TX-RPOA E-News
From RPOA Texas Outreach and
Responsible Pet Owners Alliance
"Animal welfare, not animal 'rights'
and, yes, there is a difference."
Permission granted to crosspost.
July 20, 2009
The link to the article posted below is:
http://thefacts.com/story.lasso?ewcd=da1171d66cefa2aaBreed specific ordinances are prohibited in the State of Texas.
Letters to the editor advising same and outlining specific reasons why
BSL is ineffective may be sent via an online form:
http://thefacts.com/letter.lassoAccording to the article, the city council has already decided to ban rottweilers and pit bulls from the city limits, but it has not decided
what to do with animals already there as family pets. As such, please send your POLITE AND RESPECTFUL letters opposing BSL to the West Columbia city officials listed below.
West Columbia City Hall
512 East Brazos Avenue
West Columbia, tx 77486-2944
Phone: (979) 345-3123
Mayor Laurie Beal Kincannon
Email:
mayor@westcolumbiatx.orgAlderman Position 1
Name: Robert Puga Thomas
Email:
pugathomas@westcolumbiatx.orgAlderman Position 2
Name: Charlie Tindol
Email:
charleytindol@westcolumbiatx.orgAlderman Position 3
Name: Donna Schwebel
Email: TBA
Position 4, Mayor Pro Tem
Name: Jamie Walker
Email:
jamiewalker@westcolumbiatx.orgAlderman Position 5
Name: Howard Pickle
Email:
hpickle@westcolumbiatx.orgARTICLE READS:
Vicious breed ban fuzzy on existing pets
By Erin McKeon
The Facts
Published July 20, 2009
WEST COLUMBIA - City Council already has decided it wants to ban rottweilers and pit bulls from the city limits, but it has not decided
what to do with animals already there as family pets.
At a meeting last week, West Columbia City Council instructed City Attorney Wes Griggs to draft an ordinance banning the dogs. Council
still has to decide whether to let animals already there stay, and if so, for how long.
Police Chief Michael Palmer said there is a standard procedure for ordinances that likely would be followed.
"We'll give them a certain amount of time to comply with the ordinance," Palmer said. "Then we'll issue tickets and fine them if they don't
remove the animals from the city limits, then we'll have to confiscate their animals if they still haven't complied."
Council will discuss any issues that might arise from the ordinance once the attorney has drafted and presented it at the next meeting, City Manager Debbie Sutherland said.
"My suggestion would be that the ordinance be written in such a way that it be suspended as far as dogs that are already in the city limits for
one year," Councilman Jamie Walker said. "That would give you a year to determine whether or not you want to find another place for your dog, find another place for yourself or find another place that's open to having a vicious dog in city limits."
Council voted to craft an ordinance to ban the breeds after several residents complained at the July 13 council meeting that a pit bull
lunged at a West Columbia resident and knocked her down, council members said.
"There was actually no bite, but most of us here are for banning those two breeds of dogs," Palmer said. "We have a whole lot of calls for those two and dealing with those two types of dogs is really difficult."
Councilwoman Donna Schwebel voted against the ordinance because she said breed-specific ordinances in other cities haven't done much good and she would rather enact a law that had stringent requirements for pet owners
of those breeds.
"Any dog breed can be vicious," Schwebel said during the meeting.
Apostolic Lighthouse Pastor Danny Johnson, who spoke at the meeting, said an ordinance, restrictions or no action won't help keep people safe.
"My concern is that you may have an ordinance that would fine somebody, but that's after the fact," Johnson said. "That's a limb gets chewed off of a little child, or after they've been maimed or killed."
Though many pet owners could say their animals are the exception, Walker said pit bulls and rottweilers are more prone to aggression by their nature.
"They can be nice dogs until they're not nice dogs anymore," Walker said. "Some of them never are, but the deal is that you don't know which one of them is going to be."
Though the ordinance could be hard to enforce, Palmer said officers are up to the task.
Some residents said people in town wait until the animal control officer is off duty, then let their dogs roam outside without leashes.
"I've changed the animal control officer's hours up a little bit before to try and deal with that," Palmer said. "I guess I'll have to do it again."
Council members understand the plan could upset residents. "I can understand their situation about pit bulls and rottweilers and
all that stuff, but I know for a fact there are a lot of other aggressive dogs, too," Councilman Charley Tindol said. "It's a touchy situation when you tell people you can't have this type of dog or that type of dog."
RPOA Texas Outreach (501C4 Nonprofit)
www.rpoatexasoutreach.orgResponsible Pet Owners Alliance (501C3 Nonprofit)
www.responsiblepetowners.org900 NE Loop 410 #311-D
San Antonio, TX 78209
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