Dangerous-dog debate intensifies (Minneapolis,
MN)
Dangerous-dog debate intensifies
Even before the latest attack, opinions were strong about the issue.
Tempers are flaring, and new actions are being taken.
The death of a 7-year-old boy killed by his family's pit bull in their north
Minneapolis home has recharged an aggressive push to ban so-called dangerous
dog breeds.
Neighborhood activists say they'll distribute fliers in that part of
the city with a phone number residents can call anonymously if they
know where dangerous dogs are and where dog fighting is occurring.
And a state senator plans to introduce his dog-ban legislation
during the upcoming special session.
The North Side is overrun with pit
bulls, said Minneapolis City Council Member Don Samuels, who
wants to challenge the state law that prevents cities from
banning specific breeds. Minnesota is one of a dozen states
with such a law.
Speculation continued to swirl Friday about why the
male pit bull, named Face, lunged for Zachary King
Jr.'s throat in his parent's basement in the 3500
block of Humboldt Avenue N. on Thursday.
Face had been on a 3-foot leash; the family
also had a female pit bull and five puppies
that were allowed to wander freely in the
house. Zachary may have gone to the basement
to play with the puppies, family members
said.
Zachary's cousin, Craig Dyar, said
the King family is closing ranks now
that so many outsiders are weighing
in. For the big extended family,
Zachary's death is a horrific
tragedy, he said.
But for Samuels and others,
the family's tragedy is a
community issue, too.
"This debate isn't
about docile pets
nuzzling their
owners," Samuels
said. "It's about
dangerous dogs
maiming and killing
people. That's where
we are at, once
more."
Dog-attack
deaths are
extremely
rare. Keith
Streff,
director of
investigations
for the
Animal
Humane
Society of
Golden
Valley, said
he hadn't
heard of one
in the state
in 20 years.
The
dog
that
killed
Zachary
had
bitten
two
other
people
and
any
further
incidents
could
have
led
to
it
being
declared
dangerous,
animal
control
officials
have
said.
That
would
have
required
the
family
to
muzzle
it
in
public
and
have
proper
fencing
or
kennels.
Anger and calls to action
Zachary's death infuriated Roberta Englund, executive director of the Folwell Neighborhood Association in north Minneapolis, who said it's time to hold dog owners accountable.
"We're not going to take this," she said. "Sometimes it feels like there are more pit bulls than guns around here, and we're sick of it."
She said her group is joining city animal control officials in urging residents to call 612-521-2100 anonymously to report dangerous dogs or dog fights. The group will distribute fliers to that effect in the neighborhood.
Even before the attack, debate on the issue was intense. State Rep. John Lesch, who in June proposed banning certain dog breeds, said Friday he's received a lot of support from the public and other legislators in the wake of Zachary's death.
"The reason I brought this forward was not because I anticipated a tragedy this summer," Lesch said.
Minneapolis Police Lt. Amelia Huffman said the case will be forwarded to the county attorney's office, which will consider whether Zachary's father was criminally culpable.
Police, who removed the adult female pit bull and five puppies from King's home, don't know whether he intended to sell them. There is no indication he was involved in dog fighting, Huffman said. In fighting, pit bulls are commonly used.
Tom Deegan, manager of Animal Care & Control for Minneapolis, said the agency has no immediate plans to change the monitoring of the owners of potentially dangerous dogs. But no animal control employee would have supported keeping a dog tied in the basement.
Is it the breed or the training?
Chris Binsfield and his 5-year-old pit bull, Helmet, are well-known in Minneapolis' Uptown neighborhood. Pit bulls aren't vicious unless owners teach them to be, he said.
Binsfield has been working to craft a bill he hopes a legislator will sponsor next year. His proposal would prevent convicted felons from owning dangerous dogs and require people to fill out an application if they want to own certain breeds.
"I know some people are terrified of some dogs because they've had a bad experience with them," he said.
Samuels is one. Three times, he has had to fend off a pit bull or stop one from attacking his children, he said. The state will be forced to revisit a breed ban proposal because it will be part of the city's legislative agenda next year, he said.
"If you had a breed that was violent and biting residents who live around the lakes in Minneapolis as they do in north Minneapolis, that breed would be gone," Samuels said.
"The pit bull has become a weapon of choice for intimidation and assault."
After five major biting incidents in Minneapolis in the spring, the city created a task force to reexamine the city's dangerous-animal ordinance. The group has met twice.
Dog bans have been tried before in Minneapolis. In 1988, the City Council imposed severe restrictions on pit bulls and owners. The ordinance was never enforced because dog owners sued and the ordinance was overturned.
Risk factors abounded
Karen Delise of Plainsville, W.Va., head of the National Canine Research Council, led a 40-year study of fatal dog attacks and has written two books. Multiple risk factors could have led to the killing, she said.
"This is textbook fatal attack," she said. "I've seen it over and over again. It's a formula for creating a dangerous dog."
The triggers, she said, include a household with multiple unaltered dogs that are reproducing, coupled with a dog that has a history of biting. Keeping a dog chained and in a basement ensures he remains unsocialized, with fewer opportunities to learn how to behave and interact appropriately with humans. Dogs are territorial, and if he can't flee a threatening situation, his only option is to fight, Delise said.
From another article on the same subject:
State Representative John Lesch has said he wants to ban five breeds of dogs, including pit bulls. Friday, Governor Tim Pawlenty said he was in favor of allowing cities to regulate aggressive dogs.