The Lakewood, Ohio City Council considered an ordinance last night that would drop the current ban on Pit Bulls within city limits and instead would implement a series of rules directed at Pit Bulls, Pit Bull mixes, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, American Pit Bull Terriers, American Bulldogs, Canary Mastiff dogs, and Cane Corso dogs.
While Mayor Mike Summers feels this is an acceptable compromise, many Lakewood residents still feel that Pit Bulls are being unfairly targeted, while there aren’t severe enough punishments for people who own dogs of any breed that are actually aggressive.
At the meeting, resident Greg Murray said:
“This isn’t just about a blocky-headed dogs. This isn’t just about Charlie, Macie, Roscoe, Valentina (dogs who became the “poster faces” to protest the Pit Bull ban). It’s about common sense laws. It’s about safety. It’s about respect. It’s about being a progressive Lakewood. It’s about giving bite victims of any type of dog in Lakewood the respect they deserve by taking safety seriously. It is the city’s job, along with its residents, to create an environment through many different tools and avenues that says, ‘We mean business when it comes to safety.’ That hasn’t happened in 10 years and we didn’t make any headway with Friday’s proposal.”
Here are some of the new rules that owners of certain kinds of dogs would be forced to follow in order to keep bully-type breeds:
Dogs must be secured in:
-An enclosed location with a secure top, such as a house.
-A locked, fenced yard in the rear of the property, also tethered to the ground on a tether no longer than 10 feet or on a tether controlled by someone 18 and older.
-A locked pen, with a secure top, and supervised by someone 18 or older.
Off the owner’s property, these dogs must:
-Be muzzled and on a leash no longer than 6 feet in length and have a person controlling them who is 18 and older.
-The muzzle must allow the dog to be able to drink and eat.
-Owners would also be limited to one dog of any restricted breed.
(H/T: Cleve Scene, One Lakewood)
