Little Rock starts enforcing "pit bull" laws

It looks like we've diverted back to the 1950s in Little Rock this week. On May 20, the city of Little Rock began enforcing its breed specific legislation that requires all owners of "pit bull" type dogs to license (at a $150 fee), microchip, vaccinate, spay/neuter their dogs, and keep them confined by a fence or in a structure. In part because of the high cost of compliance (the first year cost was going to run in the neighborhood of $400, assuming you already had the fencing), the city didn't get a lot of people to register.  So now, the animal control department is going door to door looking for "pit bull" dogs -- with the police and media in tow.

Meanwhile, it doesn't look as if they are exactly following the proper legal procedure to do this. If you watch the video in the upper right corner on this link you can see the animal control officer with his media posse out confiscating dogs. At the very end of the clip, they show a house that they had just confiscated a dog out of the back yard, however the reporter says they saw three more dogs inside, but didn't have the authority to confiscate them. Well, did they have a warrant or not?  Just because the dog is in the back yard where police can access them, does NOT mean that they have the authority to confiscate the dog without a warrant.  And if they had a warrant, they would have been able to seize all the dogs (depending on how the warrant was written).  Seems like someone isn't following the illegal searches and seizures polices set forth in our Constitution.

I've got to say, I'm just stunned at the amount of resources that are going into enforcing this stupid law. Police, aninmal control and a media circus surrounding the seizure of these dogs -- most of which don't appear to be a problem (even if several of them aren't kept as well as I'd prefer).  Meanwhile, they show video of these "potentially dangerous" dogs happily wagging and greeting enforcement officers, strangers, and people with video cameras as they come onto the dog's property?  THIS is what we're "protecting" people from? 

Meanwhile, in other Arkansas News, apparently the Helena/West Helena mayor decided that their animal control facility was in such bad shape that he felt the dogs would be better off living in the nearby national forest than in the animal shelter.  So the mayor turned 10 dogs loose into the National Forest to fend for themselves.  What!?!?!  One commenter notes that dumping animals is considered animal cruelty in the State of Arkansas...wonder if the good mayor gets brought up on felony animal cruelty charges...

Comments

[KC KS Kills Dogs]

Here you have it the position of H$u$, a quote in the local Little Rock media report.

"The Humane Society of the United States is backing Little Rock's ordinance. Animal services say owners have to register or they will lose their dogs."

I noticed H$U$ staff was right in the trenches with Little Rock AC stealing dogs out of people's back yards. The media didn't seem to think anything was wrong with confiscating people's property right out of their yard. The law of the arm can't just steal your car out of your driveway for failing to register it - they don't go door to door looking for unregistered vehicles. This is outrageous!!!!

By the way did you notice the dog owners race? When oh when are people of color going to get on the bandwagon and realize these laws are targeting them.

Finally the irony of the media - after this story they went onto a story about Flag Day and patriotism in the good 'ol USA.

[Tony]

Back from my comment vaction. Well, I just have to pretty much agree with everything that KCK said.
And how about KCK enforcing more laws that have been on the books for years(without telling anyone) and not expecting people to be angry but ultimately doing nothing about them.
This site isn't just about dog welfare issues to me, its more of a socail rights watch blog at times. Bret I think you make better and much more ture and sane statements than anything I hear from Alex Jones at times.

[Caveat]

So much for the previous statements by the H$U$, eh?

The morons are in charge, no doubt about it but the morons who put them there are really to blame.

Why aren't people freaking out generally over this? Releasing lost dogs into the woods? Going door to door and stealing people's dogs?

Does anybody know how the lawsuit in AK is going?

[EmilyS]

"Some pit bulls can be dangerous, but when they're chained, some can become more ferocious.

"I would be mad too if I was him," says Desiree Bender, Arkansas Director of the Humane Society of the United States."

Desiree, if I'm not mistaken, used to be head of a pit bull rescue group and was involved in that fixing that Katrina screwup with one of the national groups dumping a bunch of pit bulls with some horrible hoarder.. in fact I think it was she who first discovered the disaster. Worms turn, I guess. Though if she is there to participate in the seizing of abused animals, that's one thing... But participating in enforcing an abusive law is another. Of course HSUS loves to use the cover of "abused" animals to apply their fascistic methods.

[EmilyS]

oh and by the way: that animal shelter guy who's so happy that he's confiscating these happy wagging dogs so he can "give them a good meal"?

Who wants to bet he'll be KILLING those "unadoptable" dangerous animals within the week.

But hey, at least they won't be on chains...

[Brent]

Emily, I had the same thought for the "give them a good meal" comment. Kind of like their Last Supper. They give those going to the electric chair a good meal too before they go off to die.

Caveat, I haven't heard anything in awhile about the Arkansas lawsuit...I'll see what I can dig up for you.

[Mary Pearson]

I think you can all calm down about this issue, now. My dog and I were attacked by a pit bull in my neighborhood a few days ago, and it is a miracle that my dog survived. He was seriously injured, and I was also bitten.

The police do not respond to these attacks and it is up to Animal Control (which has all of four employees) to respond. This pit bull has already killed another neighbor's dog, and yet was returned to its owner. So while you are all thinking about this issue, please stop and consider that other people and their dogs have rights, too.

[Lisa in OH]

You are absolutely correct Mary and this individual dog and its owners should have been dealt with at the first sign of trouble, no matter what the breed of dog. I hope your dog is on the road to recovery and I hope you can get justice from the idiots that allowed this to happen to you and your dog

[Brent]

Mary,

Your situation highlights one of the major reasons why everyone should be upset about ridiculous laws like this. Instead of AC wasting their time and resources (which are always too few) on dealing with dogs simply because they are unaltered, they should focus 100% of the resources on dogs (and owners) that have identified themselves (based on their behavior) as problems. It is the most efficient and effective way to improve public safety.

I hope your dog is heals nicely

[[email protected]]

I love pitbull's they are cool they are playful and the only reason they can be mean is because of the owned the dog is only as good as its owned thats I beleve and the reason they make the owners of the dog pay a fee is because these dogs are being agresive because the are eather 1.not a good pet owner 2.a person that misstreats a dog or 3.They are never around to teach the dog wrong from right. The bread is the most missunderstud bread I think everybody should have the right to have a dog no matter the brad wether it is a pit,german sheperd,or even a chawawa. I will also say agen "THE DOG IS ONLY AS GOOD AS THE OWNER". SORRY FOR THE SPELLING ISSUES PEOPLE.

[Scott K.]

Sorry, but I totally support 'stealing' animals that are chained up 24/7. First, it's a sign your neighbor is a moron. Second, they donlt even understand the nature of their own dog. Third, these animals are, invariably in the case of bitches, overbred by low rent hunters as hound dogs or fighting dogs. They tend to bark for hours on end as they are too hungry, ill, have little freedom of movement, etc etc. These dogs then have highly unpredictable behaviors if they ever do get loose. If you've neber seen a child show up at an ER whose face has been mauled, or a disabled person, or an elderly person out for a little walk, then consider yourselves VERY lucky. I have known and seen neighbors who have karge, fenced in yards STILL purposely tie their dogs 24hrs a day FOR YEARS up with a whopping six feet of line. The animals suffer heat, freezing conditins, and the pain of isolation and these types of owners are often too dumb and lazy to train their own dogs. They'll make excuses about dogs bark, that what they do!'. If your dog barks constantly, (which makes you the LEAST desirable neighbor and and the trash of the neighborhood), hiw will you know when it's barking at something wrong? You won't. There are WAY, WAY too many owners of dogs that are destroying the quality of life in many LR neighborhoods, which, with the internet, nly tells companies considering bringing money n here NOT to. Most companies worth real money have to sell Quality Of Life off the job to attract good candidates, most of whom will research the city and state BEFORE they move. Failure to enforce noise ordinances shows up in ublic databases, as do stray, diseased, and violent dog attacks. If the animal control services are seen as ineffectual and if cops are not making these abused and/or poorly trained dog owners pay high fines or have their dogs confiscated, (in which case the owner should HAVE to pay a fine just for the use of city official time like that as well as any medical fees for the animals care till pickup or destruction), that too can and will show up in a quick internet search. No one wants to move to Arkansas to live in some modern version of the Deliverance movie, nor do they want their peace and quiet of neighborhoods to turn into Los Angeles. Talk about dog problems! So, I fulky support, vote for, and contribute to any politician and organization that is aggressively enforcing noise ordinance laws AND also work to make life a living hell for people that have no consideration either for the poor animals n their flimsy version of 'care' as well as protect neighborhoods from turning into the streets of Calcutta. I don't care if it's a rich or poor area, ALL citizens, especially the non-dog owners, should be able to safely attend public parks, (where even though signs are posted, WAY too many owners ignore the leash laws and let their dogs off leash...where children and elderly peole go for God's sakes! and they do so without penalty AT ALL), should be able to get a good nights sleep before work, school, or just enjiy their own backyards without some slothful, inconsiderate dog owner's 'pet' barking incessantly for hours on end. The more the police ignore this issue, the more it emboldens the thuggish dog fighters, puppy millers, backyard breeders, and irresponsible animal owners. I have already researched about Pulaski, and the reviews about how many neighbors there are who leave dogs perpetually chained up and endlessly barking is a bad sign. If the cops are too busy to enforce, if animal control is understaffed, then I think a FIRST TIME penalty of failure to comlply with the current dog barking ordinances should be no less than $1500, payable in 60 days or the fine goes up another $500 with a court hearing and public service of 5 hours a week for 4 weeks. You watch how quickly the neighborhoods would quiet down, how it would reduce the over burdened animal control services(which already doesn't get enough money but we ALL pay for, including nn-animal owners), and how much more of a pleasant reputation Little Rock could continue to build. Otherwise, we are going to quickly return to the high crime era of the 90's, which has already started. Any simpleton can see how noisy dogs and neighborhoods going downhill can go hand in hand.

[Tim]

While I've seen my fair share of country folk, usually of the poor, rural variety, tie their dogs out under hot suns and icey conditions with little food, water, or shelter, it never ceases to confound me why black folks would (not all, but many). I mean, these are a people who come from a history of having had chains put around their own necks, so one would think that's the last thing they'd do to another thinking, feeling creature. And before I'm accused of being racist, zi have also seen too many white, spoiled yuppies in Burns park, the Riverwalk, and Allsop parks totally ignore leash laws with abandon. When confronted, these 'I'm above the law' types always say,"Well, everyone else does it!". These are public areas, not their personal living spaces, and the lack of consideration for other people, who may not like dogs at all, have to contend with these spoiled rationalizers. There IS a dog park or two in the city. Either they're not well advertised or the safety of tourists, business people, and residents is of no concern to the city or police. Well, just wait till someone gets bitten n one of these public areas. I guarantee you they'll file a lawsuit against Little Rock for failure to enforce.

[Brent]

Scott.

Someone being a moron is not a reason you can steal from them.

If pets are unaltered, the single most effective solution is offering them low cost spay/neuter services instead of seizing their pet and killing it in the shelter.

If dogs barking is a problem, passing a well-worded nuisance dog law that includes excessive barking is a viable solution. That is NOT what Little Rock chose to do. They passed a breed specific, mandatory spay/neuter law. Because only pit bulls with balls bark? It's a ridiculous notion. I would support a nuisance law, for the reasons you state.

[Maria]

To whom is posting these ignorant comments on pits think twice I have a pit pup and TBH she is amazing I have to girls and they love her she is always so happy and playful it depend how the dog is brought up they are just like kids bring up you kid with lack of attention and having bad peers than they will be just as bad as a dog with no attention and people who are lacking teaching them the right techniques .,:yes I understand they are known for being fighters but read your history they were trained to be fighters and to be aggressive by starvation and aggression and much more .

[Scott J]

Scott K.

You would've hated my family then. We had a great dane/lan mix that was kept outside on a zipping his whole life. He was not chained to a tree. We had first 1.3 and then 3 acre yard. Both of which our doggo was on a L shape zipline. He also had blankets and a dog house They only time he came in was temperatures below freezing or above 99°F. He was happy. We played with him and walked him BUT HE STAYED OUTSIDE. And I'd say we were pretty responsible and no