Gwinnett County, GA: Animal advisory council decries proposed BSL

Citizens' animal panel decries county plan to restrict pit bulls

By Patrick Fox

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
8:44 p.m. Tuesday, October 19, 2010

If Gwinnett County officials want to restrict pit bull ownership, they'll do it without the support of their own citizens' advisory panel.

More than 100 people turned out Tuesday night to speak on the county's plans to require pit bull owners to register their dogs and to provide a modified enclosure to contain the animals.

The seven-member Animal Advisory Council, appointed by the county commission, said they would not endorse the measure after hearing from a host of residents.

Council Chairwoman Gail LaBerge said she has fought breed-specific legislation for 10 years. Most recently she has been involved in the Douglasville City ordinance addressing the same issue.

"I cannot support it in Douglasville," she said, "and I will not support it in my own county."

The proposed ordinance would require owners to provide name, address and a registration fee to the county. Owners would also have to supply proof of insurance, a full description of the pit bull, including a photo, and proof of inoculation. They would also be required to provide a sturdy enclosure that does not share fencing with a perimeter fence.

The idea drew ridicule from one prominent Gwinnett County resident famous for his love of dogs.

"What a waste of time," said Sheriff Butch Conway, who owns two pit bulls.

"The one I saved from (Hurricane) Katrina just wants to lick everybody," he said. "You couldn't pay the dog to bite a person."

Conway said he has no special holding pen for the dogs and would be in violation of the ordinance "unless they amend it to allow for the dog sleeping on the bed."

Only two people in the audience spoke in favor of the ordinance.

Virginia Cowden of Tucker said her dogs were attacked twice in the past week by her neighbor's pit bulls who had dug under the fence.

"Everyone in my neighborhood is afraid to leave their house," she said.

But Jennifer Wagner of Snellville, who owns two pit bulls, said she would have to go to great expense to keep her animals. She called the ordinance unfair.

"I am trying to teach my daughter not to judge people by the way they look, but by their behavior. Now the county wants to teach her that her beloved dogs are too dangerous to own, not due to anything they have done, but purely because of the way they look," she said.

Earlier this month, the Douglasville City Council rejected a measure that would have outlawed any new ownership of pit bulls in the city. Current owners would have been required to register their animals or face a $500 fine. The City Council is expected to take up the issue again later this month.

The action followed a July attack on a Douglasville woman by three pit bulls. Frankie Forsh, 56, suffered bite wounds to her arms, legs and face after the pit bulls jumped her on a morning walk in her neighborhood.

Citizens' animal panel decries county plan to restrict pit bulls | ajc.com