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Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana to Consider Breed-Specific Law for “Pit Bulls”
Tangipahoa Parish Animal Control Director Chip Fitz has, for over a year, crafted changes to the Parish’s vicious dog ordinance which will soon be considered by the Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana Council. While the ordinance changes propose to further crack down on vicious dogs and presumably their owners, the problem is, the proposed changes will…
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Massachusetts S. 969 No Longer Considered for the Session
As the AKC reported on September 26, 2013, S. 969 is no longer in consideration for this session. As I’ve been writing, S. 969, which would’ve allowed municipalities within Massachusetts to pass breed-specific laws (BSL), appears to have been at the impetus of Boston’s Mayor Thomas Menino, whose name even appeared on the bill…
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Fort Dodge, Iowa Shows Waterloo How to Work with the Community, Not Pass BSL
Seeing that their recently-passed Animal Control ordinance was unfair in parts, the city of Fort Dodge, Iowa, immediately removed two problematic provisions: The limit on the number of pets residents could own and the requirement that dogs be fenced or leashed at all times, even on their owner’s property. See? Now that’s how…
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Belleville, Kansas Refuses to Budge on “Pit Bull” Ban; Threatens Vet’s Therapy “Pit Bull”
Recently I took a tourist cruise on the Mississippi River and just so happened to find myself sharing the boat with those celebrating a World War II reunion with others from their Navy warship. It has been almost 70 years since the war ended and these men were waving the American flag and singing…
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Waterloo, Iowa “Pit Bull” Attacks Will Stop When Waterloo is No Longer a BSL Target
Waterloo, Iowa is certainly not the first city we’ve seen targeted for breed-specific legislation (BSL) for “pit bulls.” It is, however, one of the most severely targeted we’ve seen. And, since the dog lobby has seen this modus operandi before, we’re quite certain that when Waterloo ceases to be a BSL target city,…
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Riverside County, California Mandatory Spay/Neuter Law for “Pit Bulls” on Board Agenda For Sept. 24, 2013
While breed-specific legislation (BSL) requiring “pit bull” owners to spay and neuter their dogs may seem different than an out-and-out ban on “pit bulls,” it’s really not. BSL — whether it bans your dog or merely restricts your dog in some way — is still BSL; it’s still the same old tired, impotent, unenforceable…
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Yakima, Washington Advocates Seek to Lessen “Pit Bull” Ban Restrictions
Animal advocates, who believe the city of Yakima is overly harsh in banning “pit bulls,” are lobbying Yakima’s city officials to “toss the current ban” according to KIMA CBS 29. Yet Yakima Mayor Micah Cawley sees it differently: “I don’t see it being lifted. I know that people have sent petitions in and want to…
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Pawtucket, R.I. Reduction in Dog Bites Corresponds with Overall Trend in Crime Reduction, NOT Because of BSL
Oh, if only I had a nickel for every time someone used skewed or half-truth statistics to push the lie that is breed-specific legislation (BSL). For instance, last week, Pawtucket, Rhode Island, in a desperate bid to keep their city-wide “pit bull” ban, released statistics showing that the city of Pawtucket supposedly had a…
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Ontario MPP Randy Hillier is Re-Introducing Bill 16 to Repeal Ontario’s “Pit Bull” Ban
Ontario’s Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) Randy Hillier will be re-introducing Bill 16 — formerly “Hershey’s Bill” — to repeal Ontario’s breed-specific ban on “pit bulls.” Why? Because as the Toronto Humane Society and Hamilton, Ontario have both acknowledged, Ontario’s breed-specific law (BSL) is not working. Hamilton and the Toronto Humane Society…
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Swanton, Ohio Doesn’t Know What a “Pit Bull” is Either, Just like Denver and Toledo
Like Denver and Toledo, it looks like Swanton, Ohio can’t tell what a “pit bull” is as defined by their own ordinance either. Tim Bork of Swanton was recently cited by Fulton County Dog Warden Brian Bannister for having a “pit bull-type dog,” a dog identified by Bannister as a Fila Brasileiro mix, which…