Monthly Archives: March 2011

Kirksville, MO: BSL passes first reading

Posted on March 22, 2011 by | Comments Off

Kirksville, MO city council approved the first reading of a breed-specific ordinance that places restrictions on “pit bulls.” The ordinance was approved 4 to 1; it is highly likely to pass the second reading, which should take place during the April 4 council meeting.

Read the proposed ordinance here.

City council bites down on pit bulls

by Chris Curtis
Posted: 03.21.2011 at 9:29 PM

KIRKSVILLE,MO — The Kirksville City Council voted on Monday night to approve an ordinance that will add pit bulls to the city’s dangerous and vicious animal list.[...]

The new ordinance will add pit bulls to a variety of animals that are classified as dangerous. Among the animals included on the list are tigers, bobcats, raccoons, bears, monkeys, and venomous snakes. The ordinance defines “Pit Bull Terrier” as the following breeds: Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier and any mixed breed of dog from these breeds.[...]

The ordinance will go into affect within 60 days of April 1.

Full article retrieved 3/22/11 from http://www.aberdeennews.com/news/aan-aberdeen-passes-changes-to-animal-regulations-20110321,0,5588744.story

All alerts for Kirksville: http://stopbsl.com/?s=kirksville

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Posted in BSL Passed, Missouri

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Aberdeen, SD reminder: Breed-specific amendment may be proposed, March 21

Posted on March 20, 2011 by | 2 Comments

Aberdeen, SD city council will hold a second vote on animal ordinance revisions on March 21. These revisions are currently breed-neutral (NOT breed-specific).

During the last council meeting, Councilmember David Bunsness offered up an amendment that would ban “pit bulls” from Aberdeen. The vote on the amendment was tied, with four councilmembers in support, and four against. Note that one councilmember did not vote (maybe not present).

Bunsness intends to try to pass the amendment again during the ordinance’s second reading (Monday, March 21). He only needs one more councilmember’s support to tip the balance in favor of BSL.

Residents of Aberdeen are encouraged to attend the council meeting and show your opposition to Bunsness’s breed-specific amendment.

Next city council meeting: Monday, March 21, at 5:30 PM at 123 South Lincoln Street, Aberdeen, SD 57401.

Contact info for city officials:
Mayor Mike J. Levsen, mayor@aberdeen.sd.us  (Voted for ban)
Phone: (605) 626-7025
Jim Kraft, james.kraft@aberdeen.sd.us  (Voted against ban)
Jeff Mitchell, jeff.mitchell@aberdeen.sd.us  (Voted against ban)
Todd Campbell, todd.campbell@aberdeen.sd.us  (No vote)
Jennifer Slaight-Hansen, jennifer.slaight-hansen@aberdeen.sd.us  (Voted against ban)
Clint Rux, clint.rux@aberdeen.sd.us (Voted against ban)
Laure Swanson, laure.swanson@aberdeen.sd.us  (Voted for ban)
Tom Agnitsch, tom.agnitsch@aberdeen.sd.us  (Voted for ban)
David Bunsness, david.bunsness@aberdeen.sd.us  (Proposed ban)

Email block for cut-and-paste:
mayor@aberdeen.sd.us; james.kraft@aberdeen.sd.us; jeff.mitchell@aberdeen.sd.us; todd.campbell@aberdeen.sd.us; jennifer.slaight-hansen@aberdeen.sd.us; clint.rux@aberdeen.sd.us; laure.swanson@aberdeen.sd.us; tom.agnitsch@aberdeen.sd.us; david.bunsness@aberdeen.sd.us

All alerts for Aberdeen, SD: http://stopbsl.com/?s=aberdeen+sd

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Posted in BSL Proposed, Non-BSL Proposed, South Dakota

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Waxhaw, NC: Council to discuss changes to animal ordinance, March 22

Posted on March 20, 2011 by | 1 Comment

After a fatal dog attack in Waxhaw in January, city officials discussed revisions to their animal control ordinance. Breed-specific legislation or a ban was mentioned by at least one official. However, other officials did not seem supportive of BSL.

During the March 22 council meeting, Waxhaw city council will hear from Chief Eiss of the Waxhaw Police Department regarding changes to the animal ordinance. Residents are encouraged to attend and ensure that suggested changes are reasonable, enforceable, and breed-neutral.

Read more about Waxhaw here: http://stopbsl.com/?s=waxhaw

Waxhaw Board of Commissioners meeting, March 22 at 6:30 PM, at the Museum of the Waxhaws. View the agenda here.

Please be RESPECTFUL in all correspondence to Waxhaw officials. It is unknown at this time whether they are going to propose BSL.

Waxhaw officials contact info
Mayor Daune Gardner, 704-843-2195 ext 27, mayor@waxhaw.com
Mayor Pro Tem Martin Lane, 704-843-9606, mlane@waxhaw.com
Commissioner Joyce Blythe, 704-843-2246, jblythe@waxhaw.com
Commissioner Erin Kirkpatrick, 704-843-2195, ekirkpatrick@waxhaw.com
Commissioner Phillip Gregory, 704-843-2195, pgregory@waxhaw.com
Commissioner Brett Diller, 704-843-2195, bdiller@waxhaw.com
Town Manager Michael McLaurin, 704-843-2195 ext 25, mmclaurin@waxhaw.com

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Posted in North Carolina, Whispers of BSL

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Kirksville, MO reminder: First reading of proposed BSL, March 21

Posted on March 20, 2011 by | 1 Comment

Kirksville city council will read, discuss, and vote on proposed BSL during Monday’s council meeting. This has been in the works for almost a year. If you are a resident of Kirksville, please contact councilmembers and attend the council meeting and voice your opposition to the breed-discriminatory language.

When: Monday, March 21, 6:00 PM
Where: City Hall Council Chambers, 201 South Franklin Street, Kirksville, MO
What: A new animal ordinance that defines all “pit bull” type dogs to be “restricted animals,” and places restrictions on pit bull ownership. Read the proposed ordinance here.

City of Kirksville, 201 South Franklin Street, Kirksville, MO 63501
660-627-1225
Toll Free: 888-299-1223
660-665-0940 (fax)

City Council:
Todd Kuhns, Mayor, tkuhns@kirksvillecity.com
Richard Detweiler, rdetweiler@kirksvillecity.com
Carolyn Chrisman, cchrisman@kirksvillecity.com
Tony Fajkus, tfajkus@kirksvillecity.com
Martha Rowe, mrowe@kirksvillecity.com
City Manager Mari Macomber, mmacomber@kirksvillecity.com
City Clerk Vicki Brumbaugh, vbrumbaugh@kirksvillecity.com

Email quicklist:
tkuhns@kirksvillecity.com; rdetweiler@kirksvillecity.com; cchrisman@kirksvillecity.com; tfajkus@kirksvillecity.com; mrowe@kirksvillecity.com; mmacomber@kirksvillecity.com; vbrumbaugh@kirksvillecity.com

All alerts for Kirksville: http://stopbsl.com/?s=kirksville

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Posted in BSL Proposed, Missouri

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Ohio HB 14 and HB 25: Committee hearing, March 23

Posted on March 19, 2011 by | 3 Comments

Ohio currently has statewide breed-specific legislation that declares all “pit bulls” to be “vicious” dogs. HB 14 and HB 25 are two separate bills that would remove the breed-specific language from state law.

HB 25 and HB 14 are scheduled for hearings in the House Criminal Justice Committee on March 23 at 9:00 AM in Room 114 (Ohio Statehouse, Columbus, Ohio 43215). *Per this week’s online House Committee Schedule.*

If you are a resident of Ohio, please make every effort to attend the committee hearing and show your support for the removal of breed-specific language. If you would like to testify at the hearing, please arrive 30 minutes ahead of time and bring 30 copies of your testimony; you will need to complete a Witness Slip and submit your written copies before the hearing begins.

Contact the Criminal Justice Committee members to express support for HB 25 and HB 14:
Lynn Slaby, Chair, district41@ohr.state.oh.us
Bill Hayes, Vice Chair, district91@ohr.state.oh.us
Louis W. Blessing, Jr., district29@ohr.state.oh.us
Danny R. Bubp, district88@ohr.state.oh.us
William P. Coley, II, district55@ohr.state.oh.us
Cliff Hite, district76@ohr.state.oh.us
Joseph W. Uecker, district66@ohr.state.oh.us
Ron Young, district63@ohr.state.oh.us
Roland Winburn, district40@ohr.state.oh.us
Nancy J. Garland, district20@ohr.state.oh.us
Connie Pillich, district28@ohr.state.oh.us
W. Carlton Weddington, district27@ohr.state.oh.us
Sandra Williams, district11@ohr.state.oh.us

Cut-and-paste email block:
district41@ohr.state.oh.us; district91@ohr.state.oh.us; district29@ohr.state.oh.us; district88@ohr.state.oh.us; district55@ohr.state.oh.us; district76@ohr.state.oh.us; district66@ohr.state.oh.us; district63@ohr.state.oh.us; district40@ohr.state.oh.us; district20@ohr.state.oh.us; district28@ohr.state.oh.us; district27@ohr.state.oh.us; district11@ohr.state.oh.us

Read HB 14 here: http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/BillText129/129_HB_14_I_N.html
Read an explanation of HB 14 here:
http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/analysis.cfm?ID=129_HB_14&hf=analyses129/h0014-i-129.htm

Read HB 25 here: http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/BillText129/129_HB_25_I_N.html
Read an explanation of HB 25 here:
http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/analysis.cfm?ID=129_HB_25&hf=analyses129/h0025-i-129.htm

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Posted in Ohio, Proposal to Repeal

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Illinois HB1080: Re-referred to Rules Committee

Posted on March 19, 2011 by | 1 Comment

October update: HB1080 is most likely dead. There has been no effort to revive it.

Illinois HB1080, which would allow all municipalities to pass BSL in Illinois, was re-referred to the Rules Committee on March 17. Illinois residents should continue to contact their legislators and the Rules Committee legislators to oppose HB1080.

What happened: March 17 was the deadline for all House bills to report out of committee. All bills that did not report out of their assigned committees by the deadline, including HB1080, were returned to the Rules Committee, per Rule 19(a).

What could happen next: Some people call Rules Committee re-referrals “the graveyard where bills go to die.” It is certainly possible that the bill will die here. However, if the Rules Committee perceives that the bill has enough support in the legislature, the Rules Committee may choose to move the bill to the House floor for debate and vote. For this reason, it is critical that Illinois residents continue to contact both their own legislators and the Rules Committee to oppose HB1080.

In your correspondence to legislators, please remain BRIEF and POLITE. Hundreds of bills were re-referred to the Rules Committee on Friday. The committee members aren’t likely to be familiar with every one of these bills.

Find your Representatives here (by address, district or zip code): http://www.elections.il.gov/districtlocator/DistrictOfficialSearchByZip.aspx

Rules Committee members:
Barbara Flynn Currie, (217) 782-8121, FAX (217) 524-1794
Timothy L. Schmitz, info@timschmitz.org
Lou Lang, langli@ilga.gov
David R. Leitch, davidleitch@ameritech.net
Frank J. Mautino, patti76th@ivnet.com

Tracking for HB1080: http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=1080&GAID=11&DocTypeID=HB&LegId=56892&SessionID=84&GA=97

All alerts for HB 1080: http://stopbsl.com/?s=%22hb+1080%22

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Posted in BSL Proposed, Illinois

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Beatrice, NE: BSL to be proposed and voted on, March 21

Posted on March 19, 2011 by | 1 Comment

The first hints of BSL in Beatrice arose exactly one year ago. The proposal categorizes all “pit bulls” as “potentially dangerous” dogs.

Beatrice city council will discuss the proposal during their meeting on March 21 at 7:00 PM in the City Council Chambers, Administration Building, 320 N 5th Street, Beatrice, NE.

Beatrice City Council, 400 Ella Street, Beatrice, Nebraska 68310
(402) 228-5200
FAX (402) 228-2312

City Attorney feedback form: http://www.beatrice.ne.gov/feedback.php?d=atty
City Clerk feedback form: http://www.beatrice.ne.gov/feedback.php?d=clrk
City Administrator Neal Niedfeldt, nniedfeldt@beatrice.ne.gov

Council to discuss new animal ordinance

Posted: Saturday, March 19, 2011 6:00 am

[...] While the ordinance wouldn’t ban people from having pit bulls as pets, it will require various breed-specific laws for pit bull owners.

City attorney Tobias Tempelmeyer said a major difference in the proposed ordinance is it would automatically classify pit bulls as “potentially-dangerous” animals.

“The ordinance does state that pit bulls will have the same guidelines that a potentially dangerous animal would have to follow,” Tempelmeyer said. “Basically, there’s a permit you have to get, registration and an insurance requirement.”[...]

Tempelmeyer worked with animal control officer Steve Bragg, City Council member David “Pede” Catlin and Humane Society executive director Gina Grone to put the ordinance together.

Tempelmeyer said Grone was not a supporter of the breed-specific portion of the ordinance.

“The Humane Society has made it clear that they don’t like that part, but they understand it and they’ll make their plea during the council meetings,” Tempelmeyer said. “I expect you’ll have some people that step up and voice their opinion one way or the other. (The ordinance) is by no means in its final form today. There will be an opportunity for council members to amend it. I’m sure somebody else is thinking of something that we maybe just haven’t addressed and it’ll give us an opportunity to amend it as needed.”

Tempelmeyer added the ordinance will likely be read at the next three council meetings before a final decision is made.[...]

In addition to breed-specific legislation, the proposed ordinance has a few other minor changes, most of which are clarifications.[...]

Full article retrieved 3/19/11 from http://www.beatricedailysun.com/news/local/article_13de26a4-51c4-11e0-989f-001cc4c03286.html

All alerts for Beatrice, NE: http://stopbsl.com/?s=beatrice

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Posted in BSL Proposed, Nebraska

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Center Point, IA: Whispers of BSL

Posted on March 17, 2011 by | 1 Comment

Center Point residents may request a breed ban or restrictions during an upcoming council meeting. Please send polite, informative materials to city officials, and attend upcoming council meetings if you are able.

Contact information for city officials:
City Administrator Steve Winger, Cityadministrator@cityofcenterpoint.com
City Clerk Melissa Atkinson, m.atkinson@cityofcenterpoint.com
(You may send correspondence to the city clerk and request that it be distributed to council members.)

City council meetings are held on the second Tuesday and last Wednesday of each month. Next city council meeting: March 30, 7:00 PM, in Council chambers, 200 Franklin Street.

Center Point Dog Attack May Prompt Breed Ban Attempt

Posted March 17, 2011 11:24 am by Dave Franzman/SourceMedia Group News

CENTER POINT- A attack by a pit bull dog Wednesday afternoon will apparently prompt an attempt to get that breed of dog banned in Center Point.[...]

Zach Melton, director of the Cedar Valley Humane Society, said studies show a ban of one breed is not effective in controlling animal attacks. But he also said it is a common community response after an incident like the one in Center Point.[...]

Full article retrieved 3/17/11 from http://easterniowanewsnow.com/2011/03/17/center-point-dog-attack-may-prompt-breed-ban-attempt/

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Posted in Iowa, Whispers of BSL

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Idaho S1143 would prohibit municipalities from passing BSL

Posted on March 17, 2011 by | Comments Off

Edit 5/1/11: This bill did not pass the House before the legislative session adjourned; now dead.

Idaho S1143 would, among other things, prohibit municipalities from defining dogs as vicious or dangerous based on their breed.*

Excerpt from S1143:

25-2814. LOCAL REGULATION. The provisions of this chapter shall establish as state law minimum standards and requirements for the control of dogs and to provide for certain state crimes for violations of such minimum standards and requirements. Provided however, this chapter shall not supersede or invalidate existing ordinances of local governments or prohibit local governments from adopting and enforcing ordinances that provide for more restrictive control of dogs, including more restrictive definitions of a dangerous or vicious dog, provided such definitions are not specific to one (1) or several breeds of dogs.

*S1143 does a lot more than this, so it is recommended that you read through the entire bill before determining whether to support or oppose it.

Idaho S1143 may be read and tracked here: http://legislature.idaho.gov/legislation/2011/S1143.htm

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Posted in Idaho, Non-BSL Proposed

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MA H00562 would prohibit BSL in Massachusetts

Posted on March 17, 2011 by | Comments Off

Edit Dec 2011: Since this bill never got out of committee, we believe it is dead.

Edit 5/27/11: This bill was heard by the joint committee on 5/11/11.

Rep. Bradford Hill has filed MA H00562, which would, among other things, prohibit municipalities from declaring dogs “dangerous” or “at risk” based on breed.

Excerpt from H00562:

Section 157D. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prevent a city or county from adopting or enforcing its own program for the control of At Risk or Dangerous Dogs that may incorporate all, part, or none of this chapter, or that may punish a violation of this chapter as a misdemeanor or may impose a more restrictive program to control At Risk or Dangerous Dogs, provided that no program shall regulate these dogs in a manner that is specific as to breed.

H00562 has been assigned to the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government. A hearing has not yet been scheduled.

Contact the following legislators to express your SUPPORT for the prohibition of breed-specific laws in Massachusetts.

Bill author:
Rep. Bradford Hill, Brad.Hill@mahouse.gov

Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government members:
Sen. James T. Welch, James.Welch@masenate.gov
Sen. Daniel A. Wolf, Daniel.Wolf@masenate.gov
Rep. Michael F. Kane, Michael.Kane@mahouse.gov
Rep. Joyce A. Spiliotis, Joyce.Spiliotis@mahouse.gov
Sen. Gale D. Candaras, Gale.Candaras@masenate.gov
Sen. James E. Timilty, James.Timilty@masenate.gov
Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz, Sonia.Chang-Diaz@masenate.gov
Sen. Richard J. Ross, Richard.Ross@masenate.gov
Rep. Cleon H. Turner, Cleon.Turner@mahouse.gov
Rep. Sean Garballey, Sean.Garballey@mahouse.gov
Rep. Brian M. Ashe, Brian.Ashe@mahouse.gov
Rep. Timothy R. Madden, Timothy.Madden@mahouse.gov
Rep. Gailanne M. Cariddi, gailanne.cariddi@mahouse.gov
Rep. Mark J. Cusack, mark.cusack@mahouse.gov
Rep. Jerald A. Parisella, jerald.parisella@mahouse.gov
Rep. Kevin J. Kuros, kevin.kuros@mahouse.gov
Rep. Ryan C. Fattman, ryan.fattman@mahouse.gov

Email block for cut and paste:
James.Welch@masenate.gov; Daniel.Wolf@masenate.gov; Michael.Kane@mahouse.gov; Joyce.Spiliotis@mahouse.gov; Gale.Candaras@masenate.gov; James.Timilty@masenate.gov; Sonia.Chang-Diaz@masenate.gov; Richard.Ross@masenate.gov; Cleon.Turner@mahouse.gov; Sean.Garballey@mahouse.gov; Brian.Ashe@mahouse.gov; Timothy.Madden@mahouse.gov; gailanne.cariddi@mahouse.gov; mark.cusack@mahouse.gov; jerald.parisella@mahouse.gov; kevin.kuros@mahouse.gov; ryan.fattman@mahouse.gov

H00562 can be read and tracked here: http://www.malegislature.gov/Bills/187/House/H00562

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Posted in Massachusetts, Non-BSL Proposed, Proposal to Repeal

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