Kennett, MO repeals ban on pit bulls

Kennett, MO is a small community of a little more than 10,000 people in the very Southeastern part of the state and is the hometown of Sheryl Crow.

This week, the city council in the small community voted unanimously to remove "Pit bulls" from the definition of "dangerous dogs" in the community.

"There will be some people concerned on behalf of the risk factor involved," Said souncilman Roger Wheeler. "But there will be a lot more I think who will appreciate the fact that theri dog is not deemed a vicious dog when in reality they are not. This will eliminate a whole lot of complaint callsfor the humane officer."

The repeal was brought up by Councilman Bob Hancock. He was particularly concerned about dogs declared to be pit bulls at the city shelter that were not getting adopted.

"I'm recommending we eliminate the breed-specific and only say vicious animals. We have some pit bulls are partical pit bulls that are good dogs, and people would adopt them, but under our current ordinance, they can't adopt them out."

Kennett joins the growing list of cities in Missouri that are opting for breed-neutral dangerous dog laws instead of breed specific ones, joining Hallsville, Clayton, Riverside, Annapolis, Manchester, Wentzville, Town & Country, and Overland -- all in just the past 3 years. 

The momentum is clearly changing as communities are clearly realizing that aggressive dogs are not a breed-specific trait, but a trait that is made up of a lot of factors, including socializtion and how a dog is cared for. And that animal control departments can be far more efficient in protecting their communities if they focus on a dog's behavior, not it's breed.

Congrats to the community of Kennett. 

Comments

[Mina Smith]

"communities are clearly realizing that aggressive dogs are not a breed-specific trait" - Because ~Science~ ... which Lefties usually love but only suspended so they could punish dogs for the behavior of the people who owned them.

Now if you could just find a way to shut up that Clifton Merritt asshole & his ignorant abuse of statistics to fit his punitive obsessions.

[Karen Batchelor]

Don't worry Mina, Merritt Clifton's day is coming.

He has been challenged over his agenda and asked to provide the raw data for his claims time and again and refused and has now been caught on tape claiming to have over 100 articles published in peer reviewed journals while a serious look see by Douglas Anthony Cooper (author/journalist) found ONE.

Have a laugh here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/douglas-anthony-cooper/merritt-clifton-pit-bulls_b_5866176.html

and here:

http://www.swaylove.org/talking-with-merritt-clifton

[Roberta]

hear, hear, for Kennett - a small town close to Cape and with whom I've worked in the past.

[Eric Blaise]

This is great information and a definite must-read for people who are still skeptical about pit bulls. Despite all the attacks that have been reported recently in the news, pit bulls are inherently as dangerous as any other dog breed. It all depends on the way they were raised. Aside from Montana, other states like Utah just recently lifted their bans on pit bulls, and talking about pit bulls did you know there is more than one breed of pit bull? food for thought.