BSL NOT PASSED! North Muskegon, Michigan

Diana McKay <mipitcrew@yahoo.com> wrote:
New animal ordinance tightens rules for dogs
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
By Teresa Taylor Williams
ttwilliams@muskegonchronicle.com

A new animal ordinance in the city of North Muskegon will not ban pit bulls or any specific animal breed.

But it does tighten up language about vicious and dangerous animals, and now requires dog owners to keep them confined, fenced in or on a leash.

The new ordinance was unanimously approved Monday by the North Muskegon City Council, but not before most of the audience of nearly 20 citizens gave their input.

The pleas were passionate. Resident Jim Corbett implored the council to be more stringent with certain dog breeds, because a neighbor has a pit bull and he's worried an attack is imminent.

"Your (revised) ordinance requires a dog to do something bad first. I'm not willing to wait for a dog to come after my kid," said Corbett, who has a 3-year-old son.

"I'm not asking for a ban, but my issue is pit bulls. They should be fenced," he said. "Not only is my son in danger, but for all of the kids who go to school two blocks away."

The former city animal ordinance did not make reference to vicious and dangerous animals. The revised version says a dangerous animal is "a dog or other animal that bites or attacks or threatens to attack a person by snarling, snapping or lunging, or a dog that bites or attacks and causes injury or death to another dog while the other dog is on the property or under the control of its owner."

Vicious means "any animal which has killed a person or inflicted serious injury to a person."

Penalties were not specified in the previous ordinance, but the revised version includes a misdemeanor charge or other civil infraction for the owner. Owners found in violation are also subject to their animal being destroyed.

Annette Vida of Twin Lake, a veterinary technician who runs All Creatures Mobile Vet Care, came to the podium armed with documentation to support the council's decision not to ban specific breeds.

"The bottom line is, any dog will bite. It used to be German shepherds, then Dobermans, then Rottweilers; now it's pit bulls (that have bad reputations)," said Vida. "Everyone's got the idea that pit bulls are bad but they're no different than other dogs. It's so sad that they've been so maligned in the media."

The council first discussed the animal ordinance in May, prompted by concerns from citizens. Officials initially were torn because they wanted to ban pit bulls from city limits, but decided against it to avoid litigation.

The council's public safety committee reviewed the ordinance, and brought the revisions before the council for approval.

Resident Mark Cherney said he was glad the council didn't ban any specific breeds, and instead will deal with incidents on a case-by-case basis.

"I appreciate your hard work and diligence on this," he said.

Mayor Pro Tem Tom Anderson said the revisions should make the public feel more at ease.

"We're trying to clean this thing up so it's much stiffer and understandable by people," Anderson said. "We're trying to protect you, and still respect pet owners."



©2007 Muskegon Chronicle
© 2007 Michigan Live. All Rights Reserved.

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Diana McKay
Pit Bull Education Coordin