Another Ohio Town Talks Pit Bull Ban
Whitehall, OH - Whitehall is a city in Franklin County, Ohio. Last year, pit bulls accounted for one-third of the dog bites reported to the Franklin County dog pound, although they represent only 1 percent of licensed dogs. Councilwoman Jacquelyn Thompson supports banning pit bulls. She says there are people in the community who live in fear of going outside.
Mayor John Wolfe said he expects a proposal before the council in the next few months. Pit bulls run loose in some Whitehall neighborhoods. Residents are afraid and owners say they have a right to keep them. "These dogs are like our children," said Emily Lowe, whose boyfriend, Roy Bryson, was charged last year with failing to properly confine their three American bulldogs, which the state classifies as pit bulls.
Bryson pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charges and paid for insurance, licenses and shots. He built a 6-foot wooden fence in his backyard to replace the 3-foot wire fence that was no challenge for his dogs to clear. One of them hopped the lower fence one afternoon into the neighbor's backyard. Lowe said she and her boyfriend have since worked with the dogs to make sure they're good around people.
Neighbors are likely not convinced.
These dogs are like our children,” said Emily Lowe, whose boyfriend, Roy Bryson, was charged last year with failing to properly confine their three American bulldogs, which the state classifies as pit bulls. Bryson also was charged with not having insurance for them, not having a license for two of them, and not vaccinating one against rabies.
“Just like children” except for the part about providing minimal veterinary care. These people are nuts!
They used to walk them without a leash….I am sure they thought they looked very “cool” walking three large AB’s, off leash. A good way to frighten and intimidate the neighbors. Of course, if the dogs decided to go after another dog or a child, they are in a pack, and the owner has no control. A recipe for disaster.
There is something truly antisocial about the people attracted to these breeds…..
“There needs to be strict legislation for bad dog owners out there,” she said. “We’re not one of them.”
lack of proper confinement
no insurance
no license
no rabies shots
what exactly does it take to get people to admit that THEY are BAD owners?!
oh yeah roy, that 6 ft fence you are so proud of? that didn’t keep my neighbor’s american bulldog/apbt from busting through.
My daughter was walking in her neighborhood. She had her baby in a stroller and her 3 year old son in a little motorized car. A young pit bull came out of no where, ran across the street where they were and proceeded to bit her legs while she was holding the baby up above her head and yelling for her son to get on top of his car. It took several minutes for the owner and another neighbor to subdue it. (The neighbor was bitten worse than my daughter.) The neighbor then called the police. When the police approached the owner, they were told that the dog was just playing! Luckily, the dog appeared and it’s demeanor even frightened the police!
Of course this pit bull owner is crazy!!!!! But how many other pit bull owners are crazy too. They know that pit bulls were bred specifically for fighting, and the more vicious the better. This is the breed’s genetic makeup.
We don’t let people keep tigers, lions, bears, panthers, etc. In fact, most cities don’t even let people keep chickens which aren’t even dangerous! Why do so many owners think that it is their God given right to keep a pit bull? Where are these owner’s common sense?
I don’t want people to think I am a dog hater. We have always had a dog. When I was a kid my dad always had a farm dog (usually a German shepherd) to herd the animals. I love their affection and loyalty. But I have more sense than to get a dog specifically bred for viciousness!
Talks about a ban are back in Whitehall. Council member Jackie Thompson, who again is sponsoring a proposed pit bull ban recently said:
"We have invited the pit bulls to our city," Thompson. "We have invited them and now we are suffering the consequences."
Current legislation is not working for pit bulls, and the miniscule number of pit bulls properly licensed and perhaps not a public threat do not match up against the safety of the city's 17,000 residents, Thompson said.
"You can't control these dogs," she said.
http://tinyurl.com/mh8nlm