Pit bull proposal raises tempers

This sounds like an exact repeat of Ontario previously before the ban. When will people figure out;

RESPONSIBLE OWNERS DON'T ALLOW THEIR DOGS TO ROAM.

RESPONSIBLE OWNERS DON'T ALLOW THEIR DOGS TO RUN IN PACTS!

RESPONSIBLE OWNERS DON'T WANT VICIOUS DOGS AS PART OF THEIR FAMILIES!

Whether it be a bullie owner or another breed, RESPONSIBLE OWNERS TAKE CARE OF THEIR DOGS!

Who's going to suffer if the ban is enforced? Responsible owners and their bullie breeds.

The bullie breeds are not human aggressive. It's a taught behaviour, so that takes us right back to irresponsible owners again.

We've seen the effects of what BSL has caused in Ontario and other parts of Canada and the U.S. Innocent dogs snatched from their families and put to death and not only does the family suffer from the loss of their loved one, but pays dearly where it hurts the wallet.

Socialization, a much needed quality to raise a well adjusted, friendly dog ceases or responsible owners need to find new avenues to keep their dogs socialized which usually amounts to paying out more money.

Stop penalizing the responsible owners and their dogs and go after the problem.

The irresponsible owners either abandons their dogs or hides them. They think they are still 'above the laws' and continue to breaks them playing Russian Roulette with their dogs lives.

If you want attacks and bites to stop, start going after the irresponsible owners instead. They don't deserve dogs and dogs don't deserve them.

Pit bull proposal raises tempers
By DONALD BRADLEY
The Kansas City Star

Pit bull lovers and haters crowded into an Independence City Council meeting that came close to turning into a dogfight Monday night.

There were jeers and sneers and name-calling. A councilman told about profanity-laced e-mails sent to the family of a victim who was nearly killed in a recent pit bull attack.

A man who shouted from the audience for tougher pit bull laws had to be removed by police.

The public showdown came in the wake of at least five recent pit bull attacks in the city that left three men hospitalized and four dogs dead. Last week a man sicced his pit bull on a police officer.

Backers of a ban on pit bulls in the city presented the council with a petition with more than 2,300 signatures.

Opponents of a ban said pit bulls, if treated right, are loving and loyal. They cited research that they contend shows that the number of dog attacks did not go down after other cities banned pit bulls.

The biggest ovation — and a standing one — came for the son of Alan Hill, who on May 4 fought for his life against three pit bulls that attacked him while he was mowing a lawn. Hill has been hospitalized since with blood loss, severe bites and nerve damage.

“My father will have to learn all over how to comb his hair, brush his teeth and hug his only granddaughter,” Chris Hill told the packed chamber, his voice breaking as he pleaded with the council to ban pit bulls from the city.
Pit bull owners countered that any dog will turn vicious and that it would be unfair to single out a single breed. They blamed irresponsible owners for the recent attacks.

“Yes, those were pit bulls, but that doesn’t mean all pit bulls are bad,” resident Tim Watkins said. “All breeds, if they have teeth, will bite.”

Chris Hill agreed. “But all dogs can’t kill you,” he added. “Pit bull owners boast about the strength and power of dogs than can pull 3,000 pounds. Am I the only one who thinks that’s not a good thing?”

At the end of Monday’s debate, the City Council directed City Manager Robert Heacock and his staff to begin working on options for a new vicious dog ordinance.

Council member Renee Paluka-White pushed for a tougher ordinance partly because other cities, including Overland Park and neighboring Lee’s Summit, are talking about pit bull bans.

“Some of those dogs will end up in Independence if we don’t do something,” Paluka-White said.

City officials stress that a new ordinance could include a “grandfather clause” that could allow current owners to keep their pets — with restrictions — but ban new pit bulls.

Mayor Don Reimal said any new law must be fair, just and defendable in court.

“We must make a decision, and we will,” Reimal said.

The attack on Alan Hill, 59, of Lee’s Summit, was the most vicious of the recent incidents. The dogs attacked him after he got off a lawn mower near 23rd Street and Kings Highway.

Hill tried to hit and choke the dogs, but soon gave up the fight and attempted to escape by crawling under his Jeep.

The dogs pulled him back. His wife, Connie Hill, said later: “Those dogs were eating him alive.”

The same three dogs, which were later hunted down by police and killed, also attacked two other men that day.

One of them, Steve Dixon, was at Monday’s Independence meeting and signed the petition to ban. He had a patch on his head and bite marks on his arms and neck.

“One bit a chunk out of my temple,” said Dixon, who said he experiences nightmares and panic attacks from the May 4 attack.

Dixon hugged Connie Hill, who told him, “I’m sure my husband would like to meet you, but he’s not ready yet.”