COLUMBUS — An Ohio representative has introduced legislation that, if passed, would ban the ownership of pit bull dogs in the state of Ohio.
Rep. Tyrone K. Yates, D-Cincinnati, presented House Bill 568 approximately two weeks ago. The bill states that “ninety days after the effective date of this [law], no person shall own, keep, or harbor a dog that belongs to a breed that is commonly known as a pit bull dog.”
Yates’ bill also states that, if enacted, pit bull owners would have 90 days to turn their dogs in to local wardens. The dog wardens would then have 10 days to euthanize the dogs. The law also states that if officers believe a person may own a pit bull, a search warrant would be granted and authorities could seize the animal for euthanization.
“[The bill] is draconian if taken on its face,” Yates told the News. “The real intent [of proposing the bill] was to create a dialog and try to make the problem better than we have in the past.”
Under current Ohio law, pit bulls are classified as vicious animals, and owners are bound by certain restrictions. They are required to keep the animal in a locked, fenced yard, a locked dog pen that has a top, or some other locked enclosure. A pit bull owner is also required to maintain at least $100,000 of liability insurance coverage for the animals they own. A violation of either of these provisions is a first-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to $1,000 in fines and six months in jail.
Yates said he was really concerned about the number of pit bull problems in inner cities that are occurring all over Ohio.
“Pit bulls seem to be the dog of choice in inner cities. They’re being used for fighting and not being nurtured. We don’t really want to pull pets away from loving families. We’re trying to create a dialog,” said Yates.
Terri Hillier operates the Rabies Surveillance Program for the Knox County Health Department and is responsible for tracking all animal bites within the county.
“So far in 2008 we’ve had 45 animal bites, 30 of which were dog bites,” said Hillier. “We’ve also reported bites from cats, a bat, and, in one case, a cougar. It’s been a busy year so far.”
Hillier said that often, people complaining of an animal bite are unsure of the type of dog that bit them, so there is no accurate record of bites by pit bulls.
“Sometimes you’ll have a person on a bike who has been bitten and often all they can report is the color of the animal,” said Hillier.
As for Yates’ proposed legislation, Hillier said it goes back to the responsibility of the owner.
“You’ve got to make sure that animal is properly supervised on your property, whether it’s a pit bull or a horse,” she said.
There were 119 animal bites in Knox County in 2006, 90 of which were dog bites. In 2007, there were 123 animal bites, 94 of which were dog bites, according to Hillier.
According to the National Canine Research Council, there have been 17 fatal dog attacks in Ohio over the past 43 years. At least 11 different breeds/types of dogs have been identified as participating in fatal attacks in Ohio. NCRC data shows that none of the dogs involved in those fatal attacks were spayed or neutered. Veterinary experts agree that spayed or neutered pets are far less likely to attack a person. Karen Delise, founder and director or research for the NCRC, has penned two books on the subject of dog attacks.
“[Yates’ bill] is very disturbing,” Delise told the News. “To make assumptions about an entire breed’s behavior based on articles in the media or just word on the street is just frightening.”
Delise’s organization reports that all the dogs involved in fatal attacks in Ohio were intact, meaning not spayed or neutered.
“It’s a matter of holding dog owners responsible,” said Delise. “Leash laws, education, anti-cruelty laws, humane laws, this has all worked phenomenally in reducing the number of dog bites.”
Citing health department statistics, Delise said that although the dog population in the United States has doubled since 1970, the number of bites reported has dropped dramatically.
“For example, in 1978, Chicago reported 11,932 dog bites. Last year, 2007, there were 2,149 bites,” said Delise. “This is all because of these responsible ownership laws.”
John Groseclose, a seven-year veteran of the Knox County Dog Warden’s Office, said that wardens typically try to relocate any confiscated pit bulls out of the state. He added that there are few records of how many pit bulls they have euthanized.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 4.7 million Americans are bitten by dogs each year. These bites result in approximately 16 fatalities nationwide. The CDC reports that there is currently no accurate way to identify the number of dogs of a particular breed, and consequently no measure to determine which breeds are more likely to bite or kill.
For now, Yates’ proposed legislation has yet to attract any official co-sponsors and the bill remains in committee. Yates said he has recently teamed up with Rep. Dr. Shawn Webster, R-Hanover, to work on the legislation. Webster is a practicing veterinarian and has proposed a bill completely opposite of Yates that would actually remove pit bull breeds from the vicious dog list. Webster’s bill also remains in committee.
Yates said that with Webster’s help, he hopes to draft a joint bill less draconian than his, but sharper than Webster’s, to manage the alleged dog bite problem in Ohio.
