News
Ohio: UPDATE: Pit Bulls One Step Closer to Being Banned in Gallipolis
February 09, 2009, 2:59PM MT
By Cheri Moon
2nd Meeting Scheduled Tuesday March 3: Contact Council Members to Oppose Ban!
2nd Meeting Scheduled Tuesday March 3: Contact Council Members to Oppose Ban!
By Best Friends Staff
To Ohio Residents Only:
An ordinance that will ban pit bulls from Gallipolis, Ohio passed its first reading on February 17 on a 3-2 vote.
The ordinance DOES NOT contain a grandfather clause.
Attend the Meeting or Contact City Council Members Today to Oppose This Ordinance!
Tuesday March 3 at 7 pm
Gallipolis Municipal Building
518 Second Avenue
Gallipolis, Ohio.
(740) 446-1789
?City Council President: James A. Cozza
?City Council Vice-President: Caroll Snowden
?City Council Members:
Dow Saunders
Jon Lynch
Sam Davis
?City Clerk: Annette M. Landers
740-441-6004
If you have questions or concerns to address the commission, please contact the City Clerk.
?City Solicitor: Brent Saunders
?City Manager: C. Joseph Woodall
citymanager@gallianet.net
Is Your Dog At Risk?
This bill is not limited to purebred dogs, but would also impact any mixed breed that resembles a pit bull-type dog.
Although these dogs may have done nothing to endanger the public, they may be seized, impounded and killed simply because of their appearance.
This mandate is inhumane and would burden local governments as they would have to prove a dog is a "pit bull" beyond a reasonable doubt. The DNA testing that is available to determine a dog's heritage costs $80–$160 for each test. Taxpayers have better issues on which to spend their money.
[Phone Call Will Save Lives
A simple phone call from you will protect innocent dogs. All you have to do is call Council Members, say where you live and that you oppose any ordinance that bans pit bulls.
Gallipolis Should Regulate Dangerous Dogs, Not Ban Breeds
A breed specific ordinance will not result in a reduced number of dog bites nor effectively manage dangerous dogs. Rather than breed-discriminatory restrictions, Gallipolis should mirror good generic dangerous dog/reckless owner laws that have been enacted in Illinois and Minnesota.
Some of these laws include regulations that:
• Enforce stricter consequences for dog fighting.
• Encourage residents to spay/neuter their pets.
• Effectively identifies and manages truly dangerous dogs.
• Protect innocent dogs and responsible owners.
• Restrict tethering.
• Prevent reckless owners from having dogs.
Evidence Shows Breed Bans Don't Work
• A study conducted by the American Veterinary Medical Association concluded that factors beyond a dog's breed affect a dog's tendency to be aggressive.
• In 2006, 97 percent of all dog related human fatalities in the United States involved unsterilized canines. National Canine Research Council.
• Breed profiling often fails. "Pit bull" is not a specific breed. It is a generic term that describes the American pit bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier and Staffordshire bull terrier. The physical traits and characteristics of "pit bulls" are shared by approximately twenty-five (25) other breeds.
• Breed discriminatory laws cause unintended hardship to responsible owners of friendly dogs that happen to fall within the regulated breed category.
• Breed-discriminatory laws compromise public safety by requiring officers to enforce regulation on dogs that may or may not be dangerous instead of investing resources into proven, effective tactics that make the community safer.
• A dog is an individual with its own personality. It should be judged on its temperament and not its appearance.
• Studies of pre and post breed ban dog-bite-rates in the United Kingdom and Spain concluded that their pit bull breed ban had no effect whatsoever on reducing dog bites.
Additional Information and Resources
• For alternatives to Breed Discriminatory Legislation (BDL), please view the Best Friends Community Safety Program.
• Download the following article from the Animal Law Coalition’s website and send to your legislators. It contains information that confirms BDL is ineffective and offers real solutions to keep communities safe.
• Join the Stop BDL community for more information on how you can help put an end to breed discrimination.
Photograph by Clay Meyers, Best Friends Staff
Posted by Cheri Moon, Best Friends Staff
**Best Friends Animal Society believes dogs are individuals and opposes any breed discriminatory law.