Monthly Archives: February 2010

Sioux City, IA: Pit bulls not registered by March 1 will be killed

Posted on February 21, 2010 by | 4 Comments

Pit bulls not registered by March 1 will be seized

By Lynn Zerschling lzerschling@siouxcityjournal.com Posted: Sunday, February 21, 2010 12:00 am

Owners must renew licenses by March 1 or lose their dogs

SIOUX CITY — [...] “They must be continually licensed. If they don’t meet the March 1 cutoff date, they won’t be able to renew the license,” City Clerk Lisa McCardle said. “Once you let that pit bull license expire, they can’t renew it.”

City Attorney Andrew Mai confirmed that pit bulls/mixes must be licensed by March 1 or the owners face losing their pets.

[...] Under the strict pit bull ban enacted in 2008, pit bulls who have not been licensed must be euthanized and cannot be placed elsewhere.[...]

Full article retrieved 2/21/10 from http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/article_b4e49e9e-450b-5577-a8cc-8f0be571acf3.html?mode=story

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Posted in Iowa, Results of BSL

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Regent, ND update: German Shepherds may be added to proposed ban

Posted on February 20, 2010 by | 2 Comments

Public hearing will be held: March 8, 7 PM, Regent City Hall.

A resident’s petition in Regent previously asked for the city to ban pit bulls and Rottweilers. The city is now considering adding German Shepherds to the list.

Previous alert for Regent: http://stopbsl.com/2010/02/19/regent-nd-resident-petitions-for-ban-on-pit-bulls-rottweilers/

City Hall, P.O. Box 86 Regent, ND 58650
Phone (701) 563-4454
info@regentnorthdakota.com

Thanks to Jodi for this update.

Regent mulls ban on German shepherds

lauren@westriv.com
Posted: Saturday, February 20, 2010 2:20 am |

Regent city leaders discussing whether to ban pit bulls and Rottweilers from town decided Thursday to possibly throw German shepherds into the banned mix as well.[...]

Full story retrieved 2/20/10 from http://bismarcktribune.com/news/state-and-regional/article_8a49b23a-1de1-11df-af9c-001cc4c03286.html

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Posted in BSL Proposed, North Dakota

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Hendersonville, NC: Free dog safety program, Feb. 20

Posted on February 20, 2010 by | 1 Comment

An opportunity to improve public safety through education:

Rabies clinic, dog safety program in Hendersonville Saturday

STAFF REPORTS • February 19, 2010

HENDERSONVILLE — Henderson County Animal Services will offer a free dog safety program for parents and children at 11 a.m. Feb. 20 at its facility at 828 Stoney Mountain Road.

Full story retrieved Feb. 20, 2010 from http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20100219/NEWS01/100219013

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Posted in Community Initiatives, North Carolina

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Salina, KS: Dog owner back in court as Salina disputes DNA test

Posted on February 19, 2010 by | 1 Comment

Summary: Lucey, the Cartwrights’ dog, “looks like” a “pit bull.”  Salina, KS has had a ban on “pit bulls” since 2005.  Lucey was seized, but the Cartwrights fought back, and had the Mars Wisdom Panel genetic test performed.  The test results were that Lucey was not a Pit Bull, and had only about 1/8 Staffordshire Bull Terrier in her ancestry.  So, a judge said she was not banned under Salina’s law, and refunded the money the Cartwrights had spent defending her.  But then, veterinarian David Atherton (a consultant to the Salina Animal Shelter, and the one who initially deemed Lucey to be a “pit bull”) decided that the genetic test results were incorrect. (Because the test uses autosomal chromosomes rather than sex chromosomes; and because “pit bulls aren’t pure-bred”.  Besides, he ran the test on his own dog, and got back results that seemed highly questionable; and anyhow, the Mars company itself says the test is not authorized for use in breed ban cases.)  So, the Cartwrights are going back to court in March 2010; and the judge will require any scientific evidence to be backed up by expert testimony. Meanwhile, the Cartwrights may be moving away, for employment reasons.  It’s not clear from the article exactly where Lucey is being kept while waiting for the new trial — hopefully with her family, and not impounded at the shelter.

Previous alert for Salina: http://stopbsl.com/2009/09/02/salina-ks-dogs-dna-saves-its-life/

Salina disputes DNA test

2/19/2010
By DAVID CLOUSTON
Salina Journal

Five months ago, Cartwright thought a DNA test had saved Lucey, who looks like a pit bull, after she ran afoul of the city’s breed ban….

Cartwright won her case, based on the results of the genetic test….

Then in November she got a notice … [Salina] was refiling the charge against her of owning a prohibited pit bull… [because] the city prosecutor [thinks] the DNA test is unreliable….

Cartwright has hired an attorney…. Her trial is scheduled to begin in March.

Reporter David Clouston can be reached at 822-1403 or by e-mail at dclouston@salina.com.

Full article retrieved Feb. 19, 2010 from http://www.salina.com/news/story/Dog-DNA-2-18-10

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Posted in Breed Identification, Court Cases, Kansas

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Sturgeon Bay, WI: Breed ban dropped, proposed ordinance to be rewritten

Posted on February 19, 2010 by | Comments Off

Previous alert for Sturgeon Bay: http://stopbsl.com/?s=sturgeon+bay

The city has decided to rewrite the proposed animal ordinance to remove the breed-specific ban. It is unclear at this time whether any breed-specific language will be retained. Although this article implies that all breed-specific language will be dropped, comments from the minutes of the Common Council suggests that the City Attorney (who is drafting the ordinance) only objected to the breed-specific ban, not the special restrictions on “pit bulls.”

A great deal of common sense prevailed, however. These quotes are particularly reassuring.

Police Chief Dan Trelka said he gathered statistics of dog bites in the city over the last two years. If bite criteria were used, he said, the city would need to ban beagles. Trelka said the problem has not been with pit bulls but with dogs at large.

From a legal standpoint, [City Attorney Randy] Nesbitt said he talked with other communities that passed pit bull bans and got a number of responses. “‘Don’t do it’ was the general tenure of their response,” Nesbitt said. “These bans are difficult to enforce, and you’re not necessarily getting to the root of the problem. It’s a matter of training the dog.”

New ordinance allows pit bulls, bans ‘vicious pets’

By Ramelle Bintz • rbintz@doorcountyadvocate.com • February 13, 2010

Pit bulls will not be banned in Sturgeon Bay.

The Community, Protection and Services Committee voted unanimously Thursday to remove language that would ban a specific breed of dog from a proposed animal regulation ordinance.[...]

Full article retrieved 2/19/10 from http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20100213/ADV01/2130423/0/adv&theme=ADVNEWS

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Posted in BSL Proposed, Wisconsin

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Toledo, OH: Citizens panel to study Toledo’s dog ordinance

Posted on February 19, 2010 by | Comments Off

Past news for Toledo: http://stopbsl.com/?s=toledo

Citizens panel to study Toledo’s dog ordinance

Committee to seek options if appeal of ‘pit bull’ law is lost

By JC REINDL
BLADE STAFF WRITER
Article published February 18, 2010

The city of Toledo’s contested vicious-dogs law will be getting a review by a citizen-led committee.

Members of the Lucas County Dog Warden Advisory Committee voted unanimously yesterday to accept a request by Mayor Mike Bell that they examine and suggest changes to the controversial law, which puts additional restrictions on “pit bulls” and “pit-bull”- mixed dogs in the city.[...]

Full article retrieved 2/19/10 from http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100218/NEWS16/100219603/0/news04

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Posted in Court Cases, Ohio

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Regent, ND: Resident petitions for ban on pit bulls, Rottweilers

Posted on February 19, 2010 by | 8 Comments

Edit 2/20: Public hearing will be held: March 8, 7 PM, Regent City Hall.

City Hall, P.O. Box 86 Regent, ND 58650
Phone (701) 563-4454
info@regentnorthdakota.com

Grandma targets pit bulls after grandson buys dogs

 The Associated Press
Thursday, February 18, 2010; 9:34 PM

REGENT, N.D. — A southwest North Dakota woman is trying to ban pit bulls from her small community after finding out her adult grandson purchased three of the dogs. Patty Robbins circulated a petition to ban pit bulls and Rottweilers, gathering 43 signatures in the town of 200 and she turned it into Regent city officials Tuesday.

Full article retrieved 2/19/10 from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/18/AR2010021804617.html

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Posted in North Dakota, Whispers of BSL

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Putnam County, WV update: BSL stands

Posted on February 19, 2010 by | Comments Off

Previous alerts for Putnam County: http://stopbsl.com/?s=putnam+county

Pit Bull Lovers Challenge Breed Specific Law

Reporter: Dave Benton
Email Address: dave.benton@wsaz.com
Posted: 12:08 AM Feb 19, 2010

PUTNAM COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) — [T]he Putnam County Commission [restricted] pit bulls and other dogs they deemed vicious….

Commissioner Haynes [moved to cut out] the breed specific language… but the motion didn’t get a “second”….

Full article retrieved 2010-02-19 from http://www.wsaz.com/news/headlines/84755792.html

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Posted in BSL Passed, West Virginia

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Hemet, CA: City taking closer look at pit bulls, reports of problems

Posted on February 17, 2010 by | 1 Comment

California state law prohibits all breed-specific laws except mandatory spay/neuter. It seems that Hemet is trying to resolve this without creating new laws (the City Manager says “Our hope is that this can be resolved without having to take governmental action”), but at least one resident is asking for a ban on pit bulls. “Kill them all,” she says.

City of Hemet, 445 E. Florida Ave, Hemet, CA 92543
Phone: (951) 765-2303
Fax: (951) 765-3785
City council contact form: http://www.cityofhemet.org/forms/council_email.htm

Hemet taking closer look at pit bulls, reports of problems

10:00 PM PST on Tuesday, February 16, 2010
By BRIAN ROKOS
The Press-Enterprise

Hemet is closely monitoring reports of dogs running loose, barking excessively and acting aggressively in the wake of a woman’s plea for the city to ban pit bulls….

Reach Brian Rokos at 951-763-3464 or brokos@PE.com

Full story retrieved Feb. 17, 2010 from http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_W_epit17.46eca4e.html

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Posted in California, Whispers of BSL

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Putnam County, WV reminder: BSL to be reviewed, Feb 18

Posted on February 16, 2010 by | Comments Off

Reminder: Putnam County Commissioners will hear from the public on February 18, 2010 at 7 PM in the County Commission Chambers regarding their recent passage of breed-specific legislation.

Previous alerts for Putnam County: http://stopbsl.com/?s=putnam+county

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Posted in BSL Passed, West Virginia

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