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Please
politely educate AC director, Hilton Cole, on the
"statistics" regarding pit bulls and breed specific legislation.
Animal Control Center
Hilton M. Cole, Director 2680 Progress Rd. Baton Rouge, LA 70807 (225) 774-7700 Office (225) 774-7876 Fax acc@brgov.com
Anti-pit bull faction won’t
let matter drop
Metro Councilman Mike Walker may be abandoning his breed-specific
regulations aimed at pit bulls, but city-parish Animal Control Center
Director Hilton Cole is not ready to give up just yet.
Cole said he remains convinced that a breed-specific
law is the only way to address pit bull problems in East Baton Rouge Parish,
even though Parish Attorney Wade Shows has repeatedly warned that it could
cause constitutional problems.
“The statistics speak for themselves. They show that
one breed, the pit bull, is causing a disproportionate share of problems,”
Cole said.
Of the 105 dog bites that led to impoundments in the parish through July 13
of this year, 33 involved pit bulls. In addition, one pit bull mix was
impounded for biting a person during that period.
The bottom line, Cole said, is that
pit bulls are a threat to the public.
“My job is to tell the council the statistics and let them decide what to
do. We’re going to enforce whatever they pass,” Cole said.
But it appears that the council will not consider any dog-related
legislation for a while.
Walker’s office issued a memo to the council Tuesday, explaining that he
needs more time to rework the proposed ordinance to remove all
breed-specific regulations against pit bulls.
Meanwhile, a critic of Walker’s breed-specific legislation on the council is
calling for a 90-day deferral so the legislation can be reworked by a study
committee.
Councilman Ulysses “Bones” Addison said it would be “foolish” to adopt
breed-specific regulations that are likely to trigger a legal battle.
“Why would we vote to pass something that’s going to get us sued the same
day we pass it?” Addison asked.
The pit bulls that Cole and his officers deal with are not the same dogs
that are popular family pets in many East Baton Rouge homes, Addison said.
Most pit bulls are kept by people who are going to follow whatever
regulations the council passes, Addison said.
By contrast, the “problem” pit bulls that Cole’s officers encounter on the
streets often belong to professional dog fighters, drug dealers,
irresponsible owners and others who do not pay attention to laws, he said.
“It doesn’t matter what regulations we pass, the criminal element isn’t
going to follow them,” Addison said.
Addison said he’d like to see dog owners, veterinarians and animal
advocates representatives on the study committee.
The panel that helped Walker draft his proposed ordinance consisted of Cole,
Walker’s legislative aide, and two residents of Walker’s district concerned
about the recent mauling of a 13-year-old boy by a pit bull in their
subdivision.
Addison said the mauling was unfortunate, but should not be the reason for
new legislation. “At the end of the day, it was an isolated incident,” he
said.
Addison said he does not see Walker’s ordinance as resolving any problem.
Walker said recently that he is giving up on the breed-specific regulations
because he cannot get enough council votes to pass it.
Among other things, the breed-specific regulations would have required pit
bull owners to get a special registration, and to keep their pets in pens or
kennels within a fenced yard with signs that say, “Pit Bull on Premises.”
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