Sioux City Politician Eating Crow

Iowa politician who pushed for pit bull ban seeks mercy for his Labrador that bit a neighbor




Sioux City, Iowa, City Councilman Aaron Rochester was instrumental in a successful campaign last year to ban pit bulls within city limits. Among the most damning evidence he presented in support of the ban was animal control department reports showing that pit bulls were the breed most apt to bite people.
Rochester had a bit of egg on his face, then, when his own dog -- a yellow Labrador retriever named Jake -- bit a neighbor and was deemed vicious by the Sioux City animal control department. Rochester maintained that Jake, "a great watchdog," was only trying to protect his young daughter and a friend, who were playing nearby. But the bite required five stitches, and the victim maintained he'd done nothing to provoke the attack.
A city code requires that vicious dogs be euthanized for the public's safety. But Rochester appealed to Sioux City's police captain, Pete Groetken, for clemency.

"I think it will be very difficult for me to reverse a decision by [animal control] unless there was strong evidence that there was a need for the animal to protect the owner's property," Groetken told the Sioux City Journal before making his ruling. The ruling came last week in the form of a certified letter to Rochester: Jake is vicious.

Rochester says he will once again appeal in hopes of saving Jake, this time to a special arbiter appointed by the city manager. In an interview with the Journal, he stressed that even the victim of the attack, who has declined to be named, "doesn't want anything to happen to Jake. He does not want him put down."
Since Groetken made his decision, Sioux City pit bull owners have urged officials to repeal the ban, in part because Rochester's case has shown that pits aren't the only breed capable of biting people. (The ban allowed those who already owned pit bulls to keep their dogs, provided they complied with other regulations, such as mandatory registration, but forbids future pit bull ownership in the city.)
-- Lindsay Barnett
Photo: A pit bull stands in a cage at the L.A. County animal shelter in Carson. Credit: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times


http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unl...city-councilmans-labrador-deemed-vicious.html


What goes around comes around, Rochester :rolleyes:

 

Owners lobby for repeal of pit bull ban

Incident with Rochester's Lab proves any breed can bite, they say

Posted: Tuesday, July 07, 2009 SIOUX CITY -- Several pit bull owners urged city lawmakers Monday night to repeal the ban on new pit bull ownership, pointing out that it's not just their breed that bites people.

The group referred to Councilman Aaron Rochester's Labrador retriever. Sioux City Animal Control declared the 3-year-old dog, Jake, vicious for biting a neighbor who was walking by the Rochesters' home on June 27.

Rochester appealed the designation, but last week, Police Capt. Pete Groetken upheld Animal Control's ruling.

Rochester, who initiated the pit bull ban last year, said he intends to appeal to a special master in an effort to save Jake from a death sentence.

The ban, which took effect in September, includes regulations for microchipping, leashing and kenneling pit bulls and pit-bull mixes. Owners were allowed to keep pets they already had but may not replace any that die.

"I think it's been proven that any breed can bite," Andy Bagshaw said at Monday's City Council meeting. "I commend the City Council for wanting to keep citizens safe. ... This ordinance only hurts responsible pet owners. If my dog has to be behind a 6-foot fence, all dogs should be behind a 6-foot fence."

Rochester has said Jake was wearing a collar to shock him if he strayed across the underground electric fence in his yard, but said he didn't know whether the animal got shocked when he ran onto the sidewalk and bit the neighbor. The man, who has not been identified, received five stitches in his left thumb. Groetken's report on the incident indicates the attack was unprovoked.

Rochester has said he believes Jake was protecting his daughter, who was playing with a friend in the yard.

"I do not believe in these electric fences," Rick Borg, a pit bull owner, said at Monday's meeting. "They aren't worth a darn. ... I'm sorry for you, Mr. Rochester. If the fence had been there, your kids wouldn't have to worry about losing their dog."

If a special master appointed by the council upholds the vicious designation, the Lab will have to be euthanized. Rochester would have the option of appealing the master's decision to district court but said Monday he does not plan to do so.

On Feb. 4, 2008, the council appointed retired Police Capt. Glen Hanson to serve as special master in such appeals. Hanson, a 34-year veteran of the department serves as a volunteer and is not reimbursed.

Amanda Gardner, another pit bull owner, said she and others started Justice for Pit Bulls, which finds out-of-state homes for pit bulls that can't be licensed in the city but haven't been declared vicious or high risk.

"I'm sorry anybody has to go through this," she told Rochester. "If it comes to that (euthanization), maybe we can place your dog."

Rochester replied, "I really appreciate that."

It's most likely a vain hope, however. Cindy Rarrat, owner of Sioux City Animal Control, said Monday night that the city's vicious animal ordinance no longer allows animals that have been declared vicious to be placed in other jurisdictions.

"I have 11 dogs all waiting who have been determined high risk or vicious," Rarrat said.

Among them, in addition to Jake, is Jeri Dillavou's dog. Dillavou also has appealed her case to the special master. She urged the council to redefine vicious animals to give Groetken and the special master more authority to consider the circumstances of each dog bite.

Councilman Jim Rixner told her, "I strongly disagree. If a dog bites someone, we have Animal Control to protect the public. I believe these hearings are done in a fair way."

Mayor Mike Hobart, who owns three dogs, said, "My heart goes out to you if your dog ends up being euthanized."


http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2009/07/07/news/local/6035747a030c1edb862575ec001471d3.txt

 

i DONT KNOW HOW TO FEeL ABOUT THis

 

Maybe after loosing his dog he'll see the light....

 

Guy that pushed to ban "dangerous dog" suddenly has his "dangerous dog" up on the chopping block. Irony's a cruel mistress. That's how I feel

 

wel thats called karma

 

Oops, this is awkward......
Life has its way of playing you like a fiddle and if this ain't a sweet song I don't know what is.

 

he needs to pipe down and eat his piece of humble pie. further proof of how BSL doesn't protect citizens from irresponsible owners, regardless of breed.

if that dog had attacked me for no reason, it would have been dead befoe AC got there.

 

The thing is, if an APBT owner (any responsible one) has a dog who bites someone it's put down. right then.

We aren't all trying to save our HA dogs. . .

but, we are somehow a danger to the public when this man, who knows his dog bit someone unprovoked, wants him back. . .

 

^^^ i totally agree...irony, karma, whatever ppl want to call it, it simply boils down to wut my mom always said..." GOD don't like ugly"...condolences to the bite victim and the children losing a vicious cur...