Marty
05-22-2006, 07:52 PM
Jackson,MS -- Pit bulls won't be the only dogs regulated under a proposal the Jackson City Council may soon consider.
City attorneys are revising a proposal to include dog types listed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as potentially dangerous.
The CDC compiled a list in 1998 of about 25 dog types and breeds, including pit bulls, that had fatally attacked humans.
Ward 3 City Councilman Kenneth Stokes initially had proposed regulating only pit bulls, requiring the owners to keep their dogs in an enclosed area at the back of their property and breeders to register their dogs annually with the Jackson Police Department.
But after meeting with pit bull owners on Thursday, Stokes said he wants to include other breeds in the regulations.
"We're going to see if we can get a win-win situation," Stokes said.
Local pit bull owners complained to the City Council that only targeting this type of dog was unfair.
They said pit bulls are naturally aggressive toward other dogs, but not humans.
"Those dogs do need people who will govern them in the correct way, but the breed specificness of this ordinance does concern me because it does not address the Rottweilers or other dogs that are potentially dangerous," pit bull owner Tony Yarber said.
Fred Guice, who operates his lawn service in Jackson, said he's seen pit bulls around but has never been threatened.
"Most of them are gentle, not rough dogs," Guice said. "It depends on the person who raises the dogs. You keep anything caged up, it'll be mean."
Laney Land, a local pit bull owner, said she liked the section of the proposal that requires registration.
During the meeting with council members, Land suggested that the council make documentation from a nationally recognized kennel club a requirement for registration with the police department.
She said this would weed out breeders who raise pit bulls just for profit or fighting.
But Cindy Bishop told council members that not every breeder can afford dogs with the pedigree that kennel clubs require.
Instead, she suggested the city accept a letter from a veterinarian stating that the dog has a good temperament.
Deputy City Attorney Reginald Harrian said the legal office will look into the suggestions from dog owners and also try to establish a time limit for breeders to register.
Stokes said he did not intend for the new ordinance to burden pit bull owners.
"What I was trying to do is not make this seem like something we were trying to make money off of. That's why the fines are so low," he said.
Stokes also said he didn't want to prohibit pit bulls outright, like in Richland, where city officials passed a ban that will go into effect on June 1.
The penalties outlined in Stokes' original proposal were up to one month in jail with the possibility of up to a $200 fine for a first offense.
The proposal also listed jail time of up to six months and a fine of up to $500 for a second offense and jail time of up to a year and a fine of up to $1,000 for a third offense.
State law allows cities to impose no more than six months in jail and no more than $1,000 in fines.
Harrian advised Stokes that the jail time would have be to reduced in the ordinance.
City attorneys expect to have a revised ordinance prepared by early this week.
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060522/NEWS/605220351
City attorneys are revising a proposal to include dog types listed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as potentially dangerous.
The CDC compiled a list in 1998 of about 25 dog types and breeds, including pit bulls, that had fatally attacked humans.
Ward 3 City Councilman Kenneth Stokes initially had proposed regulating only pit bulls, requiring the owners to keep their dogs in an enclosed area at the back of their property and breeders to register their dogs annually with the Jackson Police Department.
But after meeting with pit bull owners on Thursday, Stokes said he wants to include other breeds in the regulations.
"We're going to see if we can get a win-win situation," Stokes said.
Local pit bull owners complained to the City Council that only targeting this type of dog was unfair.
They said pit bulls are naturally aggressive toward other dogs, but not humans.
"Those dogs do need people who will govern them in the correct way, but the breed specificness of this ordinance does concern me because it does not address the Rottweilers or other dogs that are potentially dangerous," pit bull owner Tony Yarber said.
Fred Guice, who operates his lawn service in Jackson, said he's seen pit bulls around but has never been threatened.
"Most of them are gentle, not rough dogs," Guice said. "It depends on the person who raises the dogs. You keep anything caged up, it'll be mean."
Laney Land, a local pit bull owner, said she liked the section of the proposal that requires registration.
During the meeting with council members, Land suggested that the council make documentation from a nationally recognized kennel club a requirement for registration with the police department.
She said this would weed out breeders who raise pit bulls just for profit or fighting.
But Cindy Bishop told council members that not every breeder can afford dogs with the pedigree that kennel clubs require.
Instead, she suggested the city accept a letter from a veterinarian stating that the dog has a good temperament.
Deputy City Attorney Reginald Harrian said the legal office will look into the suggestions from dog owners and also try to establish a time limit for breeders to register.
Stokes said he did not intend for the new ordinance to burden pit bull owners.
"What I was trying to do is not make this seem like something we were trying to make money off of. That's why the fines are so low," he said.
Stokes also said he didn't want to prohibit pit bulls outright, like in Richland, where city officials passed a ban that will go into effect on June 1.
The penalties outlined in Stokes' original proposal were up to one month in jail with the possibility of up to a $200 fine for a first offense.
The proposal also listed jail time of up to six months and a fine of up to $500 for a second offense and jail time of up to a year and a fine of up to $1,000 for a third offense.
State law allows cities to impose no more than six months in jail and no more than $1,000 in fines.
Harrian advised Stokes that the jail time would have be to reduced in the ordinance.
City attorneys expect to have a revised ordinance prepared by early this week.
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060522/NEWS/605220351