Ceresco bans any new pit bulls - NE

http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2006/05/18/local/doc446bac733f080128708298.txt

Ceresco bans any new pit bulls
By Jonnie Taté Finn / Lincoln Journal Star

Ceresco residents who own pit bulls can keep their dogs after the village board revised an ordinance that had banned the breed from town limits.

The ordinance, passed in February, was amended Tuesday. While no new pit bulls will be allowed in the town, any resident possessing the breed before this new ordinance will be allowed to keep the dog if certain conditions are met, said Sheri Skeahan, village clerk.

* The residents must prove they have at least $300,000 in liability insurance.

* The dog is spayed or neutered.

* The dog is licensed.

According to the ordinance, pit bulls being walked or exercised on public property must be on a leash and handled by a person at least 19 years old. If these conditions aren’t met, Skeahan said she has the authority to impound the dog immediately.

The ordinance also was amended Tuesday to define what is considered a pit bull or pit bull mix. Skeahan said any dog exhibiting the physical features of an American pit bull terrier, an American Staffordshire terrier or a Staffordshire bull terrier shall be considered a pit bull or pit bull mix.

“This isn’t meant to be a discriminatory thing,” Skeahan said. “In fact, most of our residents here have shown total support for the ordinance, which is why it passed.”

The original ordinance became controversial when Ceresco resident and pit bull owner Richard Meggit asked the village to allow his dog to remain because he lived there before the ordinance. The village denied the request, and Meggit moved to Lincoln in March rather than give up his dog.

Another Ceresco resident, Dawn Amory, hired an attorney to persuade the town to grant her an exception because her mixed-breed dog may include Staffordshire terrier. Her request was approved.

At Tuesday’s board meeting, the village board welcomed Meggit to move back to Ceresco but added he would have to do so by May 31 in order to have his dog qualify for the new exemption.

Meggit, who owns a 10-month-old pit bull mix named Kane, said he was disappointed with the new ordinance and would consider filing a civil lawsuit against the city to reimburse his moving costs.

“I wouldn’t have moved my family had (this new ordinance) been in effect,” he said.

Prompting Ceresco’s pit bull ordinance was an incident involving a pit bull running loose near a day care facility. Later it was determined the dog was actually a boxer-bulldog mix, Skeahan said.

The village has not had any pit bull-related bites or attacks, but the ordinance was a pre-emptive move against assaults, she said.

“We were getting complaints about dogs with pit bull characteristics,” Skeahan said. “We didn’t want to mess around and take a chance that something could happen with pit bulls around. We want to protect our residents by taking proactive measures.”

Ceresco isn’t the only town with an ordinance against pit bulls. Geneva has had a similar law for years.

In September, the Waverly City Council approved an ordinance with stricter penalties to residents owning potentially dangerous dogs, including Rottweilers, Staffordshire terriers, American pit bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers or any dog exhibiting the physical characteristics of a potentially dangerous dog.

The Waverly ordinance says owners of these dogs must pay a $50 fee to the city annually, in addition to the city’s other dog licensing requirements.

In 2004, Seward lawmakers pondered a ban on pit bulls and Rottweilers, but the issue was never taken to a vote. That same year, Saunders County also decided not to outlaw pit bulls.

Reach Jonnie Taté Finn at 473-7395 or tfinn@journalstar.com.