W. Bloomfield may tighten reins on dogs - Michigan

W. Bloomfield may tighten reins on dogs

Township Board looks into stricter rules after reports of Rottweilers attacking smaller dogs.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060512/METRO02/605120382&SearchID=73244333938476
Maureen Feighan / The Detroit News

May 12, 2006


WEST BLOOMFIELD -- Rottweiler attacks on other canines in a lakeside West Bloomfield community have neighbors on edge and township leaders debating what to do about dangerous dogs.

Prodded by concerns from residents near Cass Lake about three Rottweilers accused of attacking two dogs and nearly killing one of them, the Township Board this week agreed to take steps to draft a local dog ordinance to help address dangerous dogs.

Like most communities, West Bloomfield relies on the state's dangerous dog statute, but some say the law is too weak because nothing can be done until an attack occurs.

"Our children are at risk, we are at risk and our dogs are at risk, so we do need some type of (local) ordinance," said resident Lana Menzel.

And while some families initially wanted an outright ban on certain breeds such as pit bulls and Rottweilers, critics of such bans say there is no such thing as a bad breed, only bad owners.

Amanda Barber, a pit bull lover from Milford, said she'd trust her 3-year-old pit bull, Luna, with kids over other "family" dogs.

"She's that stable," said Barber, 22, who is also trying to find a home for puppy pit bull she rescued from Lansing named Hummer. "She's fantastic."

West Bloomfield, which had 36 dog bites in 2005 according to Oakland County Animal Control, is the latest Metro Detroit community to get swept into the dangerous dog debate.

The Detroit City Council in February abandoned a push to ban pit bulls after being flooded with letters and e-mails, and deciding that enforcing current laws was the better tactic.

Bloomfield Township has a dog ordinance that addresses dangerous dogs. And Waterford has had a ban on pit bulls for 20 years.

But many rescue groups and animal lovers say breed-specific bans go after the wrong dog owners: those who license and register their dogs.

And banning a breed will simply lead to another "macho" breed of choice, said Deborah MacDonald, a cruelty investigator with the Michigan Humane Society. It was Dobermans; now it's pit bulls and Rottweilers.

"It's not the breed. It's the owner," she said. "There are a lot of laws on the books that address animal control issues and vicious dog issues. And if those are enforced, it really comes down to the owner controlling their animal."

But that's little consolation to Ken Lenneman.

The 41-year-old was taking a run with his 1-year-old Welsh Pembroke corgi, Jack, around his Cass Lake neighborhood March 12 when three Rottweilers attacked Jack, ripping apart his neck muscles and part of an ear. Two of the Rottweilers were on leashes and one was loose but the owner dropped the leashes.

"Literally when I got one dog off, another dog would jump over my shoulder and attach on," said Lenneman, who was eventually able to scoop Jack free and rush him to a vet hospital, where he was in surgery for four hours.

The neighbor later was ticketed. But Oakland County animal control officers have since advised Lenneman that the only thing he can do as far as pushing to have the Rottweilers removed from his neighborhood is file a civil complaint against the owner in district court.

Lenneman said he likely will pursue some type of court action.

"We can't have these dogs in the neighborhood or we can't have them in the circumstances that they're in," he said. "If this would've been a small child, it would've ruined their life. It would've killed him."

You can reach Maureen Feighan at (248) 647-7416 or mfeighan@detnews.com.

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