New Athens, Ohio-Had illegally targeted pit bulls

New Athens changes animals ordinance

Had illegally targeted pit bulls

BY JAY SCHWAB


Journal-Messenger Editor
NEW ATHENS - New Athens was forced to modify its animals ordinance after a state agency found the village's existing policy to illegally target pit bulls.

At last Monday's village board meeting, the board approved a revised ordinance similar to the one previously enforced, but broadening the scope to "dangerous animals," as opposed to focusing on pit bulls. A 2003 update to Illinois' Animal Control Act prohibits breed-specific regulations.

Last August, the village adopted an animals ordinance that included stringent provisions for pit bulls, such as higher license and liability insurance fees for owners, that the dogs have to be in confinement structures when outside and muzzled during walks.

Many of the protections originally called for will remain intact, but will also become applicable to other dogs considered dangerous.

"We're still going to be there for the citizens," said Dave Filkins, who heads the village's ordinance committee.

For a dog to be considered "dangerous" under the new ordinance, it would have to chase, attack or bite a person or another animal once without provocation or twice with provocation.

The modifications came after discussions between the village and the Department of Agriculture's attorney, according to Jeff Squibb, spokesman for the Department of Agriculture.

Jackie Eckert, supervisor of investigators in the department's bureau of animal welfare, said the department has had to guide several other communities that also singled out certain breeds in recent years. In many of those instances, the situation was rectified before illegal policies were enacted, she said.

"We tried to get that information out," Eckert said. "I guess it's not out there as much in some of the smaller communities."

Eckert said pit bulls are most often targeted by government bodies, though German shepherds and Dobermans used to draw similar levels of consternation.

"It just seems there are cycles where different breeds are viewed as being more aggressive," Eckert said.

In New Athens, pit bull concerns were heightened when a 22-month-old boy was mauled by a pit bull in May, and have not gone way. At a March village board meeting, several neighbors of a pit bull owner complained that three pit bulls that live nearby behave in a hostile and threatening manner.

New Athens Police Chief Larry Kirk said dog-related citations issued in recent months were not related to the village's August, pit-bull related ordinance update. He said two owners did especially register their pit bulls under the ordinance. The board voted to refund the owners $50 apiece.

Kirk said he has contacted numerous towns that have recently had breed-specific policies on the books, and said some of them are in no rush to alter their ordinances, preferring to wait for a judicial ruling on the legislature's 2003 decision.

Kirk said establishing a local animal control board that could quickly establish if certain animals should be considered dangerous might be a way to handle citizens' worries.

"This is an issue that's definitely affecting the community," Kirk said. "We want to make sure we're doing everything we can to address it."

Jay Schwab can be reached at jschwab@bnd.com or 239-2526.

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