Marty
11-08-2005, 02:46 PM
San Francisco, CA -- One in every ten residents in San Francisco owns a pit bull. Now there's a proposal to require almost all of those owners to get their dogs spayed or neutered.
The Operations and Neighborhoods Committee of the Board of Supervisors approved the proposal Monday, using a new state law to revisit the issue of tighter restrictions affecting a specific breed of dogs.
Supervisor Bevan Dufty is sponsoring the ordinance, which would also require a permit for breeding and selling pit bull puppies. Pet owners who are caught violating the law would be fined up to $1,000.
The proposed ordinance goes before the full Board of Supervisors next week.
Dufty's legislation comes following this year's mauling death of 12-year-old Nicholas Faibish. The family pit pull killed the boy while the child's mother was out shopping. State Senator Jackie Speier pushed for changes in the law allowing San Francisco to establish a law that applies to only one breed of dogs.
Carl Friedman of San Francisco Animal Care and Control says his shelter is overwhelmed by the breed and its mixes. Out of the 120,000 dogs in San Francisco, there are 70,000 known pit bulls.
"I've not not only a public protection issue, I've got an animal welfare problem in terms of an overpopulation of pit bulls," Friedman said. "Right now, it's the only available dog we're euthanizing."
The push for more pit bull regulation is also evident nationally after this weekend's attack on six people after three of the animals escaped from a private home in Illinois. A 10-year-old boy remains in critical condition following that attack.
Many pet owners resist efforts to regulate pit bulls. They contend the breed is no more aggressive than other dogs if properly trained.
http://www.kron4.com/Global/story.asp?S=4083340&nav=5D7l
The Operations and Neighborhoods Committee of the Board of Supervisors approved the proposal Monday, using a new state law to revisit the issue of tighter restrictions affecting a specific breed of dogs.
Supervisor Bevan Dufty is sponsoring the ordinance, which would also require a permit for breeding and selling pit bull puppies. Pet owners who are caught violating the law would be fined up to $1,000.
The proposed ordinance goes before the full Board of Supervisors next week.
Dufty's legislation comes following this year's mauling death of 12-year-old Nicholas Faibish. The family pit pull killed the boy while the child's mother was out shopping. State Senator Jackie Speier pushed for changes in the law allowing San Francisco to establish a law that applies to only one breed of dogs.
Carl Friedman of San Francisco Animal Care and Control says his shelter is overwhelmed by the breed and its mixes. Out of the 120,000 dogs in San Francisco, there are 70,000 known pit bulls.
"I've not not only a public protection issue, I've got an animal welfare problem in terms of an overpopulation of pit bulls," Friedman said. "Right now, it's the only available dog we're euthanizing."
The push for more pit bull regulation is also evident nationally after this weekend's attack on six people after three of the animals escaped from a private home in Illinois. A 10-year-old boy remains in critical condition following that attack.
Many pet owners resist efforts to regulate pit bulls. They contend the breed is no more aggressive than other dogs if properly trained.
http://www.kron4.com/Global/story.asp?S=4083340&nav=5D7l