances that relate to pit bulls and/or dangerous animals. Some nearby communities with ordinances include Ripon, Mayville, Fox Lake, Montello and Juneau.

http://www.fdlreporter.com/article/20120122/FON0101/201220372/Fond-du-Lac-considers-ban-pit-bulls?odyssey=mod%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE

It should be noted, however, that the new committee chair doesn’t believe breeds can be banned “per say,” meaning in and of itself, so residents would be wise to continue to follow this to ensure any new proposals would truly strenghten the laws already on the books rather than single out specific breeds of dogs.

Dangerous dog proposal may resurface
7:47 PM, Jan. 19, 2012

A proposal to ban certain breeds of dogs deemed “dangerous” was dismissed unanimously by the Rules Committee under its new chairman last week.

But it may resurface in another form.

Chairman Quentin Whitwell said in an interview this week that he wants to strengthen the laws the city already has.

“I don’t think you can outlaw a breed of dogs persay, but I do believe that there are some children that are at risk in certain neighborhoods,” he said.

The original proposal dates back to Whitwell’s predecessor in Ward 1, Jeff Weill. Weill argued that an outright ban on pit bulls would remove any gray area, forcing the city to enforce its laws. But the proposed ban has languished in committee ever since, with most council members in favor of doing something, but unsure of what.

“We’re going to do some committee research about strengthening some of the ordinances that we do have,” Whitwell said. “Our biggest problem right now is that Animal Control is so small of a division and so limited in what they can do and what they have done that we have an enforcement problem.”

http://blogs.clarionledger.com/citybeat/2012/01/19/dangerous-dog-proposal-may-resurface/

I received a copy of the proposed ordinance this morning that will be up for a second reading on February 6. The wording is very similar, but the clause regarding breed is completely removed. In addition, the proposed ordinance designates a dog that has caused a fatal injury as “vicious” rather than “dangerous.” The definition for “vicious animal” remains the same.

There is no reference to breed anywhere in the proposed ordinance, and I’m not sure of the significance of the removal of the clause in relation to breed not being a consideration in determining if a dog is dangerous or not. The clauses for both the current and proposed ordinances are below.

Current Ordinance:DANGEROUS ANIMAL: Any animal which, without justification, attacks a person or domestic animal causing physical injury or death or behaves in a manner that a reasonable person would believe poses an unjustified imminent threat of serious injury or death to one (1) or more persons or domestic animals. In reference to dogs, a dog’s breed shall not be considered in determining whether or not it is “dangerous”.

Proposed Ordinance:DANGEROUS ANIMAL: Any animal which, without justification, attacks a person or domestic animal causing physical injury or behaves in a manner that a reasonable person would believe poses an unjustified imminent threat of serious injury or death to one (1) or more persons or domestic animals.

Current and Proposed Ordinance
VICIOUS ANIMAL: Any animal which has inflicted a serious or fatal injury on a human, whether upon public or private property, provided that the victim has provided the municipal court a signed physician’s statement documenting the injury and its treatment, and qualifying the injury as a serious or fatal injury.

Please continue to send your polite, respectful and informative letters to the Slater city officials with your opposition to breed specific legislation. Please also provide viable alternatives and suggestions for their consideration, as well. Contact information for individual city officials is not available, but you may send correspondence via the city’s e-mail, fax and snail mail address listed below.

Slater City Hall
232 North Main Street
Slater, MO 65349
Phone: 660.529.2271
Fax: 660.529.2593
E-mail: info@cityofslater.com

Slater anticipates fourth animal ordinance hearing
Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Marshall Democrat-News

Two-dozen pictures of pit bull look-a-likes hung on a board at Slater City Hall.

Each dog carried the coloring or stereotypical markings of the animal, but only one tested DNA positive for pit bull blood.

Veterinarian Jane Waller failed to identify it by its picture, which represented a portion of the difficulty enforcing breed specific laws.

At the Slater animal ordinance hearing on Jan. 18, she cautioned against breed specific legislature.

“Any dog has the potential to hurt someone,” Waller said. “…with a bigger dog, you’re always going to have a risk.”

While the previous two animal ordinance hearings revolved around citizen concerns and complaints, this third hearing called for a professional opinion. Waller contributed a veterinarian’s perspective on a variety of issues in the animal ordinance. As she addressed the council and 20 residents in attendance, she cautioned against breed specific laws, encouraged micro chipping and warned about the immediate disposal of stray cats.

She cited Booneville’s animal ordinance as well as some trouble the city has had enforcing it.

“To me it looks like that ordinance is going to be hard to follow,” Waller said.

Slater Mayor Stephen Allegri explained the ordinance wasn’t designed to hurt responsible pet owners.

“We’re not a mean town,” he said. “I think a lot of it would be complaint driven.”

Comments were taken at the end of Waller’s speech. One resident suggested the council had exaggerated the stray cat problem. Another recommended the council replace the fine for a first offending dog-at-large with a warning.

Councilman Terry Jordan closed the meeting by asking that another hearing be arranged. He noted that the citizens had successfully worked through the “decision tree” worksheet and had heard a professional opinion, but the residents had seen minimal interaction with the actual ordinance. Allegri agreed, but a date was not set.

Councilmen Jordan, Harry Lightfoot and Brownell Bryant were present.

http://www.marshallnews.com/story/1806106.html

A draft ordinance will be presented at the January 25 council meeting.

Wentzville City Hall
310 West Pearce Boulevard
Wentzville, MO 63385
636-327-5101
636-639-2017 fax

City Clerk
Vitula Skillman
Vitula.Skillman@wentzvillemo.org

City Administrator
Dennis Walsh
Dennis.Walsh@wentzvillemo.org

Contact Form for Mayor and Aldermen can be found at this link

Wentzville considers changing pit bull regulations

WENTZVILLE • When Amy and Michael Conner moved last July into a new home with their pit bull mixes, Jack and Gypsy, they didn’t know about Wentzville’s tough restrictions on the breed.

“It’s not fair to them, they’re cooped up in the house all day long,” says Amy Conner, who is among residents trying to get aldermen to change the law. “My dogs have never done anything to anybody.”

Meanwhile, next door on Highland Meadows Place, neighbors Joel and Patti Budnik are rounding up support for retaining the ordinance — which requires pit bulls and pit bull mixes to live in an enclosed kennel or inside the house with windows closed. When walked, such dogs must be muzzled and leashed.

“It adds an extra layer of protection for our children and residents,” Joel Budnik said.

Even with the law, he said, a former neighbor’s pit bull once got loose and came close to attacking him and two of his kids in their back yard.

Wentzville is the latest flashpoint in this ongoing fight, which has played out in communities across the St. Louis area and other locales in recent years.

The Board of Aldermen in recent weeks has discussed repealing the city’s restrictions on pit bulls in effect since 1991 and instead increasing penalties for owners of dogs of any type that exhibit vicious behavior.

The city police department, which enforces animal control laws, is drafting a possible replacement measure for consideration at the board’s Jan. 25 meeting.

“We just need to hold owners accountable for the behavior of their animals, whatever the breed is,” said Alderman Chris Gard, who is pushing for the change. “The way the ordinance is written today, it’s extremely broad.”

Gard added that dogs of other breeds, such as German shepherds, can do a lot of damage in a short amount of time but aren’t subject to the restrictions affecting pit bulls.

However, Mayor Paul Lambi says the current law has worked well and he sees no need for a change. Lambi, who isn’t running for another term in the April 3 election, says he’ll leave it up to aldermen to decide.

Supporters of changing the law include Mark Lucas, a veterinarian whose private practice includes the animal control holding facility for Wentzville and nearby O’Fallon.

Of 19 bite cases in those two cities over the past year, only three involved pit bulls, he told aldermen last month. He said any type of dog can pose a problem if the owner is irresponsible. He said O’Fallon’s law takes a better approach in treating all breeds the same.

“Whether a Chihuahua barks all day or a pit bull barks all day, both are wrong,” he said.

Also, he said DNA testing isn’t reliable for determining a dog’s breed.

Nationally, breed-specific laws are opposed by the American Veterinary Medical Association, the National Animal Control Association, the American Kennel Club and the American Dog Breeders Association.

On the other side is DogsBite.org, a website based in Austin, Texas, which advocates for dog bite victims. Founder Colleen Lynn said when cities decide against restricting pit bulls, “we (in the public) are supposed to take the risk.”

Lynn started the website after she was injured in a pit bull attack in 2007 while jogging in the Seattle area.

Pit bulls were involved in 22 of 31 fatal dog attacks across the United States last year, according to the website’s study of news articles on such incidents. Rottweilers ranked second, with four fatal attacks.

But the National Canine Research Council, which opposes breed-specific restrictions, says local authorities’ reports often don’t agree with initial news accounts and that breeds involved in many bite fatality cases ultimately can’t be determined.

Gard began pursuing the issue in Wentzville after he was contacted by Amanda Kearney, who had been told by police to register her two dogs, Belle and Harley, as pit bulls and to follow the restrictions.

She said although her veterinarian believes they are Great Dane mixes, she complied for now while the board weighs changing the law.

That spurred pit bull owners in Wentzville and other cities to show up at aldermanic meetings to support Kearney’s request for change. Supporters of the current law also began organizing.

The issue also came up last year in Overland. City Clerk Melissa Burton said the City Council in September toughened its law on dangerous dogs, including a muzzle requirement for pit bulls already living in the city and a ban on new pit bulls.

After pit bull owners objected, Burton said, the council repealed the measure in November and enacted a new law that doesn’t target specific breeds.

Clayton, University City and Jennings have pit bull restrictions similar to those in Wentzville. Some cities go further. Pagedale bars all pit bulls. Florissant, Ferguson, Berkeley, Shrewsbury and Troy, Mo., prohibit new pit bulls but allow residents who had them before the bans were enacted to keep them.

In Illinois, state law prohibits local governments from passing breed-specific controls.

In Wentzville, the issue has come up as the city gets ready to elect a new mayor to succeed Lambi. One candidate, former Alderman Bill Schuette, leans in favor of retaining the current law. Two other candidates, Aldermen Nick Guccione and Leon Tow, are undecided.

People on both sides are passionate, Tow said. “One way or the other, there’s going to be a lot of people unhappy,” he said.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/wentzville-considers-changing-pit-bull-regulations/article_aee984ad-c905-5f94-a8ce-d6b4a97b73ae.html