Monthly Archives: October 2011

Springfield, TN: Hearing on breed-specific restrictions, Oct 18

Posted on October 17, 2011 by | 1 Comment

Thanks to Jodi for this update on Springfield!

A public hearing on a proposal to make “pit bull” owners pay a retroactive registration fee will take place on October 18 at 6:30 PM at City Hall, 405 North Main Street, Springfield, TN.

Contact info for Springfield, TN city officials
City Hall, 405 North Main Street, Springfield, Tennessee 37172
615.382.2200

The second reading of a proposed amendment to the existing pit bull ordinance in Springfield, TN is tomorrow, Tuesday, October 18, 2011. The city council has decided to add a registration fee to the ordinance that has been in effect since 2001. The registration fee would be retroactive.

Opposing the proposed registration fee may seem insignificant, but in reality, its a matter of principal. As noted above, the ordinance has been in effect since 2001. Residents have already complied with all the city’s requirements in order to keep their dogs. Now the city wants to target them even further by tacking on an additional fee?

A public hearing on the proposed amendment will be held immediately prior to the city council meeting tomorrow. Meetings take place at City Hall, 405 North Main Street in Springfield, and begin at 7:30 p.m. The public hearing will begin at 6:30 p.m.

Please join us tomorrow in order to show a strong, unified position against adding additional regulations to an already biased and cumbersome ordinance.

All alerts for Springfield, TN: http://stopbsl.com/?s=springfield%2C+tn

→ 1 Comment

Posted in BSL Proposed, Tennessee

Tagged , , , , ,

Ridgely, MD: Maybe considering more BSL (maybe additional breeds)

Posted on October 16, 2011 by | Comments Off

Update 10/20/11: StopBSL received clarification from a site visitor who managed to get in touch with Ridgely officials. According to the city clerk, the city council merely discussed a new registration form. The law is not changing—only the administrative process might. The news article below was, according to the clerk, totally inaccurate.

StopBSL received the following cryptic one-sentence news summary from our BSL news aggregator:

Ridgely considers registration of certain dog breeds

Posted: Thursday, October 13, 2011 1:00 am
By DANIEL DIVILIO Staff Writer

Ridgely officials are considering a bill requiring certain breeds of dogs deemed inherently dangerous be registered with the town’s police department. [...]

(Remainder of article is subscription-only: http://www.stardem.com/article_68a02276-dc68-5ca9-bf64-095bff3d691e.html)

We were left scratching our heads about this news, because Ridgely already has BSL in place. “Pit bull dogs” are automatically considered dangerous dogs, and various special restrictions are in place for owners of pit bulls: special leashes, muzzles, special confinement requirements, liability insurance, signage, and special registration with the police department.

It is unclear, therefore, why the town would consider an ordinance that they apparently already have in place. Possibly, they intend to add more breeds to the breed-specific dangerous dog ordinance. Possibly, they intend to rewrite the current BSL in some way. Or, possibly, the news media has gotten something wrong. [ED: It was the latter.]

StopBSL has contacted the town commissioners to seek clarification, but has received no reply to date. We encourage locals and residents in and around Ridgely to initiate respectful dialogue with commissioners, and to attend the town meeting tomorrow. If you are able to determine exactly what is being proposed, please send StopBSL a note.

President Dale Mumford, dmumford@ridgelymd.org
Commissioner Linda Epperly-Glover, lepperly_glover@ridgelymd.org
Commissioner Anthony Casey, acasey@ridgelymd.org
Town Administrator Diane E. Wojcik, dwojcik@ridgelymd.org
Clerk-Treasurer Stephanie Berkey, sberkey@ridgelymd.org

Town Meeting, October 17, 7 PM
Town Office, 2 Central Avenue, Ridgely, MD, 21660
410-634-2177

Comments Off

Posted in Maryland, Whispers of BSL

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Chippewa Falls, WI: Committee will discuss animal ordinance, Oct 17

Posted on October 16, 2011 by | Comments Off

Is Chippewa Falls considering BSL, or is it not? In early October, the Leader-Telegram published an article that claimed a “pit bull ordinance” was being discussed by the council. However, StopBSL was later forwarded an email from Councilmember Hicks, the chair of the Public Safety Committee. Hicks stated that BSL was not under consideration by council or committee, and that the committee intends to look at ways to strengthen existing ordinances and hold owners responsible.

The Chippewa Falls Committee on Public Safety will meet on October 17 to discuss the current animal ordinance and possibly make a recommendation to council. Since StopBSL has heard two very different stories about what will be discussed or proposed, we encourage locals and residents to attend the committee meeting and continue to respectfully encourage Chippewa Falls officials to pursue effective breed-neutral measures.

Committee on Public Safety meeting
October 17, 9:00 AM
City Hall Council Chambers, 30 W. Central Street, Chippewa Falls, WI

Mayor Gregory S. Hoffman, ghoffman70@aol.com
Michael Hanke, mhanke@chippewafalls-wi.gov
Brian Flynn, bflynn@chippewafalls-wi.gov
C W King, cwking@chippewafalls-wi.gov
Chuck Hull, chull@chippewafalls-wi.gov
Jane Lardahl, jlardahl@chippewafalls-wi.gov
Bill Hicks, bhicks@chippewafalls-wi.gov
George Adrian, gadrian@chippewafalls-wi.gov

Email block for cut-and-paste
ghoffman70@aol.com; mhanke@chippewafalls-wi.gov; bflynn@chippewafalls-wi.gov; cwking@chippewafalls-wi.gov; chull@chippewafalls-wi.gov; jlardahl@chippewafalls-wi.gov; bhicks@chippewafalls-wi.gov; gadrian@chippewafalls-wi.gov

All alerts for Chippewa Falls: http://stopbsl.com/?s=chippewa+falls

Thanks to Hank for forwarding the councilmember email. Thanks to Gina for the meeting agenda notification.

Comments Off

Posted in Whispers of BSL, Wisconsin

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Buchanan, MI reminder: Public workshop to discuss dog laws, Oct 17

Posted on October 16, 2011 by | Comments Off

Buchanan has a barking dog ordinance, but no other animal laws. During the last city commission meeting, at least one resident requested BSL. The commissioners decided to hold a public workshop on October 17 to consider their options further.

StopBSL would like to suggest that locals and residents in and around Buchanan make an effort to participate in community and commission discussions regarding potential animal ordinances, and to guide those discussions toward effective breed-neutral options.

Buchanan public workshop on animal ordinances: October 17, 6:00 PM, Buchanan City Hall, 302 N. Redbud Trail.

Contact info for city commissioners:
**Please don’t flood these folks with emails opposing breed bans. Instead, politely encourage commissioners to consider breed-neutral ordinances and to avoid breed-specific ones. Please encourage them to do the right thing to protect their residents effectively.**
City Hall, 302 N. Redbud Trail, Buchanan, MI 49107
269.695.3844
Carla Cole, Mayor, sienna@qtm.net
Michael A Terrell, terrelm@gmail.com
David Hagey
Patricia Moore, PMDPM@aol.com
Earl “Joe” Scanlon III, Mayor Pro Tem, midasjoe94@yahoo.com
City Manager & Police Chief Bill Marx, wmarx@buchananpolice.net

Email block for cut and paste (note not all commissioners have email)
sienna@qtm.net; terrelm@gmail.com; PMDPM@aol.com; midasjoe94@yahoo.com; wmarx@buchananpolice.net

All alerts for Buchanan, MI: http://stopbsl.com/?s=%22buchanan%2C+mi%22

Buchanan residents seek solution to dangerous dogs

STAN MADDUX, South Bend Tribune Correspondent
5:15 p.m. EDT, September 29, 2011

BUCHANAN — Buchanan city commissioners are planning a workshop next month to continue discussion on whether the city needs a dangerous animal ordinance.

Residents packed the commissioners meeting earlier this week in response to pit bull attacks on three residents earlier this month.[...]

The workshop will be at 6 p.m. Oct. 17 at City Hall and the commissioners invited [Berrien County animal control director Val] Grimes to further discuss what can be done locally to address dangerous pets in the city.

Grimes said merely passing an ordinance might not be the answer, explaining enforcement can be too costly, especially in tough economic conditions, and require more manpower than what’s currently available. [...]

Full article retrieved 10/1/11 from http://www.southbendtribune.com/sbt-buchanan-residents-seek-solution-to-dangerous-dogs-20110929,0,7046399.story

Comments Off

Posted in Michigan, Whispers of BSL

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Mission Hills, KS: Council may add breed to current breed ban

Posted on October 13, 2011 by | Comments Off

Mission Hills, KS council may add Rottweilers to their current ban on “pit bulls.”

Jodi at Bless the Bullys has some great commentary on the recent trend to add breeds to ineffective, failing BSL. We have seen this most recently in Merrillville, IN and Lake City, AR.

Rather than confront the issue of “problem dog owners,” Merrillville and Mission Hills want to add more BSL to that which is already in place. The domino effect illustrated perfectly. What breed is next?

How unfortunate that officials in these cities don’t recognize the opportunity they have to craft effective ordinances that hold irresponsible dog owners accountable and actually make their communities safer. Instead, their solution is to add additional breeds to the ordinances in place which are obviously being ignored by the very people who should be targeted. The truth is right in front of them, yet they choose to wear blinders, they choose to continue to focus on the wrong end of the leash.

City contact form: http://www.missionhillsks.gov/Directory.aspx
CITY OF MISSION HILLS • 6300 State Line Road • Mission Hills, Kansas 66208
Phone: 913-362-9620 • Fax: 913-362-0673
City Administrator Courtney Christensen, cchristensen@missionhillsks.gov, 913-362-9620 ext 202
City Clerk Jill Clifton (will send your correspondence to city council upon request), jclifton@missionhillsks.gov

Kansas community consider banning certain breed of dog

Posted: 11:30 PM

MISSION HILLS, Kansas – [...] Mission Hills City Administrator Courtney Christensen is considering banning people from owning Rottweiler’s.

Christensen tells NBC Action News to reexamine its domestic animals regulations after a person was recently attacked by a dog in Mission Hills.

Pit Bulls are already banned. [...]

The city council is expected to vote on the ban within the next few months.

Full article retrieved 10/13/11 from http://www.nbcactionnews.com/dpp/news/region_kansas/johnson_county/kansas-community-consider-banning-certain-breed-of-dog#ixzz1aeea42mQ

Comments Off

Posted in Additional Breeds, Kansas

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Merrillville, IN: Council may add breed(s) to BSL

Posted on October 12, 2011 by | 1 Comment

Merrillville currently has BSL that affects “pit bull” owners. Rather than repeal their currently ineffective BSL and institute an ordinance that applies to all dogs, regardless of breed, the town council is considering adding “Staffordshire Terrier” to the ordinance.

Town council emails:
tgoralczyk@merrillville.in.gov; asylwestrowicz@merrillville.in.gov; rhardaway@merrillville.in.gov; cmiano@merrillville.in.gov; cbarron@merrillville.in.gov; spettit@merrillville.in.gov; rwiding@merrillville.in.gov

Town meetings: Second and fourth Tuesdays of each month, 6:30 p.m.
Town Hall, 7820 Broadway, Merrillville, IN 46410

Merrillville council worried about pit bulls

By Karen Caffarini Post-Tribune correspondent October 11, 2011 8:32PM

MERRILLVILLE — Town officials are looking at giving the town’s animal ordinance more teeth after learning Monday that owners of pit bulls and veterinarians are getting around the current one.[...]

Councilwoman Carol Miano, D-3rd, said under the current ordinance pit bulls and other dogs deemed dangerous are supposed to wear a muzzle and the owner is supposed to have $300,000 liability insurance. “The problem is, when people find out they need $300,000 in insurance, they go to their vet and the vet reclassifies the dog as a Staffordshire terrier. They’re not the same,” Miano said.[...]

Councilman Richard Hardaway, D-2nd, said the town needs to change its ordinance to include Staffordshire terriers as a vicious animal and require their owners to have the same insurance. Other council members agreed with Hardaway.[...]

Full article retrieved 10/12/11 from http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/lake/8154703-418/merrillville-council-worried-about-pit-bulls.html

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Additional Breeds, Indiana

Tagged , , , , , ,

Franklin, KY: BSL passed

Posted on October 12, 2011 by | Comments Off

Franklin, KY, has passed BSL that declares “pit bulls” and Rottweilers to be automatically declared vicious dogs. Owners of these breeds are subject to restrictions on vicious dog ownership.

Mayor Ronnie Clark, mayor@franklinky.org
City Commission, Commission@Franklinky.org 

Certain Dogs Now Considered Vicious in Franklin

Posted: 4:41 PM Oct 11, 2011
Reporter: Casey Wheeless

Some Franklin residents are upset over the new animal ordinance, which says Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, along with Wolf-Hybrid dogs are considered vicious animals. [...]

Although the ordinance was passed this morning, the judge says he will review it again in a few months to see if changes should be made.

Full article retrieved 10/12/11 from http://www.wbko.com/news/headlines/Certain_Dogs_Now_Considered_Vicious_in_Franklin_131551763.html?ref=763

Comments Off

Posted in BSL Passed, Kentucky

Tagged , , , , , ,

Three Rivers, TX: Town may consider breed ban

Posted on October 7, 2011 by | Comments Off

Texas state law prohibits municipalities from passing breed-specific legislation. Small, rural towns in the state are sometimes unaware of this prohibition. The police chief in this town has suggested a ban on “pit bulls.”

Please send polite, respectful, informative correspondence to city hall, advising city officials that a breed-specific law would be illegal, and encouraging them to consider effective, nondiscriminatory breed-neutral measures.

Contact information for Three Rivers:
City Hall, 105 Harborth Ave., PO Box 398, Three Rivers, Texas 78071
Voice: 361-786-2528
Fax: 361-786-3281

Police Department, Chief Vance Roberts, 361-786-2743
Mayor James Liska, 361-786-2528 X 225
City Administrator Rosie Forehand, 361-786-2528 X 226

South Texas town could examine ban on pit bulls

by Phil Anaya / KENS 5
Posted on October 6, 2011 at 8:25 PM
Updated today at 7:32 AM

After two separate pit bull attacks in one week it appears there’s potential that the town of Three Rivers could examine the idea of banning the breed from city limits.

This comes after the Three Rivers Police Chief was quoted in the local paper saying a ban would better protect the community and residents.[...]

A city administrator and councilmember were aware of the concerns, but said the chief has yet to suggest a breed ban at the next council meeting. Residents seemed split on the idea. [...]

Full article and video retrieved 10/7/11 from http://www.kens5.com/news/local/South-Texas-town-could-examine-ban-on-pit-bulls-131300284.html

Chief wants city to ban pit bulls

by Mike Alexieff editor
1 day 20 hrs ago

THREE RIVERS – Police Chief Vance Roberts plans to ask the city council to ban pit bulls in the wake of two attacks that sent a woman and two boys to hospitals.[...]

“I think we need to ban pit bulls in the city limits,” Roberts said. “We need to do that to protect our community, our citizens.”

Full article retrieved 10/7/11 from http://www.mysoutex.com/view/full_story/15904667/article-Chief-wants-city-to-ban-pit-bulls?

Comments Off

Posted in Texas, Whispers of BSL

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Pascagoula, MS: Whispers of BSL

Posted on October 7, 2011 by | Comments Off

Thanks to Jodi at Bless the Bullys for this alert.

Pascagoula residents need to be on alert.  Reach out to your city officials NOW to offer suggestions and assistance in creating breed-neutral suggestions to
address animal control issues in the community.

The Pascagoula City Council meets each month on the first and third Tuesday at 6:00pm in the Council Chambers of the Joe D. Cole, Jr. Municipal Building, located at 603 Watts Avenue across from the Jackson County Courthouse. Next city council meeting: October 18. Contact the city clerk and other officials: http://cityofpascagoula.com/city-telephone-directory

Pit bulls running loose in Pascagoula worry councilman

Published: Thursday, October 06, 2011

PASCAGOULA, Mississippi — Pit bulls running loose in his ward worry Councilman George Wolverton.

During the council meeting earlier this week, Wolverton said that he’s received numerous reports about pit bulls running loose. [...]

Pascagoula’s vicious dog ordinance is not breed-specific, but in the past several years the handful of cases the city has dealt with involved pit bulls, according to city officials.

Full article retrieved 10/7/11 from http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2011/10/pit_bulls_running_loose_in_pas.html

Comments Off

Posted in Mississippi, Whispers of BSL

Tagged , , , , ,

Springfield, TN: New ordinance adds to current BSL

Posted on October 5, 2011 by | 3 Comments

Springfield, TN, already has BSL for “pit bull” owners. The city intends to add another breed-specific ordinance to the current BSL—a special $50 registration fee.

Update 10/6/11: Bless the Bullys reports that the fee would be retroactive. Next city council meeting: October 18.

Ordinance Would Charge Fee For Pitbulls

Posted: Oct 03, 2011 4:31 PM CDT
by Amanda Hara

Springfield, Tenn. – The City of Springfield already requires pit bulls to be registered, muzzled and leashed at all times and registered on a city database, but those rules could soon become stricter.

City Manager Paul Nutting says a new ordinance will likely pass requiring owners to pay a 50 dollar registration fee for their pit bull. [...]

City Manager Paul Nutting said the ordinance passed its first reading and will likely pass its third and final reading no later than November.

Full article retrieved 10/5/11 from http://www.newschannel5.com/story/15607080/ordinance-would-charge-fee-for-pitbulls

Contact info for Springfield, TN city officials
City Hall, 405 North Main Street, Springfield, Tennessee 37172
615.382.2200

→ 3 Comments

Posted in BSL Proposed, Tennessee

Tagged , , , , , ,