On Monday, October 21, 2013, members of the Reynoldsburg City Council were to take up the issue of a repeal of Reynoldsburg’s breed-specific law (BSL), i.e. their banning of so-called “pit bulls” from the city limits. However, the Council tabled the matter for two weeks.
Regardless, the City Council’s chambers was packed with pro-“pit bull” supporters during Monday night’s meeting, one of whom was Vicki Deisner, the Midwest Legislative Director for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), who said,
“Jurisdictions that have an actual breed specific law have learned that those laws do not make communities safer” . . .
Echoing Ms. Deisner’s comments was Karen Stemman, who said,
“Simply put, breed-specific legislation does not work” . . .
Indeed, breed-specific legislation in any form does not work if Denver‘s and Miami-Dade County‘s skyrocketing dog bite-related hospitalizations are any indication.
Reynoldsburg, Ohio’s motto is “The City of Respect.” We’ll see how true that is in two weeks when the Reynoldsburg City Council again takes up the matter of abolishing their “pit bull” ban.