Pit bull owners forced to give up pets or move

Cincinnati, OH -- Dog wardens will be at some residents' doors prepared to take away pit bulls, which have become a banned breed in this city.

But pit bull owners will have time to find other homes for their beloved pets outside the city.

The move will only happen after residents are informed about the new law, Mayor Ed Schroeder said.

Council voted July 14 to approve an ordinance banning pit bulls within city limits.

The issue has been discussed for more than a year now, City Attorney Chris Mehling said.

But last week's decision was prompted by a pit bull attack that happened within the last month, he said.

Ludlow joins the cities of Walton, Erlanger and Elsmere, all of which have bans on the breed.

Covington allows pit bull ownership but regulates it.

The law requires having an identification microchip in the dog, $100,000 liability insurance and keeping the dog on a leash and muzzle when it's outside.

Ludlow resident Chris Stallings and his fiancée Jenny Rapp have owned their 2-year-old pit bulls, Tyson and Teya, since they were 8 weeks old.

The dogs wear collars for an invisible electronic fence at the Victoria Lane home they bought in March.

Stallings, a Covington firefighter, is currently in litigation with the family of a 17-year-old who was allegedly running through Stallings' yard and bitten by one of the pit bulls. Stallings said the dog was teased.

"Any dog would do that," he said of an animal being teased or threatened on its property. There's a German shepherd across the street that would have done the same."

Before the incident, Stallings said his dogs, which cost $1,500 each, had never done anything potentially harmful to anyone.

"My dogs are socialized," he said. "We take them to the dog park all the time, to my softball games ... they're fine."

In Kenton County, Taylor Mill resident Robin Denny is concerned about pit bulls in her neighborhood.

"This is a small street... and there are kids that play out here," she said. "We've got to have some regulations."

Denny, whose 5-year-old son plays outside, recalls instances where pit bulls on her street have been loose.

"People are pretty good about keeping them (contained) but it can happen - dogs get out," said Denny, who owns a dog and a cat.

Taylor Mill City Council is to discuss the issue at its Aug. 10 meeting.

Cincinnati's ordinance banning pit bulls took effect in November 2003. It stipulates only pit bulls registered before that time can stay, and those caught violating the ordinance can be charged with a second-degree misdemeanor, punishable by 90 days in jail and a $750 fine.

Mehling and Schroeder said they will advertise the decision in the local newspapers and allow a grace period for owners to make arrangements for their dogs.

"It's tough to take rights away from anyone," Schroeder said. "But we wouldn't want to see anyone else hurt or killed.

"We know there are a lot of people who do take care of their dogs ... but you have to weigh that with safety," he said. "If you have to walk your dog with a muzzle on, maybe it's just not safe."

Schroeder said the city likely will start enforcing the ban near the end of August.

The charge for having one pit bull will be a misdemeanor. Fines will range from $10 to $500 a day, Mehling said. The police and dog wardens will also have the authority to seize dogs.

Stallings is not about to give up his pets.

"I'll end up selling my house before I give up my dogs - they're like kids to me."

 

Before the incident, Stallings said his dogs, which cost $1,500 each, had never done anything potentially harmful to anyone.

I wonder what kind of high priced BS breeder they got this dog from. I wish they had a picture. I'll jump to a conclusion and say it is not a game bred dog. And on top of all this, they refuse to give up the manbiter. WTF. Another person adding to the hatred of these dogs. Everyone that buys these curs obviously don't care about the breed and are putting the breed and humans at risk. Its a damn shame.

 

I dont know if some stranger was running through my yard with my dogs out i cant gaurentee how ther person is going to look coming out the other side. The dumbass shouldnt have been in the yard in the first place.

 

i would have to agree with u on that. my dogs have never showed any aggresion towards people. but when a stranger is running thru there yard things might be diffrent.

 

They have a radio fence. It's not like the kid had to climb over something to get in the property. Who knows? He may have just went over to get his ball that bounced into the yard.
These dogs should not have an urge to bite anyone in my opinion. Every true game bred dog I personally know of will never bite a person regardless if it is a stranger running through the yard. Hell, I had two stolen from inside of my house.
I feel that any man biter should be culled period. Unless of course, the dog is defending yours or its life.

 

If it runs a dog will chase it.

 

Yeah, so what. Chasing has nothing to do with biting a child.

 

I agree with you biting a child is not tolerated, in fact any human aggression is not tolerated...but from the article who knows what events took place in the yard.

 

And the "child" was 17 years old.

 

The owners of the dog said that the dog was being teased. That is no reason to get bitten by any dog. If it is that uneasy, it should be chained up at the least. Not on a radio fence where the dog can just run through or where a kid can just walk up to it. If the dog is in the open, it will be teased by someone eventually. That is common sense.
But, that is not my main problem with the story. The problem is that the owners won't put down the dog after it has bitten someone. Especially, after the dog attacked just because it was teased.

 

The age doesn't matter. It could have been a grown man teasing the dog. It doesn't change the fact that the dog shouldn't have bitten him.

 

All I have to say is keep an eye out on your dogs around other people, because for some reason every non pitbull owner thinks that the pitbull is just a 24/7 man killer. FT rules.

 

Like I said....

 

he also stated that the kid was teasing the dog too that makes alot of difference