Officials ponder pit bull ban mandate

I'm getting so angry when I see articles like this one that blame the Pit bulls for everything and make them as if they are a breed so different from other dogs. I just lost my cool and gave them a piece of my mind. I hope you go to The Argus Observer Online and do the same.

Officials ponder pit bull mandate
By Larry Hurrle Argus Observer
Tuesday, March 13, 2007 12:04 PM PDT

PAYETTE - Payette County Commissioners listened to testimony Monday but made no decision concerning an ordinance to outlaw ownership of pit bulls within the county.Commissioners began work several months ago on an ordinance that would bring the county in line with the cities of Payette and Fruitland, which both adopted ordinances concerning pit bulls.

At Monday's hearing in the district courtroom of the Payette County Courthouse, Payette County Coroner Keith Schuller told an audience of about 16 people that the county needed a pit bull ordinance.

“There is evidence that shows pit bull attacks are more severe and are more likely to cause injury or death,”

Schuller said. “They can make gentle pets - but they require special attention. Pit bulls give no warning before they attack and they will not retreat.”

Schuller told commissioners about his 2-year-old daughter who was attacked by a pit bull he had as a pet.

“You are justified in passing this ordinance,” Schuller said. “Behavior of pit bulls cannot be determined simply by looking at it. It can't be predicted which pit bull will engage in aggressive behavior.”

Schuller said many pit bull owners at the meeting would not be in favor of the ordinance because they believe their dog would never attack. Some, he said, would be right, while others would be wrong.

“Until an attack takes place, it is impossible to prove an owner is not responsible,” Schuller said. “In Ontario and Winnipeg, Canada, and in England, where the breed began, pit bulls are banned.”

Virgil Goodnight, 71, a Malheur County resident, was attacked by two pit bulls last year.

“The owner (of the pit bulls) had no insurance,” Goodnight told commissioners. “I had some insurance. There was $25,000 in hospital and doctor bills.” Goodnight showed pictures of his arms shortly after the attack, which had hundreds of puncture wounds.

“I'm a strong man. I always have been a strong man,” Goodnight said. “Since then I've lost 40 percent of the strength in my arms. They ache every night. I don't want this to happen to somebody else.”

Amber Miller, Schuller's daughter who was attacked when she was 2, talked to commissioners, but only to explain what pit bull owners had to deal with to get insurance.

“It's possible to get insurance when you own a pit bull,” she said. “I'm working on a $2 million homeowners policy because a man owned a pit bull that attacked two people. One was an $18,000 claim and the other was a $16,000 claim. After the second attack, his insurance was dropped and he got rid of the pit bulls.”

Barb Hutchinson, Payette, owner of 2nd Chance Animal Shelter in Fruitland, said she was in favor of an ordinance dealing with dangerous dogs, but was against a breed-specific ordinance such as the one the county is considering.

“This is not effective because it affects owners who have done nothing to endanger the area,” Hutchinson said. “When pit bulls are criminalized, only criminals will have pit bulls.”

Hutchinson said irresponsible pit bull owners will continue to disrespect the law no matter what. She said people identify a dog as a pit bull even when they have no idea what breed the dog really is.

“What you need is well-regulated leash laws, licensing laws and spay and neuter laws,” she said. “If you have a good dangerous dog ordinance that is enforced, you head them off at the pass. Any dog is capable of doing great harm. We do support a danger our dog ordinance.”

Hutchinson said the ordinance could be considered unconstitutional because it is vague and does not appear to have any due process

.“You have no leash law in this county,” she said. “You need a leash law, or at least have these farmers keep their dogs on their property. Some of the ordinance is good. Breed-specific is what I am opposed to.”

New Plymouth resident Rachel Bickle said she, too, is against a breed-specific ordinance. Lloyd Brundage, also of New Plymouth, said a dangerous dog ordinance is what the county should be considering, rather than breed-specific.

“People should be taking responsibility for the dog they own,” he said.

Wally Kimball, New Plymouth, said he used to run, but had to give it up after dogs began chasing him, even on public roads.

“If I'm bit by a Pekinese, it's going to hurt, but not like a pit bull,” Kimball said. “I would like to see the ordinance be breed-specific.”

Payette County Prosecutor Brian Lee said the ordinance is patterned after an ordinance in Colorado, which has withstood constitutional challenges. He said identification of a possible pit bull or pit bull mix would be up to a state veterinarian. If no identification could be made, he said, there would be no violation.

Questioned about out-of-county pit bull owners traveling through the county with their dogs, Lee said the county will require a permit to transport the dog through the county, but only to close any loopholes for someone who is attempting to skirt the law.

In the end, commissioners chose to leave the hearing open until Monday at 5 p.m. Commissioners did not give any indication when a decision on the ordinance would be made.

Comment Blog - Note: All Comments Subject To Approval


Sticky wrote on March 14, 2007 1:42 AM:
"County Coroner Keith Schuller is mistaken when he days Pit Bulls are more likely to cause more serious injuries and that they give no warning. I challenge him to provide the evidence."

Conners wrote on March 13, 2007 6:45 PM:
"Regarding Officials ponder pit bull mandate, the comment that a Pit bull gives no notice prior to an attack is plain bunk! The Pit bull breeds use body language just like any other breeds. Their hair will stand up, they will make eye contact and stare their opponent just to name two.
If you look back to the days when they originally bred Pit bulls for fighting sport, they were family dogs. They were bred and trained to fight other dogs in the pit, but never bite their handlers (also in the ring) and were kept at home same as any other dog.
IF a dog did bite a human on a very rare occation it was immediately shot between the eyes dead.
These fights were also not to the death. If a dog was getting too beaten up, the handler would pull the dogs back as the handlers prided their dogs.
If you are aware of their history, why are you not aware that they are not people aggressive? The ones that are have been trained to do so. They're loyalty is to a fault. They will do anything to please their owners and in the wrong hands that loyalty could spell disaster.
It's funny about the statement about if bitten by a Pekinese, because it was a Pomeranian (sp?) that killed an infant. How quickly we forget!
All dogs have teeth and are capable of biting and doing severe harm, but to pin it on a specific breed (which are actually 3 to 4 breeds you are speaking of plus mixes)when you call them Pit bulls.
I have a certified service dog that is an American Pit bull Terrier. That is not unusual for the Pit bull breeds. They are strong and able to take the bumps and bangs of wheelchairs and pulling wagons of groceries home. They are intuitive and can smell and alert a person having an attack and even alert a person to disease such as cancer. They are intellegent enough to know how to wake up a sleeping sick person that needs to take medication at certain times without being trained for it.
These same dogs have been honoured as hero's for their bravery that will lay down their own life for a human or other animals. They excel at Search and Rescue, bomb and drug detection. Helen Keller used a American Pit bull Terrier as her Companion Dog (meaning Service Dog back then.)
Why does it sound like both you and I are talking about totally different breeds when we are talking about the same?
The problem is the majority of people do not know what a Pit bull is and the media hype that is is thrown at us. How many times does the media out blow a story about an attack to a child, but that very day, that same child is playing nicely outside in the back yard with barely a scratch. Vicious attack my foot.
We should go back to the days when the media told us facts rather than the fiction you hear of today.
Go after the root of the problem and that's the owners that don't respect their dogs but instead use them for illegal gain. The dogs are the victims in this situation. They are the ones that need rescuing and put into good homes to be cared for properly.
I bet I will never see this comment posted. Too informative for all the Pit bull hating public that the media has brainwashed. "