It's a new year. Not much city business this week with the holiday week, but quite a bit of other news going on. Let's take a look at the week's top stories.
Cities and Laws
Bless the Bullies has a list of cities that have city council meetings coming up soon to discuss potential bans or restrictions on different breeds of dogs. Cities include Jackson, MS, Molalla, OR, Logan, IA, Oshkosh, WI, West Point, MS, Fayette, MO and Ridgeland, MS -- including the contact information of the city aldermen in these communities.
Here's more about Toledo's dog warden Tom Skeldon -- who has killed about 2500 "pit bulls" in the past 2 years under Toledo's breed ban -- which is among the reasons a citizen petition was issued that has led to Skeldon needing to report into a committee abou how animal control is doing.
Two 'pit bulls' in Crawford County (MI) are slated to be euthanized because they approached a man. The man was not bitten, or attacked in any way, but says he felt threatened. When the owner of the dogs came out and called the dogs, they instantly came to the owner. Trainers have examined the dogs and foud them to have not shown aggressive behaviors. While it was wrong for the dogs to be off leash, does anyone think that a Labrador would be euthanized for being off-leash?
From the Pet Lovers Tips, the Community of Ferris, TX has apparently taken a unique approach to their stray dog problem. Polic officers have now been instructed to carry shotguns and shoot any stray dogs on site.
Manchester Village (MI) has passed a new breed neutral dog ordinance that looks like a strong attempt at improving public safety by focusing on the behavior of the dogs, not the breed.
Dog bites and attacks
A six year old Deltona, FL was airlifted after he was bitten in the face by the family's Rottweiler. The boy apparently had fallen or jumped onto the dog and the dog bit him.
Two kids in Nashville, TN were attacked by a pit bull mix that broke loose from it's tether -- which was made of chain, a nylon collar and duct tape. If this is how the owner felt waan ok way to contain a dog, hard telling what other needs of the dog were also not being met.
A Chow mix in Homer Alaska was shot by police officers after it broke its tether and charged at the police officers.
An 8 year old boy and his 10 year old sister were attcked by a Husky that was running at large and approached the children while they were sledding in Red Deer (Alberta). The breed of dog wasn't mentioned until the 3rd paragraph.
A mail carrier in Williamsburg (TN) was attacked this week when a black Labrador broke its chain and attacked the mailman.
A 90 year old Rochester Hills man was bitten by a 150 lbs Akita that was owned by one of his grandsons that was visiting for the holidays. The breed of the dog, again, wasn't mentioned until the 3rd paragraph.
A Husky in Verona, WI bit a woman in front of a local high school. The bite barely broke the skin, but somehow made the news.
A woman in McAlester, OK is blaming her neighbor's pit bulls for killing her pet pig. No one saw the attack, and there is no real evidence that the dogs were involved, but 'pit bull' certainly made the headline.
Mistaken Identity
The Soo Today (Ontario) notes that a dog that was involved in an attack was originally declared to be a "pit bull/mastiff mix" -- but upon further review was really just a Neopolitan Mastiff. Congrats on the newspaper for correcting the error -- it's just unfortunate how often dogs that bite are described as 'pit bulls' that turn out to be other breeds of dogs.
Abuse Cases
A Long Island man is being charged with torturing his pet pit bull -- having beaten her, used her as a dart board and tied her mouth shut. The man, John Bayliss, had previously served 4 years in prison for assaulting his 18 month old son a decade ago. In spite of this, the dog is described as having a very friendly disposition.
Three dead 'pit bulls' were found in Millville, NJ -- the dogs are believed to have been used for fighting purposes.
Miscellanious
Transported Newkirk, OK dogs doing well. I've obviously shared the news about Boomer, but the rest are doing well also accoridng to a follow-up article from the Winfield Daily Courier.
Dog Fighting in Afghanistan is making a comeback. Interestingly, neither of the dogs in the photo look much like the types of dogs used for fighting in the US.
An inspirational video about Leonidas -- Leo lost one of his legs amputated following a cruelty case.
This is an interesting story from out of Franklin County, Ohio. The shelter there is getting criticism for not doing enough to weed out dangerous animals prior to adoption. So far this year, less than 1% of the animals they've adopted out have been returned because of aggression issues. The shelter has a policy about not adopting out "pit bulls'. The folks at Help Fido, who live in the area, have more thoughts on the article.
Another positive article from the Philadelphia Daily News about a woman who is fighting to help 'pit bulls' rescued from fighting operations and trying to give them a second chance.
Have a great week everyone.
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