WAUSEON — The city of Wauseon is again debating changes to its dog laws.
The city’s safety and code committee met for nearly two hours Monday to discuss possibly removing breed-specific language against “pit bulls” and strengthening penalties for owners of vicious dogs of all breeds.
This is the city’s second round in recent months tackling the issue. The first proposed ordinance to remove breed-specific restrictions failed on the second reading Dec. 15 because it did not garner a majority of four votes. The vote was 3-2 with one abstention.
Council at its Jan. 5 meeting sent the matter back to the committee for further discussion.
The state removed its 25-year-old breed-specific law in 2012. Wauseon’s ordinance, which is modeled after the former state law, was unaltered. It automatically deems any “pit bull” or “pit bull” mix vicious, regardless of behavior. Owners must pay $25 every year to register them with the city, show proof of insurance, and adhere to fencing and muzzling rules.
Brian Banister, the Fulton County dog warden, along with a dog trainer from Archbold and a Wauseon couple that owns a “pit bull,” spoke before the committee.
Councilman Martin Estrada, who has led the effort to bring the city’s laws in line with the state, has questioned how enforceable the ordinance is, particularly when it comes to identifying “pit bull” mixes. He questioned Mr. Banister and Assistant Police Chief Bill McConnell if removing breed-specific language would hinder them in any way when enforcing the vicious dog law.
Both answered no, although Mr. Banister — who cannot enforce city code, only state law — restated his opinion that Wauseon should keep its “pit bull” regulations. He said “pit bulls” inflict more severe injuries than other breeds.
“I think that this is a good thing it’s in place and that ‘pit bull’ owners should go a little step further to have these kinds of dogs,” he said.
Tasha Grieser of Archbold, a dog trainer and advocate for breed neutrality, presented the committee with a packet of dog bite statistics she compiled from Fulton County Health Department records. Her figures show that “pit bulls” accounted for 6.7 percent of all dog bites reported from 2012 to 2014. That figure was the same as for Labrador retrievers, and less than the 8.4 percent for boxers, 9.6 percent for dogs of unidentified breed, and 16.3 percent for dogs identified simply as mixed breeds.
She also included statistics showing the severity of bites by breed. Labrador retrievers, boxers, and bulldogs all tallied more severe bites than “pit bulls,” with Labs at the top of the list. “Pit bulls” did not top any of her lists of mild, moderate, and severe bites, though they are represented in all three.
“What this really shows is that the severity of dog bites depends on every individual dog, not breed,” Mrs. Grieser said.
Only two “pit bulls” were registered with the city in 2014. One of those dog owners, April Petz, told the council Jan. 5 that she will no longer register her 10-year-old American “pit bull” terrier named Gambit with the city.
Mrs. Petz and her husband, Mike, appeared at the committee meeting. She noted that the city’s current law isn’t being enforced properly, even for non-“pit bull” dogs that have been declared vicious and should likewise be registered.
“There’s no procedure in place to get those records from the court or from the [county] auditor to make sure it’s being enforced across the board,” Mrs. Petz said. “It’s just been kind of here and there.”
Each of the three committee members, including councilmen Rick Frey and Shane Chamberlin, agreed to continue discussing possible changes to the ordinance before making a recommendation to the city council.
Contact Alexandra Mester: amester@theblade.com, 419-724-6066, or on Twitter @AlexMesterBlade.
First Published January 20, 2015, 5:00 a.m.
