It's actually been a pretty brutal week on the news front. Maryland completely screwed up their opportunity to overturn the Solesky court case, and there were two fatal dog bite incidents. I'll cover all three of these stories under separate covers in the next day or so.
Meanwhile, a lot of other interesting stuff out there and here's a look at some of the top stories from the week that was.
Cities/States and Laws
Chippewa Falls, WI has decided against breed-specific legislation and instead want to focus on owner accountability in how they handle aggressive dogs. We agree.
Wooster, OH is looking at eliminating its breed specific law noting that the current breed-specific law actually makes it challenging to deal with aggressive dogs that are not of the restricted breed.
Bluefield, WV is proposing an ordinance that would ban new pit bulls from entering the community of about $10,000 people.
Parkersburg, WV appears to also be discussing breed-specific regulations. Several council members are concerned about the ability to enforce such a law, others are concerned about the legality of it, but the success (or failure) of the law in Bluefield may have a role in determining what Parkersburg does.
Bloomington, IL is staying away from breed-specific legislation. One city council member noted that discussing breed specific laws would "move us away from the issue at hand" -- which is oh, so true.
Miscellaneous
Law Enforcement Today has an interesting article warning police officers of potential legal suits that could come from shooting dogs owned by the public. Hat Tip to the Greenville Dog Examiner.
In maybe the most bizarre story this week, the Idaho Humane Society received 63 'pit bulls' that were found at the site of a triple homicide. Three people were found dead at the scene, including a mother who was still clutching her still-alive infant. There were 63 dogs at the scene and the dogs were saved from the situation. There was also about $100,000 worth of marijuana found at the scene.
Louisville basketball player Kevin Ware suffered a horrific combound fracture in his leg in the NCAA Basketball tournament. To help him deal with the tragic injury, he adopted a new pit bull puppy he named "Scar." Dogs bring so much to our lives, including comfort when we're down.
Blogs
The American Academy of Pediatrics offers good advice - for parents to never leave dogs and their young children alone together.
You usually bring up fatal dog attacks in your roundup.
Posted by: dubv | April 16, 2013 at 06:26 PM
Actually Dub, in the 7 year history of this blog, I'm not sure I've ever put fatality stories in the roundup. I always put them in a separate header -- it's easier for me for tagging for the final year-end report.
Posted by: Brent | April 16, 2013 at 06:55 PM