Dear City Council Members,
I am writing today about the city’s ordinance
506.00, and specifically in reference to 506.03 which bans pit bull and pit
bull breeds as well as pit bull mixes. This ordinance specifically
names three individual breeds, American Pit Bull Terrier, American
Staffordshire Terrier, and The Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and then goes on to
state that “any dog of mixed breed which has the appearance and characteristics
of such breeds” is also banned. This leaves identification of these breeds open
to easily made mistakes. There are roughly twenty breeds of dog often
erroneously identified as “pit bulls”.
I personally know of a situation in which a
man’s beagle was misidentified as a “pit bull”, and law enforcement required
his owner to obtain genetic testing to prove that the dog was, in fact 100%
beagle. Another instance that I have been made aware of occurred right here in
Lakewood. A Boston terrier was misidentified by law enforcement as a “pit bull”
puppy. This situation again required the owner to obtain expensive genetic
testing to prove that his dog was actually a Boston terrier, and not a pit bull
puppy.
A simple Google search will quickly render
dozens upon dozens of articles discussing the media misreporting a “pit bull
attack”, or a victim identifying the attacking dog as “pit bull”, only to later
find that the dog was actually a Labrador, a Rottweiler, a Bulldog, a Rhodesian
Ridgeback, a Boxer, etc. One could easily site such breed mix ups ad infinitum. A Mislabeled dog is an unnecessary cost to
the constituents of Lakewood.
A broad definition of what a dangerous dog is,
based upon appearance rather than behavior, is akin to racial profiling. Back
in Nashville, where I lived prior to moving to this area two years ago, there
was a very bad problem with Mexican gangs. Northern Mexican and Southern
Mexican gangs were constantly fighting over territory. Nashville also has a
very large Hispanic and Latino population consisting of good, hard working, law
abiding people from many countries, not just Mexico. Due to the Mexican gangs
being so very violent, should Nashville have outlawed all people of Hispanic or
Latino heritage, or who appear to be predominantly Hispanic or Latino rather
than arresting only those individuals who made trouble? Absolutely not. Yet,
this is precisely what is being done with pit bull breeds.
Passage of this ordinance in Lakewood has
not addressed the root cause of any vicious dog problem, and it is having a
negative impact on responsible, law abiding dog owners. It has been
documented that there is little usefulness in using breed-specific legislation
as an attempt to protect a community’s citizens from dog attacks or bites. The
American Veterinary Medical Association Task Force on Canine Aggression and
Human-Canine Interactions has stated that breed-specific legislation has no
merit and that targeting those individual dogs, of any breed, that commit acts
of aggression will directly address the problem. (citing reports from CDC, 1997;
CDC, 2003; AVMA, 2001)
In fact, temperament evaluations by the American
Temperament Test Society have given American Pit Bull Terriers a very high passing
rate of 90.6 percent. The average
passing rate for the other 121 breeds of dogs represented in these tests was 77
percent. Based on this extensive testing conducted by professional dog
temperament assessors, pit bulls are less likely to bite or attack than Golden Retrievers.
Obviously, I am strongly opposed to this
ordinance banning pit bull and pit bull type dogs from Lakewood. I ask that you
revisit and revise the city’s position on this discriminatory breed-specific legislation
(506.00-506.03).
A much better alternative to breed-specific
legislation is to support reasonable, enforceable, non-discriminatory laws to
govern the ownership of dogs and to hold irresponsible dog owners to a higher social,
legal, and financial accountability.
I am asking that you reverse
this ordinance because any such law that is specific to breed does not address
the real problem, irresponsible dog owners.
Many Lakewood residents,
including dog owners like myself, have insightful, practical ideas to ensure
that well-behaved, well socialized pets, of all breeds, are the norm for this
city. Let’s work together to make Lakewood both safe and dog-friendly.
Are there any plans to
speak with resident dog owners? I would like to be a part of the discussion
group.
Respectfully,
Fortune Cookies
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