Breed Specific Legislation Discussed

July 9, 2008

Are you for or against BSL? Don’t know what BSL is? Neither did I until a few days ago.

BSL stands for Breed Specific Legislation. That is, an ordinance that applies to a specific breed of dog.

Think pit bulls are more aggressive than other breeds and want to do something about it? Well, you can’t. At least not under the law as passed by the Texas Legislature.

The Texas Legislature prohibits cities from passing ordinances designed to address specific dangerous dog breeds.

All this came up because the Council had received numerous complaints from citizens about dogs — pit bulls especially — wandering around neighborhoods “terrorizing” the citizens.

Normal ordinances don’t work very well. We can pick up the dog and impound it. We can even impose escalating fines and impoundment fees. But the irresponsible owners, who don’t care for the animal anyway, never claim it. They just go get another dog and start the process over again.

Citizens told us compelling stories about their experiences with pit bulls. One poor lady said she was charged by a pit bull and her small dog jumped in to protect her. She ran to a safe place and watched as the Pit Bull mutilated and fatally wounded her dog.

Another citizen was recently attacked in her own yard when a pit bull got out of a neighbors yard. In that case, the pit bull was euthanized and the citizen agreed to help with the medical bills.

The issue before the Council last night was not a specific BSL. Rather, it was a resolution asking the Texas Legislature to remove the prohibition to BSL so local governments can pass ordinances that are right for that community. In my view, it provides flexibility for municipalities.

The issue got the attention of several animal groups. In the days leading up the meeting, the Council received emails from Wisconsin, Washington, and a host of area cities. A rather large crowd gathered.

In emails, BSL was called “doggie profiling.” Some of its opponents compared it to the KKK or Al-Queda. One person at the Council meeting said that America was fighting the war in Iraq to protect the rights of persons wanting to own pit bulls. I was called some pretty mean-spirited names in emails when I challenged some of their arguments.

Last night’s resolution passed unanimously.

Update: Rachael King’ the president of the North Texas Bully Breed Club, invited me to one of their meetings. I think she was a little surprised I accepted. I went last Saturday night and had a good meeting. The people we very nice and the dogs were well behaved. It was an enjoyable evening.

Also on the Net: Cedar Hill Addresses Pit Bull Problem, from Best Southwest Citizen.