Boonville, Missouri Overturns BSL After 18 Years
Mayor breaks tie on new dangerous dog ordinance Boonville Mayor Julie Thacher’s vote broke the tie (four to four) to ultimately approve the new dangerous dog ordinance, which releases a ban on pit bulls in Boonville. By Edward Lang, Managing Editor Posted Jul. 21, 2015 at 12:01 AM Updated Jul 21, 2015 at 10:51 AM […]
Pit Bull Bans Disappearing
Firefighters needed an ax and a pike pole to pry the snarling pit bull off of 71-year-old Jimmie Mae McConnell’s torn and bloody body.
That fatal dog attack in 2006 led to calls for tougher enforcement of the now-24-year-old pit bull ban in Kansas City, Kan., while prompting other area cities to tighten their restrictions on a breed known for its muscular build and savage bite.
Yet thanks to research that shows little correlation between fatal dog bites and the breeds of the dogs inflicting those wounds, the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kan., is now considering what would have been unthinkable a few years ago.
Unified Government commissioners this month will take up a comprehensive animal-control ordinance that repeals the ban on pit bulls.
Instead, the proposed policy would impose new rules and restrictions aimed at preventing dog attacks without regard to breed by focusing on the behavior of animal owners and their pets.
Read more here: In a quiet trend …
Roeland Park considers lifting pit bull ban
ROELAND PARK, KS (KCTV) – September 23, 2014
The city of Roeland Park is considering becoming the latest area municipality to lift its pit bull ban. Some council members believe it makes more sense to have a ban on dangerous animals rather than a breed specific ban.
In January, Bonner Springs lifted its pit bull ban. Kansas City allows pit bulls, but they have to be spayed or neutered. Independence and Kansas City, KS ban the dogs. Kellie Maschmeyer hopes Roeland Park joins the effort to outlaw the bans. She had to give up her 4-year-old dog, Chloe, when she moved to Roeland Park in February because of the pit bull ban. “I was horrified because we had been looking at other places to live and most of them don’t have the pit ban,” she said. “(Giving up Chloe) was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.” Maschmeyer, who had owned Chloe since she was 11 weeks old, said pit bull owners are not a danger to society and deserve to have their dogs. She said she’s been bitten by a boxer and border collie.
Councilwoman Jennifer Gunby proposed lifting the breed specific restriction, which has been on the books since the late 1980s.
Michael Berney, who owns a golden retriever and a lab, supports the ordinance change. He said it’s more important to focus on specific dogs with issues rather than a specific breed. “I think when you pick on one breed it’s going to make their image look a lot worse,” Berney said. “If you raise them mean, they’ll be mean no matter what kind of breed they are.”
Opponents of the ban say even little dogs can be dangerous.
A council committee could discuss the change on Oct. 6 and then the council vote the following week. The proposal includes other changes to the city’s regulations of dogs and would adopt feral cat language. Currently, anyone in Roeland Park with an American pit bull, American Staffordshire terrier or Staffordshire bull terrier face a fine of $200 to $500 and up to 30 days in jail. Each day is considered a separate violation. The city will also impound any pit bulls.
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Bonner Springs reviewing ordinance after family dog seized
Bonner Springs lifts ban
Wellsville considers lifting ban
Attitudes and Laws Against Pit Bulls Soften
March 11, 2014
By BILL DRAPER
Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For much of the past three decades, pit bulls have been widely regarded as America’s most dangerous dog — the favorite breed of thugs, drug dealers and dog-fighting rings, with a fearsome reputation for unprovoked, sometimes deadly attacks.
Hostility toward “pits” grew so intense that some cities began treating them as the canine equivalent of assault rifles and prohibited residents from owning them.
But attitudes have softened considerably since then as animal activists and even television shows cast the dogs in a more positive light. The image makeover has prompted many states to pass new laws that forbid communities from banning specific breeds. And it illustrates the power and persistence of dog-advocacy groups that have worked to fend off pit bull restrictions with much the same zeal as gun-rights groups have defeated gun-control measures.
Pit Bull Roundup in Southeastern Missouri
December 5, 2012
ST. CHARLES, MO (KTVI) – It was pit bull round up day in one small Missouri town. Some say it’s not protecting the public, but claim it’s robbing responsible owners of their family pets.
It took place in Sikeston, MO. Fox 2′s Chris Hayes found out about the program after learning about a sudden influx of dogs coming to the St. Louis area.
About 20 dogs from Sikeston were shipped up to St. Charles to make room for seized pit bulls in Southern Missouri. The reported pit bulls may have no reported problems. Some may not even be pit bulls, like Yulonda Mitchell’s dogs. Mitchell said officers took her brother’s dogs, even though she believed they were bulldogs.
She said her family dogs were, “…licensed and up to date on their shots. We did everything, you know, complied with the City ordinance but they still wanted to remove the dogs.” Chris Hayes asked, “This was a family pet?” Mitchell, “It was a family pet.”
Yet she says no one touches the strays like we saw right after our interview.
Mitchell explained, “I said why don`t you guys get those dogs? (The animal control officers) say, well those dogs are just too smart for us. We can`t catch `em.”
Holly Jobe said officers almost got her pet.
Jobe explained, “They said they were going to take her because she does not like a man in uniform. Ha ha. And she tried to go after him because they were tampering with her property and I told them they was not taking my dog.”
So she complied with a long list of regulations that only apply to pit bulls in Sikeston — put up a ‘beware of dog’ sign, get insurance, put on a hard collar on the dog, take multiple pictures and so on.
Mark and Jamie Buehrle started fighting for pit bulls nationwide after finding so many people who don’t understand. Jamie said, “All they know is the media they see and the horror stories and the neighbor’s brother’s sister that got attacked. Half of them meet (our pit bull mutt) Slater and then are rolling on the floor with him by the time they leave our house. (Mark says) Every kid that comes to our house goes right to him.”
The Buehrle’s faced a pit bull ban when Mark pitched for the Miami Marlins. So they moved to the suburbs. Next year he pitches for Toronto, where there’s another pit bull ban. Jamie believes the regulations have no impact on irresponsible dog owners.
Jamie said, “It`s people like my family that actually try to abide by the law, live up to your ordinances of your town, that it`s affecting. Now it`s affected us twice in a two year period.”
Fox2 made five calls to representatives of the City of Sikeston, with no response. The pit bulls seized apparently risked immediate euthanasia. To prevent that, a Sikeston shelter sent about 35 dogs to other shelters. Most came to the St. Louis area. 20 came to the no kill St. Charles Five Acres shelter. They’re various breeds that now need homes in the St. Louis area, because of a roundup 150 miles away.
Some dogs went to local Sikeston area rescues too. SEMO Animal Rescue Alliance and Paws New England took in animals, both which are already overcrowded. Other private rescue groups also helped take in dogs, keeping about 15 down in the Southeaster Missouri.
“The group ‘Best Friends” responded to our report by sending this alert for residents to take action – http://www.capwiz.com/
As of midnight December 5, 102 people had sent letters to Sikesont City Council members asking for a repeal.
Many towns recently dropped pit bull regulations, like Chesterfield and Wentzville.
According to the Best Friends Animal Society, “300 Missourians have sent letters to Sikeston asking for the repeal within 24 hours”
See video: Missouri Town Seizes Pet Pitbulls
Missouri Town on Mission to Kill Pit Bull Pets, Residents Fight Back
Residents in Sikeston, Mo., are claiming their pit bulls pets are being targeted, their lives threatened. In fact, dozens of dogs were removed from their homes and risked immediate euthanasia.
One woman, Yulonda Mitchell, said her dogs — which aren’t even pit bulls — are licensed and up to date on their shots. She said they complied with the city ordinances, but still her dogs were taken by animal control officers.
Mitchell told FOX 4 Now she asked the officer why they weren’t trying to catch stray dogs. According to Mitchell, the animal control officer said, “Those dogs are just too smart for us. We can’t catch them.”
Another woman, Holly Jobe, said officers nearly took her dog.
“They said they were going to take her because she does not like a man in uniform,” Jobe told FOX 2. “And she tried to go after him because they were tampering with her property, and I told them they was not taking my dog.”
Jobe said she was then forced to comply with a long list of regulations that only apply to pit bulls in Sikeston — regulations that include putting up a “beware of dog” sign, buying insurance, putting a hard collar on the dog, take multiple pictures and more.
FOX 2 called the City of Sikeston five different times, but received no response. The pit bulls that were seized risked immediate euthanasia. To prevent their deaths, a shelter in Sikeston shipped 35 dogs to other shelters.
Over 300 people have sent letters to Sikeston City Council members asking for a repeal.
Lennox Killed: Sweet Dog A Martyr For Bully Breeds Everywhere
July 11, 2012 08:36 AM EDT
by Linda Shaw
Lennox may not have lived in your city, town or state. He may not have even lived in your country. However, if you are an animal lover then you’re bound to have heard of his plight.
Sadly, that plight ended today with one dose of lethal injection on a dog who did absolutely nothing wrong.
Lennox was killed.
No, wait. He wasn’t killed, he was murdered. And you know why? Because he “looked” like a Pit Bull.
The dog that caught the attention of animal lovers across the globe wasn’t murdered for biting someone or attacking other animals. He didn’t act aggressive. He didn’t even try to bite the dog warden who came to take him away from his loving family and lead him to death.
No, this was a good dog, who never showed signs of hurting anyone or anything. Yet he was murdered because he looked like a dangerous dog.
The story of the Labrador – American Bulldog cross has captured hearts around the globe with pleas on social networking sites to free him. The world has banded together to try and save this condemned soul, but sadly, the Belfast, Ireland, council had their mind-set on murdering him no matter what anyone thought.
For the past two years, his owners have tried to fight to get their dog back after he was seized for looking like a pit bull and then measured. The measurements gave the dog warden the indication that he was a pit bull — one of the so-called “bully breeds” — and therefore he should be killed.
His owners fought day in and day out to save him, but he didn’t know that because since the fateful day in 2010 he has not been able to have a visit from them once. He probably feels like they abandoned him and never loved him, which is far from the truth.
So, today, July 11, 2012, the world took a step backwards. Because even though this was the story of a dog, he was still discriminated against and murdered senselessly.
You’ve got to ask yourself what that says for the cold-hearted politicians in Northern Ireland, who will no doubt be pegged as targets by animal rights activists.
Nobody could save you, Lennox, but the whole world loved you. It’s just too bad you never got the chance to know it.
Photo courtesy of the Belfast Telegraph
Pit bull ban forces Marlins pitcher Mark Buehrle to move out of Miami
Mark Buehrle is doing all he can to adjust to his new surroundings in South Florida, but he’s already having to make a few adjustments MSN story here