Rottweilerlvr
03-07-2007, 01:30 AM
Ban or registration of vicious animals being considered
By Wayne Risher
Contact
March 6, 2007
Recent pit bull attacks in DeSoto County, including the fatal mauling of a German shepherd in Lake Cormorant, have county officials rethinking rules on vicious dogs.
Members of the Board of Supervisors Monday suggested possible changes ranging from bans to registration requirements for dogs like pit bulls.
"They ought to be registered like a sex offender," Supervisor Jessie Medlin said.
Supervisor Allen Latimer added, "What about registering it, like a gun?"
The Board of Supervisors asked administrators to sift through the ordinance and find ways to strengthen it in the wake of high-profile problems with pit bulls.
County animal control officials have been fielding calls from citizens since a Memphis man was brutalized by pit bulls
outside a business on Lamar Avenue.
The idea of updating the 6-year-old ordinance picked up steam after two pit bulls killed a German shepherd that was chained at a home on Star Landing Road in Lake Cormorant Feb. 23.
DeSoto County Animal Shelter director Larry Houston said the dogs were being held at the shelter pending advice from the county attorney on how to handle the case. The dogs appeared to meet the existing definition of a vicious animal.
The county ordinance says dogs that commit unprovoked attacks on people or domestic pets are automatically classed as vicious.
Once a dog has been deemed vicious, the owner can't get it back without meeting safeguards including warning signs and a $100,000 insurance policy against future attacks. The dogs must be kept in an escape-proof pen, structure or enclosure.
Officials said maybe the insurance requirement should be increased to $1 million.
Board president Bill Russell said the county might have more success making it hard to own breeds with violent tendencies, rather than an outright ban.
"We'd like to put more emphasis on these vicious animals," Russell said. "We don't want a situation like what
happened in Memphis."
Houston said he doesn't think pit bulls are as prevalent in DeSoto County as they are in Memphis. He said the shelter picks up two or three a month as strays.
"As much publicity as there's been, they make good pets," Houston said, "but the ones we've had at the shelter, I
wouldn't adopt them out."
Vanessa Lynchard, director of administrative services, said officials will look at tweaking the rules so dogs can be declared vicious before they bite a person or another pet.
Lynchard said, "We might want to change the definition of vicious so you don't have to wait until it bites someone."
-- Wayne Risher: (662) 996-1421
http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/desoto/article/0,1426,MCA_451_5397209,00.html
Board of Commissioners
Jesse Medlen
Eugene Thach
Bill Russell
Alan Latimer
Tommy Lewis
(662) 429-5590
DeSoto County Administration Building
365 Losher Street, Suite 310
Hernando, MS 38632
Michael Garriga, County Administrator
michaelgarriga@desotocountyms.org
Vanessa Lynchard, Director of Administrative Services
365 Losher Street| Suite 300 | Hernando, MS 38632 | (662) 429-1460 | fax: (662) 429-4116
Meeting Minuts
http://www.desotoms.info/WEBPGMS/BOS.pgm?&smurfid=00208d896a77fd09b39b661f6dc8ca420d4ca60e8c ce58d46320f08cfd93b1db
Jodi Preis
Bless the Bullys Pit Bull Rescue & Education
Defending Dog ~ Fight Breed Discrimination!
Visit us on MySpace
Hike-A-Bull
By Wayne Risher
Contact
March 6, 2007
Recent pit bull attacks in DeSoto County, including the fatal mauling of a German shepherd in Lake Cormorant, have county officials rethinking rules on vicious dogs.
Members of the Board of Supervisors Monday suggested possible changes ranging from bans to registration requirements for dogs like pit bulls.
"They ought to be registered like a sex offender," Supervisor Jessie Medlin said.
Supervisor Allen Latimer added, "What about registering it, like a gun?"
The Board of Supervisors asked administrators to sift through the ordinance and find ways to strengthen it in the wake of high-profile problems with pit bulls.
County animal control officials have been fielding calls from citizens since a Memphis man was brutalized by pit bulls
outside a business on Lamar Avenue.
The idea of updating the 6-year-old ordinance picked up steam after two pit bulls killed a German shepherd that was chained at a home on Star Landing Road in Lake Cormorant Feb. 23.
DeSoto County Animal Shelter director Larry Houston said the dogs were being held at the shelter pending advice from the county attorney on how to handle the case. The dogs appeared to meet the existing definition of a vicious animal.
The county ordinance says dogs that commit unprovoked attacks on people or domestic pets are automatically classed as vicious.
Once a dog has been deemed vicious, the owner can't get it back without meeting safeguards including warning signs and a $100,000 insurance policy against future attacks. The dogs must be kept in an escape-proof pen, structure or enclosure.
Officials said maybe the insurance requirement should be increased to $1 million.
Board president Bill Russell said the county might have more success making it hard to own breeds with violent tendencies, rather than an outright ban.
"We'd like to put more emphasis on these vicious animals," Russell said. "We don't want a situation like what
happened in Memphis."
Houston said he doesn't think pit bulls are as prevalent in DeSoto County as they are in Memphis. He said the shelter picks up two or three a month as strays.
"As much publicity as there's been, they make good pets," Houston said, "but the ones we've had at the shelter, I
wouldn't adopt them out."
Vanessa Lynchard, director of administrative services, said officials will look at tweaking the rules so dogs can be declared vicious before they bite a person or another pet.
Lynchard said, "We might want to change the definition of vicious so you don't have to wait until it bites someone."
-- Wayne Risher: (662) 996-1421
http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/desoto/article/0,1426,MCA_451_5397209,00.html
Board of Commissioners
Jesse Medlen
Eugene Thach
Bill Russell
Alan Latimer
Tommy Lewis
(662) 429-5590
DeSoto County Administration Building
365 Losher Street, Suite 310
Hernando, MS 38632
Michael Garriga, County Administrator
michaelgarriga@desotocountyms.org
Vanessa Lynchard, Director of Administrative Services
365 Losher Street| Suite 300 | Hernando, MS 38632 | (662) 429-1460 | fax: (662) 429-4116
Meeting Minuts
http://www.desotoms.info/WEBPGMS/BOS.pgm?&smurfid=00208d896a77fd09b39b661f6dc8ca420d4ca60e8c ce58d46320f08cfd93b1db
Jodi Preis
Bless the Bullys Pit Bull Rescue & Education
Defending Dog ~ Fight Breed Discrimination!
Visit us on MySpace
Hike-A-Bull