Vicious dogs: Do breed bans work?
By Lynn Zerschling Journal staff writer | Posted: Sunday, June 08, 2008
Zachary Rochester, 11, and his sister, Jordan, 9, are shown with their pit bull puppy Mocha. (Staff photo by Jim Lee)
SIOUX CITY -- When the puppy peered up with such a loving look from inside a cage at Sioux City Animal Control, Nicole Rochester and her kids were hooked.
"We went to the shelter to look at puppies for a size that would work well for our family. It was just the way she looked at us. She was about four months old," Rochester said of the pit bull-mix her family adopted in March.
She was not looking to adopt a pit bull and had not owned a dog before. Now around eight months old, Mocha is a member of Rochester's northside Sioux City family.
The Rochesters have enrolled Mocha in a dog obedience classes. Rochester said her children, Zachary, 11, and Jordan, 9, also take the lessons to learn how to work with Mocha.
"She loves people and loves other dogs," Rochester said of the breed that has been banned in other Siouxland communities.
She said she doesn't think the City Council should ban certain breeds because some cause problems. Her brother-in-law, Councilman Aaron Rochester, has asked city staff to prepare recommendations on how to make pit bull owners more responsible. He has not proposed the city ban the breed. No date has been scheduled for the council to discuss the issue.
Attorney Hughes Bagley, Jr., concurs, even though his 10-year-old Rottweiler was viciously attacked by an American bulldog on May 10 while they were walking near 20th and Douglas streets.
"I hit that thing with six shots of pepper spray," he said. "It didn't slow him down."
The bulldog had his jaws in his Rottweiler's throat. A woman who saw the attack kicked the bulldog three times to help Bagley pry the bulldog's jaws off Sert's throat. His dog required medical treatment for the puncture marks.
Since then, he and his wife, fellow attorney Martha McMinn, have filed suit in Woodbury County's small claims court seeking $5,000 in damages against the other dog's owner.
The bulldog remains in a cage at Sioux City Animal Control's shelter waiting disposition of its case as a vicious animal. Under a revised animal control law, any animal declared vicious in Sioux City must be euthanized.
"I do not believe in breed restrictions," Bagley said. "Many pit bull owners take care of their dogs. ...It's a matter of not letting dogs run loose."
In the meantime, he said Sert has recovered. Now, on their daily walks, Bagley said, "I've upgraded from pepper spray to grizzly bear repellent. It's in a spray can and I'm wearing it on my belt."
Banning breeds
Both Rarrat and Jerry Dominicak, executive director of the Siouxland Humane Society, oppose banning specific dog breeds.
"We've always said it's not the breed of the dog, it's the way the animal is brought up and trained," Dominicak stated. "If you go back 20 years, it was Rottweilers everybody was afraid of. Then it went to Dobermans who were vicious."
Rarrat added German Shepherds were on the list years ago. Right now, they agreed, pit bull is the breed of choice. Rarrat said the majority of dogs at her shelter are pit bulls or pit mull mixes.
Since July, Police Capt. Pete Groetken has held 27 hearings on allegedly vicious or high-risk animals. Of that number, he said 11 of the 14 dogs that were determined to be high risk or vicious were pit bulls or pit bull mixes.
Pit bulls or mixes remain in the news. In March, a police sergeant shot and killed two pit bulls who had attacked a man walking his black lab on South College Street, On May 11, a pit bull scratched a 13-year-old girl and bit her on the arm while she was visiting her father in Sioux City. Rarrat said her father owned that dog, which has been out to sleep.
If pit bulls were banned, Dominicak concluded, "People are who irresponsible owners who want the mean dog will go pick out another breed."
Rarrat added, "I think there has to be stricter regulations on any dog that will bite unprovoked. How do you make a pet owner more responsible? A lot of people won't even vaccinate their pets or put ID tags on them, let alone license them."
Councilman Rochester said he wants to receive recommendations from Rarrat, the Animal Control Advisory Committee and the police department before drafting proposals to present to the council.
Mayor Mike Hobart said he understands Rochester's attempt to strengthen the law. However, he said, "Let's give it some time to work."
Councilman Brent Hoffman said he does not favor banning specific breeds, but said the challenge is finding a way to make pet owners more accountable. "Often the problem isn't bad dogs, but bad owners."
Dee and Terry Coon of McCook Lake, S.D., acknowledged finding ways to impose restrictions on pet owners will be difficult. Last fall, they adopted a pit bull who had been severely burned with boiling water or a chemical. They heard about that dog's plight in the news and went to the humane society's shelter to look at him.
"He was so affectionate and friendly," said Dee Coon, whose family had owned pit bulls. "We have a 3-year-old granddaughter who loves to play with him."
The family hasn't taken the dog, Jimmie, to obedience classes because, they discovered, he already had been trained. "It's all how they are raised. Making the dogs mean is just like giving a child a loaded gun," Dee Coon said.
Lynn Zerschling may be reached at (712) 293-4202 or lynn.zerschling@lee.net
Pit bull bans abound
Iowa
Holstein, Hornick, Ida Grove, Lawton, Marcus, Remsen, Sergeant Bluff and Sloan.
Nebraska
Macy, Pender, Walthill, Wayne and Winnebago.
South Dakota
Elk Point, Jefferson and North Sioux City.
Source: Siouxland Humane Society
"We went to the shelter to look at puppies for a size that would work well for our family. It was just the way she looked at us. She was about four months old," Rochester said of the pit bull-mix her family adopted in March.
She was not looking to adopt a pit bull and had not owned a dog before. Now around eight months old, Mocha is a member of Rochester's northside Sioux City family.
The Rochesters have enrolled Mocha in a dog obedience classes. Rochester said her children, Zachary, 11, and Jordan, 9, also take the lessons to learn how to work with Mocha.
"She loves people and loves other dogs," Rochester said of the breed that has been banned in other Siouxland communities.
She said she doesn't think the City Council should ban certain breeds because some cause problems. Her brother-in-law, Councilman Aaron Rochester, has asked city staff to prepare recommendations on how to make pit bull owners more responsible. He has not proposed the city ban the breed. No date has been scheduled for the council to discuss the issue.
Attorney Hughes Bagley, Jr., concurs, even though his 10-year-old Rottweiler was viciously attacked by an American bulldog on May 10 while they were walking near 20th and Douglas streets.
"I hit that thing with six shots of pepper spray," he said. "It didn't slow him down."
The bulldog had his jaws in his Rottweiler's throat. A woman who saw the attack kicked the bulldog three times to help Bagley pry the bulldog's jaws off Sert's throat. His dog required medical treatment for the puncture marks.
Since then, he and his wife, fellow attorney Martha McMinn, have filed suit in Woodbury County's small claims court seeking $5,000 in damages against the other dog's owner.
The bulldog remains in a cage at Sioux City Animal Control's shelter waiting disposition of its case as a vicious animal. Under a revised animal control law, any animal declared vicious in Sioux City must be euthanized.
"I do not believe in breed restrictions," Bagley said. "Many pit bull owners take care of their dogs. ...It's a matter of not letting dogs run loose."
In the meantime, he said Sert has recovered. Now, on their daily walks, Bagley said, "I've upgraded from pepper spray to grizzly bear repellent. It's in a spray can and I'm wearing it on my belt."
Banning breeds
Both Rarrat and Jerry Dominicak, executive director of the Siouxland Humane Society, oppose banning specific dog breeds.
"We've always said it's not the breed of the dog, it's the way the animal is brought up and trained," Dominicak stated. "If you go back 20 years, it was Rottweilers everybody was afraid of. Then it went to Dobermans who were vicious."
Rarrat added German Shepherds were on the list years ago. Right now, they agreed, pit bull is the breed of choice. Rarrat said the majority of dogs at her shelter are pit bulls or pit mull mixes.
Since July, Police Capt. Pete Groetken has held 27 hearings on allegedly vicious or high-risk animals. Of that number, he said 11 of the 14 dogs that were determined to be high risk or vicious were pit bulls or pit bull mixes.
Pit bulls or mixes remain in the news. In March, a police sergeant shot and killed two pit bulls who had attacked a man walking his black lab on South College Street, On May 11, a pit bull scratched a 13-year-old girl and bit her on the arm while she was visiting her father in Sioux City. Rarrat said her father owned that dog, which has been out to sleep.
If pit bulls were banned, Dominicak concluded, "People are who irresponsible owners who want the mean dog will go pick out another breed."
Rarrat added, "I think there has to be stricter regulations on any dog that will bite unprovoked. How do you make a pet owner more responsible? A lot of people won't even vaccinate their pets or put ID tags on them, let alone license them."
Councilman Rochester said he wants to receive recommendations from Rarrat, the Animal Control Advisory Committee and the police department before drafting proposals to present to the council.
Mayor Mike Hobart said he understands Rochester's attempt to strengthen the law. However, he said, "Let's give it some time to work."
Councilman Brent Hoffman said he does not favor banning specific breeds, but said the challenge is finding a way to make pet owners more accountable. "Often the problem isn't bad dogs, but bad owners."
Dee and Terry Coon of McCook Lake, S.D., acknowledged finding ways to impose restrictions on pet owners will be difficult. Last fall, they adopted a pit bull who had been severely burned with boiling water or a chemical. They heard about that dog's plight in the news and went to the humane society's shelter to look at him.
"He was so affectionate and friendly," said Dee Coon, whose family had owned pit bulls. "We have a 3-year-old granddaughter who loves to play with him."
The family hasn't taken the dog, Jimmie, to obedience classes because, they discovered, he already had been trained. "It's all how they are raised. Making the dogs mean is just like giving a child a loaded gun," Dee Coon said.
Lynn Zerschling may be reached at (712) 293-4202 or lynn.zerschling@lee.net
Pit bull bans abound
Iowa
Holstein, Hornick, Ida Grove, Lawton, Marcus, Remsen, Sergeant Bluff and Sloan.
Nebraska
Macy, Pender, Walthill, Wayne and Winnebago.
South Dakota
Elk Point, Jefferson and North Sioux City.
Source: Siouxland Humane Society
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pittowner wrote on Jun 14, 2008 11:22 AM:
Jen wrote on Jun 13, 2008 1:12 PM:
Animal Lover wrote on Jun 11, 2008 9:27 AM:
luvnMyPitt wrote on Jun 10, 2008 4:33 AM:
Jane wrote on Jun 9, 2008 9:31 AM:
The rest of the criminals, drug dealers, and losers would have to s/n their dogs. So if you want an AmStaff or APBT that badly, you will have to try and get one from a reputable breeder, and go through a thorough screening and interview process. Good luck with that, since most of the idiots who own these dogs couldn't get one from a reputable hobby breeder. "