Breed law the pits, owners say.
Bull, others say — Dog owners rally against proposed Monroe law
“Punish the deed, not the breed.” That was the message dog owners brought from around the state to Monroe over the weekend, where pet owners and advocates held a demonstration Saturday protesting an ordinance under consideration by the city.
The ordinance would make it easier for some breeds to be declared dangerous than others. Most breeds would require two incidences of attack or bite to earn the designation, which brings with it stringent requirements for the dog’s owner, including high insurance policies and increased security measures and signage. Dogs of 11 breeds, including pit bulls, akitas and kuvasz, would only require one incident to earn the designation.
The ordinance, prepared by the Monroe Police Department at the behest of the city, is modeled on a similar ordinance in Auburn. It is based on a list of dogs most statistically likely to cause injury, and that historically were bred for fighting or attacking.
Currently, Everett is the only Snohomish County city with a breed-specific dog ordinanace. But dog owners far and wide immediately took exception to the proposal, and e-mail began to flood into the city.
“People must be held accountable for their actions, not the dogs that are victimized by these people,” wrote one Snohomish woman. “Instead, let us impose laws that will prosecute owners of vicious dogs, no matter the breed. And those who train and fight dogs must be criminally prosecuted. Let’s place the blame where the blame squarely lies: on the human being.”
“Breed specific laws have no history of success anywhere and have consequently been repealed in many places,” wrote Kristine Philips, Executive Director of the National Animal Interest Alliance of Portland, Ore. “We support effective laws that provide serious consequences for owners whose dogs attack people or other pets and offer education to address the underlying issues of socialization that determine canine behavior. Monroe City Council should resist the temptation to single out particular breeds, not only because it is unfair, but because it gives the public a false sense of security. Any dog, Chihuahua to St. Bernard – even normally well-behaved dogs – can bite.”
Saturday at noon, members of Families Against Breed Bans held a rally near Denny’s in Monroe.
“If anything this should bring Monroe dog lovers together to fight for something that they believe in and to voice their concern for the animals they adore, as well as fighting for a breed neutral dangerous dog ordinance that will actually create public safety and not just target breeds, most of which are owned by responsible dog owners,” said Faith, a member of the organization.
Members of the group and other dog lovers plan to attend the Wednesday night meeting of the Monroe City Council to participate in a public hearing on the breed-specific ordinance. “I hear there is going to be a large turnout,” said Faith.
But the ordinance also has some local support. “Something has to be done,” said Bill Bruin of Monroe, who said a neighbor’s dog has leapt into his back yard with his own dogs several times. “I've called the police six or seven times,” he said. “My dog’s getting skitterish, and doesn't want to go outside as much any more.”
And the arguement that certain breeds are more dangerous than others is valid, said one Monroe woman calling herself Common Sense Citizen.
“I get angry when I hear people say ‘it isn’t the breed, it’s how they are
raised,’” she wrote. “That is absolutely not true. It is the breed. Certain dogs are bred for certain behaviors. My sister was in property management for years and because of liability insurance purposes, she could not rent to anyone with a pit bull, German shepherd or doberman or rottweiler. These dogs are bred to be aggressive and are known to be ‘unpredictable.’”
The Monroe City Council will hold a public hearing on the matter at Wednesday’s regular 7 p.m. meeting of the Monroe City Council in City Hall.
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