From Pet World host Steve Dale’s blog ChicagoNow:
Elgin Bans Pit Bulls (or any dog they call a Pit Bull)
Officials in Elgin say they’re not planning to ban Pit Bulls. I beg to differ, as does the dude hosting videos at Elgin2030.com.
If the ordinance in Elgin passes, all Pit Bulls (or dogs they call Pit Bulls) will instantly be deemed dangerous – just because they are called Pit Bulls – no other reason. Also, all Pit Bull owners must have $500,000 of insurance, and there must be a six-foot high fence. Those dogs must named as Pits must also be spay/neutered, also microchipped, and wear a muzzle in public.
The problem is you can no more get $500,000 in insurance for a dog deemed dangerous (even if he is not really dangerous, except that he is a Pit Bull and therefore being called dangerous in Elgin) than you can get health insurance if you have a long list of pre-existing conditions. If by some miracle, you can find an insurance carrier, the cost would be prohibitive. And many subdivisions in Elgin apparently don’t allow 6-foot fencing, not to mention the expense if it is allowed.
So, even if public officials aren’t calling this a breed ban – you tell me what this is. To me, this proposal sounds like a death sentence for any dog they call a Pit Bull.
Read Dale’s post in its entirety here.
2 responses to “Another Apt Blog Post from ‘Pet World’ Host Steve Dale about Elgin, Illinois’ Proposed “Pit Bull” Restrictions”
I am a pit bull owner & I live in Elgin.
This “proposed” list of regulations (LAWS) really upset me & my family. Like you said, what “THEY” call a pit bull is what is truely being singled out. I am a home owner that CAN put up a fence & CAN (if required) muzzel my dog in public BUT I don’t want to. Nor does my dog deserve to be punished when she’s done nothing wrong. Labeling my dog as ‘dangerous’ goes 100% against the “innocent until proven guilty” that our law makers follow. One more thing: there is a ‘find the pit bull’ game/worksheet that I suggest all city counsel member check out. On this worksheet there are 25 pictures of dogs (that all kind of resemble the ‘pit bull’ look) and out of the 25 pictures there is only 1 pit bull in the bunch. So, who’s to say that all these people with their ‘negative’ views based on passed experiences were even labeling these dogs correctly?
Ah, yes, the Find the American Pit Bull Terrier game. I had forgotten about it. Must link to it again. Thank you for reminding me Laura. Play the game at the following link:
http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html