Deregulating Pit Bulls
The City of Wilmington instituted a set of laws aimed at regulating the burgeoning and sometimes dangerous pit bull breed. I don’t remember the exact circumstances, but these regulations were instituted after a couple of serious attacks on people and kids by these dogs in the city.
The regulations required pit bull owners to: 1) register their dogs; 2) get them spayed or neutered; 3) have them muzzled and leashed outside; and 4) pass a temperament test. Since then, the City no longer has a contractor for animal control services in the city. When they put out the usual RFP, no one bid on it — not even the most recent contract holder, the SPCA.
According to local animal control agencies, the pit bull regulations put agencies’ operations at risk — by filling up these shelters with pit bulls. Since most of the local shelters are now No Kill shelters, that means that these agencies are housing dogs that they’ll have a tough time placing for adoption. If they can at all.
Now the City is looking at ways to lift those regulations, so that they can get animal control services back.
There are great arguments for regulating these dogs (although I suspect they aren’t especially effective) and great arguments for abandoning those regulations. As always, it is the owners of these dogs that are the problem and I just don’t see much enforcement of the regulations intended to compel owners to manage their dogs better.
Which side are you on?
Tags: Wilmington
I heard a report on WHYY Radio regarding the SCPCA issue here in Delaware. (I couldn’t find the link at the time otherwise it would have been posted here.)
Now that all three of Delaware’s SPCAs are no kill (meaning 10% kill), they are quickly running out of room for these dogs. And I believe Wilmington was a loss leader for New Castle County’s SPCA, but I could be wrong. I do know that dogs in Wilmington were an issue.
Hopefully someone from the SPCA can comment more accurately than I did.
I dont particularly like Pit Bulls. Ive been pretty well influenced by the “Pit Bulls are vicious killers” campaign…. but more so, the only one ive ever actually met was nice as can be, but had a pretty bad gas problem and farted in my face on more than one occasion…. im also a cat person..
That said, all put bulls are, are not more vicious than other large dogs. They are smart, very powerful jaws (which makes them desirable for LOLhumans who want a killing machine) and fiercely loyal. A pit bull who isnt trained by a human to kill (and often horribly abused in the process) is no more threat than a Golden.
(uh oh, socialpublican ben has adopted the “weapons dont kill people, people kill people” BS from the right…. whatcha gonna do now Ben? move to florida and buy a gun? ass)
All that said, I’d be more inclined to support a form of regulation. Obviously what we are dealing with now doesnt work. But a way to hold abusive owners accountable for training killers …. and not just pit bulls, Rots, Dobermans, any “attack dog” can be deadly ONLY IF a person makes them that way.
Dogs, i trust dogs. they are loyal, stupid, and seem to show a instinctual desire to protect humans, not kill them. It’s people that cant be trusted with the dogs…. owners, and punishing bad owners, should be the focus of the regulations.
Now, dogs that are already programed to kill….. that’s just a tragic situation. YOu cant really un-do that easily, and it feels really heartless to just put them down…. they cant re-enter society. I have no answer for that. like i said, im more of a cat person, much less work
And for those un-reprogramable dogs…dinner is served! Isn’t that right, Buh-rock?
I take back fully 25% of the negative things I’ve ever said about you cassandra or will ever say. I am a reluctant pit bull rescuer. Now love the breed and have my own story regarding the SPCA and a dog my partner rescued from the shelter. KCSPCA is IMO an ongoing Civil Rico Violation. I base that OPINION on meeting at least 20 other Delawareans with serious complaints that nobody in the state will address. Online and in person I’ve met these people. Pitt Bull bans are misguided efforts, people need to be punished, not animals.
Further, when I attended middle school in Northern Va, a black person named Greg Vick was at my school. He had a relative named Michael but due to the timeline said relative can’t be the quarterback unless there’s another birth certificate scandal. Point being, not every black man is Michael Vick, not every black man named Michael Vick abuses animals, and not even the Eagle’s quarterback fights dogs today.
Yet in my neighborhood, where many of my neighbors look somewhat like Mr. Vick. You can be hassled trying to adopt a ‘fighting breed’ determination of such apparently arbitrary.
Back to the KCSPCA, they are trying to get out of dog control, which is actually their only mandate in Kent County AFAIK, but are seeking animal control statewide. Still, they insist that they are a private non profit and refuse to comply with FOIA, in spite of a March 27 opinion to the contrary from Kent Walker @ DOJ. Published online of course.
In a recent letter to legislators, Kevin Uliston actually complained about investigations into wrongdoing by KCSPCA using valuable resources. Is that like robbing a bank, then claiming self defense upon shooting the security guard?
Long story short, this saga IMO has little to do with animals and much to do with money and power. YMMV.
@sophistBen, if you have proper paperwork you can buy one of my guns. I want to sell one and buy a set of boat plans and some Okkume plywood. 🙂 Then you can hope that my RWNJ @$$ finds it’s way down the ICW to lake Okeechobee. Win/win. Make me agree with you too often and I’ll marry into your family if my partner ever has a moment of clarity and dumps me. Word. 😉
@nemski, you’re still an uninformed person of questionable intellect on this one. Google Complaints against KCSPCA Delaware. Data what? But I would hide behind an pseudonym if I were that guy. Carry on.
KCSPCA was formed for the purpose of contracting for mandated animal control, and was funded in part with a grant. The tax returns will shed some light on just how ‘private’ this non profit is. The FOIA determination from 3/27/2012 is what some in my former profession might call a clue as to the depth of possible corruption associated with KCSPCA.
If you expect clarity from ‘SPCA’ what you are really asking for is a good old fashioned clue by four bashing. Now go collect some data my cousin from another dozen. 🙂
was i just asked out by a gay republican?
All I know is my homeowner’s insurance when I moved here specifically asked if we owned a pit bull.
“Yet in my neighborhood, where many of my neighbors look somewhat like Mr. Vick. You can be hassled trying to adopt a ‘fighting breed’ determination of such apparently arbitrary.”
you live in a neighborhood full of pro-athletes? SWEET! that’s what you meant, right?
Joanne, my homeowner’s insurance asked if I owned a pit bull too.
I live in a neighborhood where these dogs are thick on the ground. A couple of my neighbors have them and these animals are just love-bugs. Playful, fun and wouldn’t hurt a thing (unless you threatened their owner, I think). But I see other dogs where people clearly are having trouble controlling them — but these dogs don’t stick around long. You might see them for a few weeks or months and then they are gone. These are the dogs I worry about.
@sohpistBen, No my friend. I’m a breeder and a democrat. More to the point you ain’t Danny Bonaduce so switching teams is not even remotely possible.;) Yes, there is an athlete that I ‘mentored’ that aspires to UFC fame. Sweet indeed. What? 🙂
really? Danny Bonadouchy? breeder indeed.
@Joanne, my partner and i know a person who adopted an animal that had a kennel card stating pit bull terrier. Her landlord consented with the stipulation that the animal had to conform to any restrictions from his policy holder.
The final adoption paperwork indicates Collie mutt or something. The breed was changed by the adoption worker. A former vet tech has advised that they are pretty sure the determination is arbitrary and not based on DNA markers, etc., etc.
This person lives within a few miles of us, and didn’t get the ‘attention’ our effort did. If you met my “fighting breed” mutt that might be a ROFLLMBO situation. He’s harmless.
Point being, in the case of KCSPCA the determination appears to arbitrary and fluid depending on who wants to adopt the animal. Insurance fraud? If not, can’t you do the same? Questions I would like to get answers to. The Insurance Commissioner’s office only replied that they were not aware of any regulations in that vein.
Apparently in Delaware that’s entirely up to the policy holder. As well the breed and adoption procedure to include home inspections by armed uniformed animal control officers is entirely at the discretion of KCSPCA.
@sophistben, a comedian once said we’re all a six pack away from being gay. I would humbly submit that a response such as yours indicates missing cans 😉
@clulessben, my HS gov teacher taught me to say partner instead of ‘wife’ because it sounds trendier. As well it’s a great way to trap morans who like to jump to conclusions. Ain’t it? 😀
I would rather regulate the breed of man who raises pit bulls to act in this manner. For too long the focus has been on the breed and not the owners. Abused animals are no more guilty than abused people. And I believe that owners should suffer the same penalty as the pit bulls (in fact, now that I think about it, in the same manner since they are no better than the animal whose death they caused).
The regulations should require pit bull owners to:
1) register themselves;(sort of a Megans law database available to the public)
2) get spayed or neutered; (unless they can demonstrate more than one functioning brain cell)
3) be muzzled and leashed outside (just because); and
4) pass a temperament test (so we can know what kind of pet owners they will be)
In general, I agree with socialistic ben, although I am not a socialist.
@Dave I would go for almost all of that except 3.
That’s still not fool proof and if the owner’s not a fool it’s not an issue.
Such allows negligent owners just to tie dogs up like an anti-personnel device. When the restraining schema fails, and it will, then there’s a real problem. I’d rather not.
It’s really more important for the animals to have some privacy and protection than it is to restrain a properly kept dog. Properly kept for a pit/pmutt pup is constant attention and companionship. A fence that could actually restrain a healthy pit/mutt would be onerous.
If they are escaped the animal is genetically more disposed to attack other animals than people. A dog at large is fair game for impound and IMO that makes more sense than impounding all dogs in situ.
Might make more sense to seriously break up the dog fights, where 16 year old people can tip you off to dog and fight locations. The current system of going city hall up side anyone who owns a dog looking vaguely like an APBT has proven less than effective at eliminating cruelty.
However, the screening process doesn’t address suitability of prospective adopting families for the breed. Pit bulls and related mutts are awesome animals but are not for everyone.
They can be tough on furniture and your yard, loving you all the while. Why does a pup chew on a stool leg when there’s a bone and a peanut butter slathered kong right there? I let you know when I know.
They need an abundance of attention and play time. Worthless as watchdogs. More prone to wag whole body and lick strangers than not. Only really good for loving pets unless specifically trained.
Must be trained to be house pets. These issues were not adequately addressed as the application has some strange criteria. The size of my yard, or my 1.8 acre parcel was not asked. Mobile or stick built home was.
that’s one issue of several
I’m not sure ben is a socialist either. All the ones I’ve known are pretty sharp. I know you’re not. Pitt Bulls are not a statistically proven hazard because of the way data is gathered. It’s like when nemski says “I imagine..”
So the megans law thing is like you standing on the foredeck of the ferry doing the titanic thing cute but irrelevant
The owner does have to register, alter the animal or pay for the service previously performed, and to adopt the animal has to have a locator chip. Imagination is a wonderful thing
By cassandra_m
The City of Wilmington instituted a set of laws aimed at regulating the burgeoning and sometimes dangerous pit bull breed. ;-0