Forsyth County, NC A/C board votes against BSL
Board votes against regulating by breed
Forsyth seeks guidance on aggressive dogs
By Wesley Young
JOURNAL REPORTER
Forsyth County’s Animal Control Advisory Board voted unanimously last night to recommend that county commissioners
not pass any regulations that would single out or even ban particular breeds of dogs as dangerous.
That pleased a group of dog owners who told the board that dog problems trace back to irresponsible behavior by some dog owners, not the breed of dog.
Opponents of what is called breed-specific legislation came armed with binders to hand out to advisory-board members and a petition that they said had been signed by 1,500 people.
But it turned out that
all the members of the advisory board had already made up their minds that regulations singling out particular breeds are not the solution to dog aggression.
The board said that dog owners, not breeds, have to be held accountable.
“I don’t think it is fair to pick on one breed,” board member Joe Redman said. “I’ve seen aggressive large dogs and I’ve seen aggressive small dogs. Most dogs can be teased and made mean. A person who has a mean dog should be held responsible for it.”
Many of those speaking to the board said they owned Rottweilers or pit bulls and that their animals disproved the reputation of the breeds as being overly aggressive.
“I’ve had Rottweilers for 20 years,” dog-owner Richard Willis told the board.
“It all comes down to how you train them and how you socialize them. I hate to hear about people who are chaining dogs and training them to be mean,” Willis said.
The advisory board is looking at the issue of aggressive dogs at the request of the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners, which has asked the panel to come up with possible solutions.
About 50 people turned out for the meeting, but only 20 or so could actually go in because the meeting room is small.
Tim Jennings, the county’s director of animal control, talked to people in the lobby before the meeting and assured them that any proposal that the advisory panel ends up making will get plenty of public airing.
People were able to sign up to speak or get e-mail updates on future meetings.
With breed-specific regulations off the table, the advisory board will consider alternatives that focus on making dog owners accountable. Some ideas mentioned last night included
requiring people to put aggressive dogs in dog-training courses or regulating problem dogs with more expensive licensing.
Some discussed requiring dogs to be spayed or neutered, but people who show and breed dogs said that would hurt them.
Winston-Salem Journal | Board votes against regulating by breed