Time to clean up the back log of pit bull news. From Newark Ohio, a city council Safety Committee will discuss the possibility of removing pit bulls from the city's dangerous dog list, but without much enthusiasm. Service Director David Rhodes stated in June that the city plans to keep its existing ordinance which labels pit bulls as vicious. Ohio is a home rule state and communities may have laws stricter than state law but not less than state law. Ohio's recent capitulation to breed specific advocacy has emboldened local pit bull owners to request changes in local law. "At least two residents" requested the city change local law to match the lenient new state law. Safety Committee Chairman Marc Guthrie is not so sure about this proposal but does feel that council should provide a forum for discussion. Mayor Jeff Hall is inclined to keep the city regulation, in addition to the state law, as Rhodes and Safety Director Bill Spurgeon suggest. The Safety Committee Chairman stated with great common sense "It probably makes some sense to see how the Ohio law works (before making a change). A grand plan, Cincinnati dropped their breed ban to soothe the hurt feelings of pit bull advocacy and had a mauling death within just a few weeks.
http://www.newarkadvocate.com/article/20120728/NEWS01/207280301/Behavior-first-Newark-might-take-pit-bulls-off-vicious-list?odyssey=nav%7Chead
http://www.newarkadvocate.com/article/20120730/NEWS01/120730010/Pit-bull-owners-want-city-law-changed
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From Dayton Ohio, home base of vocal HB 14 advocate and Montgomery County Dog Warden Mark Kumpf, another outrageous pit bull attack. Mark has been lucky of late, police have shot the pit bulls during attacks, saving Mark the trouble of wading through the legal maze that Best Friends animal rights lawyers created in HB 14.
Dayton police shot a pit bull/boxer mix after it attacked a woman and a cat INSIDE a 1995 Buick parked inside a garage. Police responded to a call and found a 51 year old woman trapped inside the Buick, with a seat belt wrapped around the dog's neck. Her 911 call included her statement of the problem "I have a dog that has attacked me and my cat, I can't get him out of my car. He is in my car, I was trying to get in the car to get away." She told police she was afraid to get out of the car because, per newstalkradiowohio.com "she would have to let go of the seat belt strap she had wrapped around the dog's neck to keep it at bay and from attacking her and a cat that was also apparently inside the vehicle." Officers attempted to use tasers (pit bull owners always want to know why their mauler was shot during an attack instead of tasered, here is why)but after it was let out of the Buick it charged after the woman. At this point common sense kicked in and an officer fired two rounds from a .40 caliber handgun "striking the animal in the chest and lung." After being tasered, and shot twice, the dog ran off and later charged another officer, "who used a shotgun to stop and kill the animal."
It is a damn shame that Dayton residents have to attempt to take refuge in their cars to protect themselves from attacking pit bulls. I'm sure Dayton residents thank Kumpf for his efforts to deregulate these dogs.
http://www.newstalkradiowhio.com/news/news/police-kill-pit-bull-mix-after-attack-in-car/nP82G/
http://www.abc22now.com/shared/news/top-stories/stories/wkef_pit-bull-traps-woman-car-dog-then-shot-killed-8008.shtml?wap=0
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More from Montgomery County!!! Huge shout out to Montgomery County Dog Warden, and HB 14 advocate Mark Kumpf for the "improved safety" of his community.
In Huber Heights, two women were bitten as they attempted to break up a fight between two pit bulls inside their house. A responding police officer also attempted to break up the dog fight and (again) attempted to use a taser on one of the pit bulls. The second pit bull charged at the officer and he fired one round, killing the dog. Kumpf's staff at Montgomery County Animal Control also responded. There were children in the home but they were not awake to witness the dog fight. One can assume that gunfire inside the home did wake them. An investigation is in progress. Mr. Kumpf, you must begin the process of declaring the remaining pit bull dangerous, you might want to thank Ledy Vankavage for the hoops you will have to go through to do so to protect the residents of Montgomery County.
http://www.whiotv.com/news/news/pitbull-fight-injures-2-women-1-dog-killed/nP9T6/
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A Canton 9 year old is recovering after being attacked by two dogs, a pit bull and a boxer. Billy Harvey suffered multiple bites, the worst to his upper thigh. Neighbors heard the boy screaming and rushed to help him. Tamikka Dotson stated "I'm getting closer I hear him screaming and crying and I didn't even see the dogs at first until I got right here and I said he is getting attacked by two dogs. I have got to do something." Dotson said she pulled the dogs off Billy as he struggled in the grass, the two dogs biting him. "They were still coming at him, even with me being right here and I'm trying to stand in front of them and kick the dogs back because I didn't have any shoes on or anything." Dotson was able to get the dogs off the boy as a man, possibly the dog's owner grabbed the dogs and ran away. Personally, I would bet money on that being the dog owner, classic irresponsible owner response to seeing his dogs maul someone, grab your mauler and run.
The following day Billy and his mother went to Ms. Dotson's home to thank her, she responded "I just want you to know there are people around here who care." Dotson also said "People if you are going to have your animals then keep control of them. There's kids running around this neighborhood all day every day."
This Canton neighborhood is fortunate to have Tamikka Dotson!
http://fox8.com/2012/08/06/boy-recovering-after-pitt-bull-boxer-attack/
http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/local_news/akron_canton_news/police-9-year-old-boy-mauled-by-two-dogs-tan-pit-bull-and-brindle-boxer-in-canton
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I ran out of time before I ran out of pit bull attacks. More to come soon... God help us.
