Dangerous Dog Ordinance (Huntsville: neighborhood, extermination, pitbull)

[shaken8]

Does anyone know any more about this?

From Reactionary's flashpoint blog:

Dangerous Animal Ordinance - in response to a Jack Russell Terrier getting mauled by a pit bull (?) at the Dog Park (?), Animal Services is proposing an ordinance for dangerous animals.

People at the dog park need to keep their dogs in the correct area. There is a separate pen for small dogs, for a REASON.

Huntsville City Council to Discuss Suspect in Fatal Crash - WAAYTV.com - Huntsville, Alabama - News Weather, Sports |
City Councilwoman Wants To Change Dog Law in Huntsville - WAAYTV.com - Huntsville, Alabama - News Weather, Sports |

^Recent, vague references to proposing such an ordinance.

Does anyone know if they are targeting specific breeds, or if it would be on a case by case basis?

[Reactionary]

Here's what I heard from Dr. Karen Shepherd of Animal Services:

Applies to dangerous dogs and other animals - it is NOT a breed-specific ordinance (it's not even a species specific ordinance).

The process will be violation, doggie jail, municipal court - punishments from the judge can include:

- CASTRATION! (I can't hear that word without crossing my legs) - most offenders are male dogs
- required special fencing (concrete pad, embedded fence posts, caged on all sides)
- muzzled in public with authorized owner handlers
- euthanization

Plus fines and fess, of course.

There will be more public discussion of the ordinance - they're just getting the ball rolling...

[rnc76]

Originally Posted by shaken8

Does anyone know any more about this?

From Reactionary's flashpoint blog:
People at the dog park need to keep their dogs in the correct area. There is a separate pen for small dogs, for a REASON.

Huntsville City Council to Discuss Suspect in Fatal Crash - WAAYTV.com - Huntsville, Alabama - News Weather, Sports |
City Councilwoman Wants To Change Dog Law in Huntsville - WAAYTV.com - Huntsville, Alabama - News Weather, Sports |

^Recent, vague references to proposing such an ordinance.

Does anyone know if they are targeting specific breeds, or if it would be on a case by case basis?

From the second link:

"It's a story you've seen only on WAAY 31. Residents in a southeast Huntsville neighborhood have been terrorized by pitbulls!"

This is a joke. What real news organization would start a story out like this?

Breed specific doesn't work, I'm glad Huntsville Animal Services is not going that route. Frankly, the vast majority of people couldn't identify a pitbull. Anytime a dog bites someone that is short haired, stocky and muscular, the news reports it as a pitbull. If they ban pitbulls, these scum that fight dogs will find another breed of dog to torture and abuse and force to fight. Or, they'll just keep breeding them because they don't care about the law (afterall they fight dogs), while the good, law abiding owners get punished.

As a side, the incident of the pitbull (?, does that mean they weren't sure, so why did they report it as such?) biting a jack russell. First, the pitbull owner should know better than to take a pit into the dog park. They can have dog aggressive tendencies, especially in a high energy, competitive environment like a dog park. Second, the JRT owner should know better than to take it in with the big dogs. Everyone of those dogs I've been around is like a little crack addict, they also have a habit of harassing and nipping at bigger dogs.

[Reactionary]

rnc76 - I put in the (?) because it was late and I didn't care to dig for links and I wanted people to know that the info might not be correct (but that's what people were saying). The first person accounts could have wrongly ID'd both breeds (as you noted) - I haven't seen an 'official' report.

[shaken8]

Originally Posted by rnc76

From the second link:

"It's a story you've seen only on WAAY 31. Residents in a southeast Huntsville neighborhood have been terrorized by pitbulls!"

This is a joke. What real news organization would start a story out like this?

Breed specific doesn't work, I'm glad Huntsville Animal Services is not going that route. Frankly, the vast majority of people couldn't identify a pitbull. Anytime a dog bites someone that is short haired, stocky and muscular, the news reports it as a pitbull. If they ban pitbulls, these scum that fight dogs will find another breed of dog to torture and abuse and force to fight. Or, they'll just keep breeding them because they don't care about the law (afterall they fight dogs), while the good, law abiding owners get punished.

As a side, the incident of the pitbull (?, does that mean they weren't sure, so why did they report it as such?) biting a jack russell. First, the pitbull owner should know better than to take a pit into the dog park. They can have dog aggressive tendencies, especially in a high energy, competitive environment like a dog park. Second, the JRT owner should know better than to take it in with the big dogs. Everyone of those dogs I've been around is like a little crack addict, they also have a habit of harassing and nipping at bigger dogs.

Absolutely agree, rnc.

I will say though, that there are lots of pit bulls out there who are very balanced, and do not have dog aggression issues (many go to dog parks all the time and have no problems at all). But, you're absolutely right that pit bull owners need to take extra precautions. Also, I wish people understood that dog parks AREN'T where dogs should be getting their exercise. They should have a nice long walk to get them into a calm state of mind--or else it causes trouble for every dog in the park. My best guess is that neither of the two dogs in question were exercised properly before going to the park, and the owners probably did not keep a careful eye on their dogs at all times.

My pit bull has issues with dog aggression somewhat (mostly small dogs he sees as prey--hunter instincts are VERY strong with him), but he does have a few good doggie friends, and gets along great with our american bulldog (who is the epitome of a perfect dog). But, I would not trust him in a dog park. He only goes outside under total supervision, and is on a leash at all times when not in my (fenced) backyard. He's a wonderful dog (silly and sweet) around humans and some dogs. I wish people would stop giving the breed a bad name by being irresponsible...

[rnc76]

Originally Posted by shaken8

Absolutely agree, rnc.

I will say though, that there are lots of pit bulls out there who are very balanced, and do not have dog aggression issues (many go to dog parks all the time and have no problems at all). But, you're absolutely right that pit bull owners need to take extra precautions. Also, I wish people understood that dog parks AREN'T where dogs should be getting their exercise. They should have a nice long walk to get them into a calm state of mind--or else it causes trouble for every dog in the park. My best guess is that neither of the two dogs in question were exercised properly before going to the park, and the owners probably did not keep a careful eye on their dogs at all times.

My pit bull has issues with dog aggression somewhat (mostly small dogs he sees as prey--hunter instincts are VERY strong with him), but he does have a few good doggie friends, and gets along great with our american bulldog (who is the epitome of a perfect dog). But, I would not trust him in a dog park. He only goes outside under total supervision, and is on a leash at all times when not in my (fenced) backyard. He's a wonderful dog (silly and sweet) around humans and some dogs. I wish people would stop giving the breed a bad name by being irresponsible...

I agree that many pits can do just fine around other dogs BUT if I was a pit owner, I wouldn't take them to the dog park. Even if another dog attacked a pit and the pit retaliated, guess how the story would be portrayed. I just wouldn't risk it.

I'm a big dog lover. I've only been around about a half dozen pit bulls, but I've yet to meet a mean one. In fact, everyone of them has been a big cuddler. Of course, the ones I've been around have been raised properly in a loving home. I refuse to accept the extermination of a breed because idiots have tortured them and bred them for aggression.

[cugrad]

I was actually there when this happened.

1) The JRT was in the big dog side of the park where it didn't belong. JRT's are just about the WORST dog to bring to the big dog side because they are small, quick, and mostly white. A lot of larger dogs were bred to hunt and see a small fast furry thing as prey.

2) The two dogs were most likely pit mixes. In truth they were closer to the pit standard than most mutts you see labeled as "pits" b/c they were smaller, maybe 40-50 lbs. No clue on their age though, and I didn't get a close look at them.

3) From what I heard second hand (another guy at the park who had talked to the owner of the pits) they had just recently adopted them. You need to be careful with any dog you don't know the history on, ESPECIALLY dogs that are popular with those who want aggressive dogs. My main point here would be the proposed law would have done absolutely nothing to actually prevent this incident. Also, if they were adopted from any rescue service, they would have been spayed/neutered.

4) From the injuries, it looks like the two dogs were trying to pin and submit the JRT. If they wanted to kill it it would have been dead. Unfortunately, people's (understandable) reactions probably made the JRT's injuries worse b/c they picked up one of the pits w/ the JRT still in its mouth.

5) The pits stayed after the fight and had a minor but injury-free incident with another dog maybe 30 min later. After that they left.

On the assumption that the story in #3 is true, to me the best thing to do to improve this situation would be for adoption agencies to require potential owners to take a class on the peculiarities of the "bully breeds" before being allowed to adopt them. In truth, it wouldn't be a bad idea for anyone adopting any dog, but certain breeds pose more challenges to your average new dog owner. Pits/amstaffs/etc. are incredibly sweet dogs and make great pets for the knowledgeable dog owner, but you have to make sure they know who is the boss.

[Keeper]

Folks. this is not the correct forum to discuss the pro's and con's of owning Pitt Bull Terriers. Please keep the discussion about the possible dangerous dog ordinance in H'ville.

[shaken8]

Thanks, Keeper. Sorry that got out of hand...