On December 2, 2008 the city of West Allis quietly introduced and
passed a ordinance banning pit bulls from the city. The whole city council agreed to this ban and the ordinance was passed. The ban states that ALL pit bulls are banned from the city unless they already are licensed with the city. So.... dogs that are already licensed can stay but they have given tons of restrictions such as mandatory muzzling of the dogs while walking them down the street, and manditory registering of any dog fitting the descritption of a pit bull.
Below is the ordinance that was proposed and passed on December 2nd.
Quote:
City of West Allis
Legislative File Number O-2008-0052 (version 1)
An Ordinance to Create Section 7.125 of the West Allis Revised
Municipal Code Relating to Pit Bulls.
The Common Council of the City of West Allis do ordain as follows:
PART I. Section 7.125 of the Revised Municipal Code of the City of
West Allis is hereby created to
read:
7.125 PIT BULLS.
(1) Definitions.
(a) "Owner" means any person who owns, possesses, keeps, exercises
control over, maintains,
harbors, transports, or sells within the city any pit bull.
(b) Pit Bull means any dog which is one-half or more American
Staffordshire terrier, Staffordshire
terrier, American pit bull terrier, miniature bull terrier, or
Staffordshire bull terrier or any dog exhibiting
the distinguishing characteristics which substantially conform to the
standards established by the
American Kennel Club or United Kennel Club for any of the above breeds.
(2) It is unlawful to own any pit bull in the City of West Allis. This
prohibition shall not be applied to
pit bulls being transported through the city limits of the City of
West Allis within a one-hour period of
time and to dogs owned by law enforcement agencies and used for law
enforcement purposes. Dogs
exempt under Wis. Stat. 174.054 and 174.055 are not prohibited, but
must follow the leash and muzzle,
sign, insurance, proof of rabies vaccination, and registry provisions
of Subsection (3).
(3) Exceptions. Owners of pit bulls on the date of the passing of this
ordinance whose dogs are
legally and currently licensed with the City of West Allis may keep
pit bulls subject to the following
conditions.
(a) Leash and Muzzle. No person shall permit a pit bull to go outside
its kennel or pen unless such
dog is securely leashed with a leash no longer than four feet in
length. No person shall permit a pit bull to
be kept on a chain, rope or other type of leash outside its kennel or
pen unless an adult is in physical
control of the leash. Such dogs may not be leashed to inanimate
objects such as trees, posts, buildings,
etc. In addition, all pit bulls on a leash outside the animal's kennel
or pen must be muzzled by a muzzling
device sufficient to prevent such dog from biting persons or other
animals.
(b) Confinement. All pit bulls shall be securely confined indoors or
in a securely enclosed and
locked pen or kennel that is suitable to prevent the entry of young
children and to prevent the animal
from escaping except when leashed and muzzled as provided in
Subsection (3)(a) of this section. All
pens or kennels shall comply with all zoning and building regulations
of the city and shall be kept in a
clean and sanitary condition.
(c) Confinement Indoors. No pit bull may be kept on a porch, patio or
in any part of a house or
structure that would allow the dog to exit such building on its own
volition.
(d) Signs. All owners of pit bulls within the city shall within ten
days of the effective date of this
ordinance display in a prominent place on their premises a sign easily
readable by the public using the
words "Beware of Dog." Such sign shall be at least 12 inches by 18
inches with lettering at least 2 inches
in size. In addition, a similar sign is required to be posted on the
kennel or pen of such animal.
(e) Insurance. All owners of pit bulls must within thirty (30) days of
the effective date of this
ordinance provide proof to the city clerk-treasurer of public
liability insurance in a single incident amount
of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00) for bodily injury to or
death of any person or persons or
for damage to property owned by any persons which may result from the
ownership, keeping or
maintenance of such animal. Such insurance policy shall provide that
no cancellation of the policy will be
made unless ten days written notice is first given to the city clerk-
treasurer.
(f) Proof of Rabies Vaccination. The owner of a pit bull shall provide
proof of rabies vaccination
within 30 days of the effective date of this ordinance.
(g) Registration. All owners of pit bulls shall within thirty (30)
days after the effective date of this
ordinance, register such dog with the city by filing a completed
registration form provided by the clerktreasurer
and providing two color photographs of the dog clearly showing the
color and approximate
size of the dog. One photo should depict the front of the dog, and one
photo should depict the side of
the dog.
(h) Reporting Requirements. All owners of pit bulls must within ten
days of the incident, report the
following information in writing to the city clerk-treasurer:
1. The removal from the city or death of a pit bull;
2. The birth of offspring of a pit bull;
3. The new address of a pit bull should the dog be moved within the
city of West Allis;
4. If the pit bull is sold, the name and address of the new owner;
5. If a pit bull has been lost or stolen.
(i) Animals Born of Registered Dogs. All offspring born of pit bulls
registered within the city must
be removed from the city within eight weeks after the birth of such
animal.
(j) Compliance with Dog Licensing. All owners of pit bulls must comply
with the licensing
requirements of West Allis Revised Municipal Ordinance 7.121.
(4) Procedure During Alleged Violation. Whenever any person is charged
with owning a pit bull
contrary to this ordinance, the person shall, to the satisfaction of
the court, comply with the requirements
of Subsection (3) of this ordinance. The time requirements for
compliance will mirror the requirements in
Subsection (3), except that they will begin when the citation is
served upon the owner. If the dog is
determined by plea or trial to be a vicious dog or a pit bull, it
shall be immediately removed from the City
of West Allis. Any dog returned to the City of West Allis after being
determined to be a pit bull
constitutes a public nuisance.
(5) Penalty.
(a) The owner of any pit bull shall, upon conviction, be subject to a
forfeiture of not less than
$500.00 and not more than $1,000.00, together with the costs of
prosecution, and, in default of
payment thereof, shall be confined in the House of Correction of
Milwaukee County until the forfeitures
and costs have been paid, but not more than the number of days set
forth in Sec. 800.095(4) of the
Wisconsin Statutes. Each and every day that an offense continues
constitutes a separate offense. The
owner shall pay all impoundment fees and expenses of impounding the
pit bull, including fees for shelter,
food, handling, veterinary care, and expert testimony. All owners
convicted under Subsection (5)(a)
must permanently remove the pit bull from the City of West Allis
within 48 hours of the date of
conviction.
(b) The owner of any pit bull who fails to meet the requirements of
Subsection (3) shall, upon
conviction, be subject to a forfeiture of not less than $250.00 and
not more than $500.00, together with
the costs of prosecution, and, in default of payment thereof, shall be
confined in the House of Correction
of Milwaukee County until the forfeitures and costs have been paid,
but not more than the number of
days set forth in Sec. 800.095(4) of the Wisconsin Statutes. Each and
every day that an offense
continues constitutes a separate offense. The owner shall pay all
impoundment fees and expenses of
impounding the pit bull, including fees for shelter, food, handling,
veterinary care, and expert testimony.
1. If a pit bull owner is convicted more than once of a violation of
Subsection (5)(b), the pit bull is
ineligible for re-registration and must be permanently removed from
the City of West Allis within 48
hours of the date of conviction.
PART II. All ordinances or parts of ordinances contravening the
provisions of this ordinance are
hereby repealed.
PART III. This ordinance shall take effect and be in force from and
after its passage and
publication.
City of West Allis
Legislative File ID O-2008-0052
Type: Ordinance Status: Passed
Title: An Ordinance to Create Section 7.125 of the West Allis Revised
Municipal Code Relating to Pit Bulls.
Controlling Body: License & Health Committee
Introduced: 12/2/2008 Version: 1
Final Action: 12/2/2008 Contact:
Sponsors: Vincent Vitale
Attachments: Legislative File Text
Legislative History
Date Acting Body Action Taken Motion
12/2/2008 Common Council Referred to the License & Health Committee
Completed on 12/2/2008
12/2/2008 Common Council Passed Pass
12/2/2008 License & Health Committee Recommended for Passage Pass
When I worked for insurance, there was 4 kinds of dogs you couldn't have to get insurance. Pitbull, akita, rottweiler and chow chow were the 4 breeds that were most likely to bite.
One always overlooked is the Golden.... I posted pics here once of a bite I got from a golden...
He bit and did damage thru my winter coat and a few layers of clothing.
Darn dog cornered me in the house a few times and it got so dangerous that I had to leave him outside the whole time the owners were gone.
He had a very nice screen porch to get into for shelter. Had a couch in it. Solid roof and a solid area to get out of any bad weather.
I had to have my daughter go to the room at the opposite end of the house and call out the window to the dog. While she was detaining the dog I'd quick give food and water and get the heck out of there before it realized what was going on.
It was so bad I not only took pics of the bites ~ several ~ but I captured video so the owners could not say I was over exaggerating.
I've heard Goldens can be biters, too. I think it all depends on the individual dog. I know someone that has 2 pitbulls and both are friendly. I saw the owner take a bone away from the male dog and it never even growled. It was more interested in sniffing my butt, I think.
I think some labs can be biters, too. My neighbor had to get rid of his after it bit his son's ear. The kid needed 15 stitches. The dog ended up going to a farm where no children were.
I've read that if a dog is fixed, it reduces the chance of the dog being a biter. That makes sense, though.
My son at the age of 9 (he is 16 now)was severely bitten by a black lab. It was our neighbors dog and they had 5 kids themselves. My two were over there playing and the next thing I heard was a scream of a kid...well they were all screaming, you know how kids get! But what I didn't know is it was my son screaming as he was running through the yards with blood everywhere. He ran up to me and his dad and all you could see was inside his head it seemed like. Here the dog caught him in the face, then grab ahold of his ear and kept tugging on it and wouldn't let go. The dog tore his ear right off...it was only dangling by a little skin underneath. But what we were looking at we found out was the inside of his ear canal.
My other child went in and called 911 as my husband grabbed a towel to wrap around is head and then we flew to the ER. There was so much blood we were not waiting for an ambulance. The dog took all the skin and everything so all they could do was sew his ear right to the side of his head to promote skin growth in hopes to do reconstructive surgery at a later date. They were able to successfully cut the ear back off the side of his head, took a 12" skin graph down by his groin (all 4 layers of skin) and used every last bit they said to build back up his ear.
This was such a painful awful event for the poor boy. He was devastated for a long time. He used to deliver paper after that but gave that up after a dog lunged at him. He got back to the car crying .... can't blame the boy. He had two surgeries and hundreds of stitches and staples to fix the damage to his ear and cheek. Again this dog came from a house with 5 children.
BTW, the real stink about this story is their dad was in the garage working on the lawnmower when this happened. After my son got loose all the dad said after looking at him, is you better go home and show your mom and dad. He let that poor boy run all the way home by himself in horror with blood everywhere. I have never forgave him for that.
So I think any dog has it in them to bit if they really wanted to. To single out a certain breed I think is unfair.
__________________
"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are." ~ John Wooden - American Basketball Coach - 1910
"To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world"
We have 4 dogs. It took him awhile to trust "other" dogs, but always felt safe around ours. He had a hard time for awhile at my sisters who had a black lab. But he loves all animals. Thanks. As for the scaring, he wears his hair a bit longer, you can tell if you knew it was there....but if you didn't know you would have to look close to see the graphs.
I just wanted to share the story to let others know that ALL dogs can bite. And to label a certain breed isn't fair as they always say oh labs are great family pets. They all can have a tendency to bite.
__________________
"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are." ~ John Wooden - American Basketball Coach - 1910
"To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world"
Cocker Spaniels are known to be biters as well but you don't see them discriminated against.
I'm really against this kind of legislation but it's not always about the dogs anyway.. it's usually a product of racial profiling and because these dogs are used for dog fights.
I've heard Goldens can be biters, too. I think it all depends on the individual dog. I know someone that has 2 pitbulls and both are friendly. I saw the owner take a bone away from the male dog and it never even growled. It was more interested in sniffing my butt, I think.
I pet sit for 2 (2 diff families) pits and they are the most sweetest dogs in the whole wide world. It's too bad that West Allis is lumping them all into on classification. These 2 pits I sit for would make excellent therapy dogs! I wish they'd judge on individual cases.
Kelly what a horrible thing for you son to go thru. I had pretty much the same thing happen as a child. I was 6. Knocking on the neighbors door and their dog came charging the door, popped it open and bit my face right under my right eye and again by my right ear.
Mrs. J brought her dog back in, locked him up and then called my dad. I remember it all like it was yesterday.
I remember the ride to the hospital, the doctor stitching my face, the police, the lady's name and the dogs name....interestingly enough it's name was Tiger.....hhhhmmm
We had dogs when this happened so I didnt have a fear of them...just Tiger. And I had to walk past the house every day to catch my school bus and I was scared to death on a daily basis.
Our home was behind their home and it was a very long driveway that was shared.
Here is an update on the Pit Bull issue in West Allis.
Dan Devine ~ Mayor of West Allis is going to veto the ordinance.
Quote:
Devine said he would issue the veto before a deadline of 5 p.m. today.
The ordinance, which has not gone into effect, was approved by the Common Council on Dec. 2. The tally was 9-0, with one alderman not voting.
The ordinance would have allowed pit bulls already in West Allis to remain in the city, under certain restrictions. But no new pit bulls would have been allowed.
Devine said he has received more than 50 calls and e-mails about the ordinance, most opposing it. He said he was not aware of any other pit bull bans in the metro area.
Some communities, including Cudahy , impose restrictions on pit bulls.
I had a golden for years. The neighbor up and moved to Texas and left him behind. The kids in the neighborhood ended up taking care of him for awhile until one day they went to school and the dog got hit by a skunk. The neighbors thought is was funny to tie him up to my door. Keeping in my I have a big fear of large dogs. lol Wasn't nice. I had to over come it quickly since he and I learned alot about each other that morning. I also learned tomato Joice doesn't take the smell out from a skunk. (long story) lol
Anyways, he became part of our family but let me tell you, they say Goldens are the best 'family' dog...not really true. This one had a mean streak him him if you pointed anything at him. I really ended up loving him but I would not get another Golden again.
Cocker Spaniels are known to be biters as well but you don't see them discriminated against.
We had a young cocker spaniel that we rescued from a dog farm. Beautiful dog but never seen the outside of a cage. I worked intensively with this dog to help him become an 'inside' 'family' dog. We had him for about a year with little progress and when he started to show signs of being a car chaser/kid chaser and liking to nip and bite we found another place for him.
The only other cocker spaniel I knew was also a mean little dog. I would never recommend them. (they are very stubborn dogs too).
ahhhh then there are Boxers. Don't get me started on boxers. lol We had one for years (posted a pic of her in the dog section). Very kind and loving dog. Very simply minded too. lol (another puppy mill dog). But when you least expect it she could show aggression too. My son was forever afraid of her since she loved us all except him for some reason. He never did anything to her but she wanted his food one time and lounged at him and scared him so badly that I think after that she knew he was afraid...
Yes, Pit bulls it is like all dogs of any breed..they to can be wonderful dogs...but they can also be aggressive dogs BUT.. I noticed no one has mentioned the aggressive side of them is the fact that makes this breed very dangerous since they have a special type of jaw action that clamps on and 'locks' when they bite. It is most difficult to get the dog to release their victim if they choose not to let go. As stated any breed can be aggressive so why just pick on the pitbull? Simply put, the pits can do the most severe damage and has shown this over and over.
Many pits are loving dogs according to owners that have raised them with love and kindness. It's all in how you raise them many argue.
Not always true. Unless you know what is in the 'bloodline' of the dog they could be loving for many years but have almost like a 'time bomb' in them that someday will trigger them to become aggressive.
Unknowingly what Oprah was having on her show one day I was flipping channels and stopped to watch a minute of her show. I ended up in tears and glued to the t.v. for the next almost an hour that was left.
A young family bought a beautiful pitbull puppy about the same time they had their first child. The puppy totally took to the child and they grew together for the next several years. They claimed they never saw a dog more loving to everyone and showed no aggression.
Going on about the 3rd year the dog was sleeping and the little boy walked past tripping on the dogs foot (not harming the dog). The dog jumped up and went crazed. The dog ended up tearing most of the little boys face off and part of his scalp.....long story, years and tons of operations and hospitals in different states...the boy was then much older on the show. He still had a ways to go to try to put his face together. One thing they were discussing was how difficult it was to remake 'lips'. His life was forever altered because of this dog that was the loving family pit bull.
The specialists were talking about how sometimes in pits they can be so loving but later (usually after 2 years), something just snaps and they turn on those around them. The jaws of a pit are so fierce it makes them like 'killer dogs'.
After watching the horrors this little boy and his family had to live through I researched and found many other stories of dog attacks, but never any attacks as fierce as what can happen when a pit goes on attack.
Is it fair to discriminate against one breed of dog? I would normally say no. Not fair for any living creature to be discriminated against... but after watching this family I wonder how different his life would have been if they didn't have the powerful jaws of a pit on their young son?
Sad, sad story. But enough to never let my children go near a pit. If that makes me wrong..I don't care.
I knew a family that had pits. They loved their pits like their children. (my kids could not go there by the way)...anyways, the one pit that was the mom's favorite and claimed to be the sweetest decided to turn on the other dog one day. It was horrible. For no noticeable reason the dog 'snapped'. With the locking jaws they could not get the dog off the other one before the 2nd one finally died. They lost both dogs since they had to put the mean dog down too. Terrible to think this dog lived in the family as their 'loving' pet for so long but had this aggression harboring inside of him. What if it had been one of their children??
Oh, they actually bought another pit after that. Get real.
There was a woman I worked with that let her 2 daughters go with the neighbor girl to walk the family dog. I can't remember the breed, but it was a small dog. The girls walked by a house that had 2 akitas in the yard. The akitas managed to jump over the fence and grab the little dog. They ended up killing the little dog. How horrible for the kids to see that.
Yup it does not work ...it actually activates the odor.
yes, I found that out the hard way. It actually made me smell like skunk too. lol I had to go back to the grocery store to see what else I could get and everyone looked back at me in line and tried to stand away a little. lol
Lemon Juice mixed with Baking Soda and a few other goodies gets a dog really clean and smelling great. My 15 year old made up a concoction that has helped out little dog a few times now.
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