Ohio wants to ban Pit Bulls

okay, now I'm irritated.

My SO's aunt's maltese was viciously attacked and killed by an off leash Malamute that was roaming her neighborhood. The dog warden, sheriff, etc all told her there was nothing they could do. Now, had that dog been a pit bull, it would have probably been euthanized, and its owners would have been charged with a misdemeanor of failure to control a dog. Sound fair? No, it's not. The owners got off scott-free even though their aggressive animal, which may go on to kill someone else's dog, took someone's loving pet away from them. I mean, at the very least, some kind of fine!

Now the Ohio government thinks it's going to solve some problems by banning pit bulls. An outright ban, not just the "vicious dog law" we currently have. So, if you have a very sweet, loving pit that you are following all the current rules for, guess what? If the bill passes, they will take your dog from you and kill it.

It doesn't matter how nice your pit bull is, if it loves kids, other dogs, or anything else. If you have five acres of 6' privacy fence all the way around, if you have a pit bull that doesn't even have teeth - they'll take the dog and kill it.

I don't even own a pit bull, and I likely never will - AND I AM OUTRAGED! How can anyone allow this to happen? I've met plenty of sweetheart pitties and even more aggressive little chihuahuas and pomeranians who have bit me - are we going to outlaw chihuahuas next? I could bend to the part where anyone wanting to own a powerful breed (including german shepherds, labs, berners, pretty much anything over 60#) should have to have some kind of permit. But to just tell people because their dog had the misfortune of being the wrong breed that they are going to take it away and kill it is just WRONG. Breed specific legislation does not work. (or as I call it, bull shit legislation BSL)


Here's the article from the AKC website:
[Tuesday, May 20, 2008]

Ohio House Bill 568, introduced by Representative Tyrone Yates of Cincinnati, seeks to prohibit the ownership, keeping, or harboring of a dog that "belongs to a breed that is commonly known as a pit bull dog." Furthermore, if this bill is passed and adopted into law, all such dogs will be seized and euthanized. It is imperative that all concerned dog owners in Ohio contact their elected representatives and express their vehement opposition to this draconian legislation.

The American Kennel Club supports reasonable, enforceable, non-discriminatory laws to govern the ownership of dogs. The AKC believes that dog owners should be responsible for their dogs. We support laws that: establish a fair process by which specific dogs are identified as "dangerous" based on stated, measurable actions; impose appropriate penalties on irresponsible owners; and establish a well-defined method for dealing with dogs proven to be dangerous. The American Kennel Club strongly opposes any legislation that determines a dog to be "dangerous" based on specific breeds or phenotypic classes of dogs.

HB 568 unacceptably provides that:

• No person shall own, keep, or harbor a dog that belongs to a breed that is commonly known as a pit bull dog.
  
• No later than 90 days after the effective date of this bill, a person who owns, keeps, or harbor a pit bull dog will be forced to surrender the dog to a dog warden.
  
• Within ten days of surrender, the dog warden shall euthanize the dog.
  
• If an officer has probable cause to believe that a dog is a pit bull, the officer may apply for a search warrant. After obtaining a search warrant, an officer shall seize the dog and transfer the dog to the dog warden, who shall euthanize the dog within 10 days.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

All concerned Ohio dog owners should contact their elected representatives and express their strong opposition to HB 568. To find your elected representatives, click here.

For more information, please contact AKC's Government Relations Department at (919) 816-3720, or e-mail doglaw@akc.org.