West Columbia, Tx hog doggers

[Circle C]

You might want to look at this link.

http://www.easttexashogdoggers.com/forum/index.php?topic=7146.0

It will effect you directly, but all of us that own and use these "vicious" dogs will be effected if this ordinance does indeed pass.

[a-khunter]

IMO i don't think its right for someone to say what kinda "pet" you can own in a certain area.  I am not from the area but i feel sorry for those who are.  I have a full blood pit catch dog and he is the happiest and friendliest dog i have. i got a cur that would eat a stranger if given the chance.  Overall, i think its wrong to make someone give up a pet or move because they chose not too.   

[Circle C]

I agree, that's why the mayors email address is listed.  It only takes a few minutes to compose a "polite" email stating why the ordinance is wrong.  If enough people are heard, it may have an impact. On the flip side, if enough of these towns get away with passing these ordinances, you can bet it will happen in your town eventually.

[smwilson]

You need to check your homeowners insurance, I received a letter awhile back from my insurance company listing five types of dogs they deemed as high risk and if I own one my liability insurance would not cover any accidents. So I can't kennel pit bulls, Rottweiler, chows and can't remember the two others. I am almost twenty miles from the nearest town. The four acres around my house is fenced, have invisible fence five foot inside of that in case someone leaves the gate open. Have kennels with a 7ft fence around them. The problem is if you haven't noticed, these young kids with there pit bulls on this huge chain walking up and down the street being cool. They train these dogs to be aggressive and fight them. then they take them home a put them in a yard that the fence is falling down. then when the dogs get away and bites someone they can't understand how it happens. The city council should give you an option or requirements for a person to own a dog of this type, have kennel and fencing requirements. They should come up with these standards a require inspection by animal control. If a person meet  these requirements he should be able to have any type dog they wish.

[a-khunter]

Well said smwilson.

a screening criteria thats a good idea.

[Circle C]

The city council should give you an option or requirements for a person to own a dog of this type, have kennel and fencing requirements. They should come up with these standards a require inspection by animal control. If a person meet  these requirements he should be able to have any type dog they wish.

That, or just enforce the existing laws on the books.  

My bulldogs are on chains, in kennels, inside a fenced ~3 acre yard. I don't do it because anyone requires that of me, I do it out of consideration for my neighbors and their livestock. My cur dogs are trashbroke, well sorta but if they happened to bay up something they shouldn't, say the neighbors show pig, I don't want my catch dogs getting ahold of it, and causing problems.  I view my position as being a responsible pet owner...regardless of what laws are on the books.  Now take those same kids you mentioned, they are not going to go through the inspections even if required...so the additional laws are not going to protect the first person that their dog attacks.  

[matt_aggie04]

BINGO!

[Bino9905]

I just wrote the letter below to the entire council. The more letters they get the least likely this will pass and the least likely our own cities will try and get copy cat laws in place.

West Columbia city officials:



I just read the article in the paper stating you are moving towards banning a specific breed(s) of dog from your city. I do not have the solution to your problem, but I know that your plans will not work and will only punish the law abiding citizens.

Imagine the grief you are giving your residents who own a pit or rottweiler and have had him for years with out any incidents or complaints. Now they are being forced to get rid of their beloved animals or move away. With out any reason or fault of their own.



If this law passes, the responsible pet owners with the good dogs will be forced to get rid of their pet. The people (notice I didn't say dogs) that you have problems with now will continue to be a problem. Those who currently raise vicious dogs and don't keep them confined or raise dogs for fighting will laugh at your ordinance and will continue to do what they do.



I am not a resident of West Columbia nor do I know any of you, but to an outsider it seems pretty "fishy" that a law like this is being developed after "one" specific incident where someone was knocked down by a supposedly vicious pit-bull. I have seen many a lab or golden retriever jump (lung) on someone out of happiness and knock them down, especially children.



It seems like the woman who got knocked down is either a powerful member of the city or someone related to one of you. The final speculative view is that her large family manufactured this complaint in order to force a neighbor to get rid of his dogs.



What ever the motive for you drawing up this ordinance, it stands on foolish reasoning at best. The same way you CAN NOT  say all blacks are lazy criminals, or all Mexicans are drug dealers on welfare or that all whites are redneck racist, you can not say that all dogs of one breed are vicious and should be destroyed.



You can have a chihuahua that is truly vicious and a pit that is a complete teddy bear.



I do not own either of these dogs, but I have been around many examples of both breeds. I have seen many perfect pets and many vicious pets. You can not generalize and place them all in the same boat.



If you want to prevent any harm to your residents, then you need to go after specific dogs or specific dog owners that raise vicious dogs and refuse to properly confine them.



That is how you fix the problem, not by abusing your power and trying something that is unfair and not the way a council should govern their city.



I hope you take this letter as an example of how many in your town and in all of Brazoria county feel after reading the article. You should drop the ordinance and go about fixing your problems via a different route.



Respectfully

[Circle C]

West Columbia, Texas:  City Council Meeting -- August 10, 2009
 
West Columbia passed a breed ban in July that would ban American Pit Bull Terriers and Rottweilers from this Texas city. Their city attorney was given the task of drafting an ordinance that would accomplish what they wanted. They soon found out that Texas has a statutory provision, Sec. 822.047 of the Health and Safety Code, that prevents laws that target one or several breeds of dogs.
 
Fortunately, the City took the position that they did not want an ordinace that was contrary to state law and are to be commended for that. But they went a step farther. Their City Council invited Jeff Shaver and I to come talk to them and their citizens about breed specific laws and the Texas ban on them. This effort was spearheaded by City Council Member Donna Schwebel who voted against such an ordinance. She had done some independent research that indicated to her, and correctly so, that breed bans do not work.
 
When we walked in to Council Chambers last night, I was a bit taken aback. The facility was packed. I sort of glanced over the crowd and wondered if Jeff and I were about to be roasted. Nothing could have been farther from the truth. We were warmly received and people listened attentively and not one person said a negative thing about dogs of any kind.
 
I spoke about our Texas laws, Texas' tough dangerous dog laws, and their city laws. I live in a small city, too, and in over 20+ years there has not been one dog bite incident and not one dangerous dog determination. That is because we do not have a loose dog problem which takes citizens willing to get involved in making sure dogs are kept off the streets. The idea of being proactive before an incident occurs seemed to really resonate with them. Of course, as on owner of two American Pit Bull Terriers, I had to brag on the true nature of these wonderful dogs in the right hands and stress how breed bans do not change the hearts and minds of people. Any issue with dogs is really an issue about people.
 
Jeff talked about Denver's breed ban and how it has sorely failed. He explained why these laws do not work, the drain on the city trying to enforce them, and the unfairness to people whose pets were killed for no reason at all. Jeff is the owner of Rottweilers and talked about some of the great things Rotties have accomplished (service after 9-11) and how versatile his breed is in their service to people in all sorts of way. He brought the Sports Illustrated edition regarding Michael Vick's dogs showing these dogs as pets and even therapy dogs.
 
We both had handouts for them, and I prepared a brief guide on the law concering BSL. At the end of the presentation we entertained a few questions and then were thanked by hearty applause from everyone. It was very gratifying to see the response to a positive approach in talking with the citizens and lawmakers of a city about BSL and working with them instead of against them.
 
In conclusion, West Columbia is not going to implement an ordinance banning any breeds of dogs. Importantly, they were open to listening and learning about the subject and it turned out to be a win-win result for everyone.
 
Zandra Anderson
www.TexasDogLawyer.com
 
Permission to Crosspost.

[DubbleRDawgs]

I did use to live in West Columbia years ago, and still have family and friends there. It is a small town that is trying to act like a big town. With now having gangs, drug problems, and so forth. I also am a proud owner of Pitbulls.  They are wonderful animals, very smart, non aggressive, family oriented, and very awesome pets. As with any animal breed  there are good ones and there are crazy ones.  But even the crazy ones can be trained to be good dogs.  The problem is NOT the dogs it is the people that own them, it is like guns, they don't kill people the people holding them do. These young people are getting the breed and beating them down to make them aggressive.  It is the status symbol for these kids that want to look tough.  So these community's that are trying to ban certain breeds should leave the animals alone and ban the owners. I personally am more afraid of a chihuahua than a pitbull or a rottweiler.  If West Columbia does ban Pitbull's are they going to ban all the breed, such as American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers American Bulldog, Valley Bulldog, Alapaha Blue blood bulldog, Bull Mastiff, and my favorite Banter Bulldogge and the list goes on. I as a animal lover and defender do not think that any township has the right to tell any person what type of pet they can have, I do think that it would be a wise idea to have the dogs and the owners register them within the town, that way when something does happen the town can go after the owner.  A dog only does what it is trained to do.

[Circle C]

In conclusion, West Columbia is not going to implement an ordinance banning any breeds of dogs. Importantly, they were open to listening and learning about the subject and it turned out to be a win-win result for everyone.

[dgdawsonBMCs]

Circle C - What are you trying to tell us?   

[Circle C]

The original post was about an ordinance adopted/ voted on by West Columbia city council enacting a breed ban.  In the meantime people, including members of ETHD, contacted the city council and mayor expressing their concerns regarding breed specific legislation/ breed bans.  The post I put up yesterday is the result of that effort. West Columbia will not be implementing the ordinance that was originally voted on.


I am trying to tell y'all that the effort by dog owners contacting the city council was effective. Maybe it was not real clear in the post that I put up yesterday???

[dgdawsonBMCs]

For the record, I thought it was pretty clear, I was just messing with you....It seems you were the only one reading the whole post 

[Circle C]

For the record, I thought it was pretty clear, I was just messing with you....It seems you were the only one reading the whole post

Gotcha...You had me wondering.