BSL Alert - Lubbock, TX

Let's hope Lubbock doesn't get any ideas from Madisonville... Hopefully, they will stay on a non-breed-specific path toward their dog attack problems. But that doesn't mean they won't try to get the state legislature to knock down the prohibition against BSL in 2009, so stay alert.

Lubbock ready to address dog attacks

Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Story last updated at 2/19/2008 - 3:13 am

City officials hope to have a solid plan to address roaming dogs within the next 30 to 45 days.

Lubbock could have an ordinance on the books within 90 days, Mayor David Miller said Monday afternoon at a news conference held to address the growing problem of dog attacks in the area.

The issue is being put on a fast track, he said.

Community outcry over pit- bull attacks in the past month has prompted city officials to take action, and the attack on a 3-year-old boy over the weekend by a pit bull-boxer mix made the situation even more serious, Miller said.

"We need to do something different," he said. "I don't know all the options yet, but I do know we are going to be working hard to do something different."

Some possibilities include dog registration and microchipping, the mayor said. Banning a specific breed of dog is illegal in Texas.

Residents will be invited to a public hearing in the next 10 to 14 days to suggest ways the city can get a handle on the problem. The mayor also is forming a task force to generate ideas, and he said the city will be working together with various agencies to brainstorm solutions.

Miller also is talking with state legislators about the problem.

And despite outcry over pit bulls - which have been blamed for killing at least a dozen goats and two miniature horses in the last month - Miller said it is not necessarily a breed issue.

"This is a citizen issue rather than a dog issue," he said. "This is a dog ownership issue. There are many other breeds other than pit bulls impacting the safety of our citizens."

Still, the city will be working on a plan with the presumption that some dogs are more likely to be strays and some dogs may be more likely to bite, Miller added.

More pit bulls were picked up by Lubbock Animal Services last year than any other breed, according to animal services data. Of the more than 9,700 at-large dogs picked up, 2,330 were pit bull terriers.

Labrador retrievers were next on the list with about 1,570 pickups.

Pit bulls or pit-bull mixes also accounted for the most dog bites last year - 75 of the 247 reported bites were from pit bulls or pit bull mixes, according to animal services. The next breed on the list was a Labrador retriever mix with 17 incidents.

The announcement of a possible future city ordinance dealing with dogs came less than a week after the city announced a zero-tolerance policy in enforcing the city's leash laws.

The mayor said all dogs seen roaming loose will be picked up, and the city is adding more positions to keep up with all the calls, which have spiked in recent weeks.

Miller said the big problem has been residents not abiding by the laws.

Dog owners must keep their dogs on leashes when off their property, Miller said. Owners also are responsible for keeping their property secure so their dogs can't get out.

Violating the leash law can result in a Class C misdemeanor, which carries a fine up to $500. The average fine in Lubbock is about $165.

And if a dog attacks a human, the owner could face felony charges and between two and 10 years in prison.

Residents are encouraged to report all loose dogs by calling 775-2057 or visiting the Web site www.ci.lubbock.tx.us and clicking on Citizen's Help Center.

Do something about pit bulls right now

Sunday, February 17, 2008
Story last updated at 2/17/2008 - 4:19 am

WHEN THIS EDITORIAL was first discussed and then written last week, local pit bull attacks had taken place only against animals. That was tragic enough.

There was a line in the previous version of this editorial saying, "it's obvious some things must happen or we will be reporting about a pit bull attack on a child."

Before this page could make it to the press, it's happened.

A 3-year-old boy was attacked by a pit bull-boxer mix Saturday and is in critical condition as of Saturday night.

We've heard officials say they cannot ban pit bulls because of a state law.

Maybe the city needs to ban pit bulls now and challenge the state law.

Bans have been passed elsewhere in the U.S. ... including Denver and Aurora, Colo.

According to a story in the Denver Post, Aurora's ban has stood up to legal challenges so far.

If a ban cannot be instituted, officials must do everything possible to stop this insanity.

We applaud the Lubbock County grand jury for using a new state law to indict the owner of a pair of pit bulls that killed a dog in September and left its owner seriously injured.

Lubbock Mayor David Miller announced a zero-tolerance policy in enforcing the city's leash law and changes that will help go after owners whose pets go on violent rampages.

But what else can be done?

The city could define which dog breeds can be dangerous.

Owners of those breeds must register their dog with the understanding of what penalties could apply if the dog got loose and caused damage.

The owner must have insurance for the dog.

The owner's property must pass city code enforcement on fencing where the dog is kept.

In other words, let's make owning a pit bull a financial nightmare.

As for people who defend this breed and say the dogs are not bad - it's irresponsible owners and breeders who're to blame - we somewhat agree.

They're making the same argument we've all heard from Second Amendment supporters ... guns don't kill, people do.

But guns don't run out of your backyard and shoot at things on their own.

That makes this issue different.

In a matter of weeks we've seen a Lubbock police officer shoot at a pit bull that charged him and another man in a West Lubbock neighborhood.

Before that incident came the grisly attacks on miniature horses and goats.

It's time to ban the breed. Now.

Passions run high about pit bulls in Lubbock

Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Story last updated at 2/13/2008 - 2:44 am

City Councilman Todd Klein said he spent two hours one night returning phone calls and e-mails from folks on a single topic - pit bulls.

"People are passionate about both sides," he said.

Half of them probably want something the councilman can't give.

Despite a growing outcry for local leaders to get involved, the city or county governments can't ban pit bulls or impose restrictions specific to the breed, unless they violate limits the state has imposed.

It's unlikely, too, that the state would pass breed-specific legislation, according to those who have a say in the process. Nor should they, say dog advocates who believe the pit bull is just the latest to get a bad rap as a vicious dog. The real villain is the irresponsible pet owner, both officials and dog advocates say.

"It seems like we are more ignorant of canine behavior than we ever have been," said Karen DeLise, author of a pair of books detailing animal attacks and defending pit bulls as a breed.

City ordinances largely mirror what the state allows when it comes to owning pets. You can't own a lion or a tiger, for example, because those animals are considered dangerous.

Banning pit bulls or placing restrictions on their ownership would mean the same for such family favorites as beagles, cocker spaniels or golden retrievers, as well.

Lubbock Mayor David Miller is expected to say much the same thing at a news conference about dangerous animals scheduled for this morning. He also is expected to urge residents to be responsible with the pets they have, spokeswoman Pam Fitch said.

State Rep. Joe Heflin, D-Crosbyton, is a member of the County Affairs Committee that oversees such laws in the Texas House. He said the committee will probably take up dangerous-animal laws when lawmakers meet in 2009.

In 2007, the state passed a law saying the owner of a dog who attacks a person can be charged with a felony.

But banning breeds is very difficult, Heflin said. "That is just nearly taboo as far as what we hear from animal people. If you're going be breed specific - a mailman in Lubbock was attacked by a lab - where do you stop at that?"

Most of the attention locally has been on pit bulls.

In the past month, the dogs have attacked and killed 10 goats in Lubbock. In another instance, they killed a miniature horse and wounded four others.

Since then, residents have flooded City Hall with phone calls and e-mails asking for something to be done. Cities in other states have made owning the breed a misdemeanor offense.

That can't be done in Texas.

"There's no use getting into that," Lubbock City Councilman Floyd Price said. "There's nothing the council can do until there is a state law. I don't see anywhere in the near future where anyone has said, We are going to pass a law to make it illegal to make a certain breed of dogs.' "

But Price said residents, neighborhood groups and even delivery workers should keep tabs on dog owners who let their animals wander free.

"Get names and addresses and give it to the animal control people," Price said. "We can command that someone corral these old hounds running around."

Sandy Reed owns Lollipop Kennels in Lubbock. She also owns four pit bulls and runs a pit bull rescue shelter.

She said all dogs are capable of attacking, and she has never been attacked by a pit bull. The secret to raising good pit bulls is the same as with other dogs, she said: train them, spay them and make them part of your family.

An explosion in pit bulls' popularity has led to animals that don't have the pit bull traits she loves - silliness and loyalty.

"A pit bull should never be human aggressive. It's why they don't make good watch dogs," she said. "I see people looking at it as a money thing. They breed poor-quality animals with poor-quality animals and get poor puppies."

Any dog is as dangerous as its owner allows it to be, said DeLise, author of "The Pit Bull Placebo" and "Fatal Dog Attacks." She is the founder and lead researcher for the National Canine Research Council. In a telephone interview from her home in West Virginia, she said people view pit bulls in much the same way they once viewed Rottweilers, Dobermans or German shepherds.

"One hundred years ago the most vicious dog you could have a was a blood hound. ... they were your pit bulls of the 1880s," she said.

"I know it sounds like a copout, but it really is the media. People are bitten in this country every day. We think only pit bulls do this."

To comment on this story:

eric.finley@lubbockonline.com 766-8725

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