Article and POLL - Methuen, Massachusets

[Rene Allegrini]

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cbs4boston.com - Methuen Looking To Crackdown On Dangerous Dogs


Methuen Looking To Crackdown On Dangerous Dogs Poll

Do you think certain breeds of dogs should have to wear muzzles in public?

METHUEN The city of Methuen is mulling a change to its animal ordinance that would force owners of aggressive dogs to send the animals to behavioral school.

A special committee headed by City Council Chairman Stephen Zanni is mulling several proposed changes to Methuen's dog ordinance. The goal is to better protect residents.

At first, Zanni had proposed muzzling all pit bulls but now the idea is to hold dog owners more responsible. "Alot of towns have vicious dog ordinances on its books. But nothing specifically desinged towards the owner," said Zanni.

Zanni said that the way the city law is written now, a dog can commit two or three vicious acts before any law enforcement action is taken.

"I think we're going to see how we can make that better, so we can attack the issue at the root, instead of the pet or the particular incident," said Michael Keiley of Nevins Farm Animal Shelter.

An alternative to behavioral school is a more aggressive system of tracking dogs that could be deemed dangerous.

Zanni's committee is expected to make a decision within the next month.

[Dugganmom]

I voted but it is not lookin good that one pic is horrible!!!!

[debbiej]

I may be totally wrong, but I think that this is not breed specific. anything that targets individual, vicious dogs instead of a breed is probably better than a breed specific legislation.

It is, after all, the individual dog owners that cause such a black mark to be against specific breeds.

[Helen B.]

Here is the article that appeared in Tuesday's paper.


Dangerous dogs may be sent to behavior school

By Jason Tait
Eagle-Tribune


View as a multiple pages

METHUEN - Owners of bad dogs beware.
The city is considering a change in its animal ordinance that would force the owners of aggressive dogs to pay tuition to send their canines to behavior school, City Council Chairman Stephen Zanni said.

This is one alternative to Zanni's idea this summer to muzzle all pit bulls in the city, a proposal that has died due to pressure from animal rights activists and dog owners who called it cruel and unnecessary.

Within the next month, a special committee headed by Zanni is expected to recommend changes to the current dog laws, he said.

One of those proposals is behavioral school. Others could be more aggressive tracking of dogs that could be deemed dangerous, he said.

Zanni has been working with the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the American Dog Owners Association on changing Methuen's dog control ordinance to better protect people.

Michael Keiley, the adoption center manager at the Nevins Farm animal shelter in Methuen, is a member of Zanni's committee.

Keiley said that the pit bull muzzle law in Boston, which the Methuen law was based on, is not working. In Boston, the muzzle law is making it difficult for residents to adopt pit bulls.

Also, pit bulls are too difficult to define as a breed for legal reasons, for example.

"We're glad we're not going in that direction here," Keiley said of Boston's law.

Zanni's dog committee is meeting this week, and the new ordinance could be finished within a month, he said.

His interest in pit bulls began after Aug. 11 when a pit bull living near Timony Grammar School killed a Chihuahua. The pit bull was involved in previous dog attacks in the neighborhood.

At the time, Zanni said he was trying to protect people from the breed by proposing the muzzle law.

He has since learned that it depends on how the dogs are raised that causes good or bad behavior, which is why he is focusing on finding bad owners.

"The onus will fall on the owners of the dog if anything should happen," Zanni said.

Zanni said that the way the city law is written now, a dog can commit two or three vicious acts before any law enforcement action is taken.

The new ordinance should be written to identify dangerous dogs early so that even small incidents, such as a dog chasing a person on the street in an aggressive manner, will require some immediate correction on the behalf of the owner.

The city will not wait for a dog to kill or maim before action is taken.

"All dog lovers and non-dog lovers will feel safe and secure" with the new ordinance, said Philip Lahey, another city councilor on Zanni's committee.

"The way the ordinance is set up now, it gives the dogs too many chances," Lahey said. "We want to make sure every incident is reported and investigated."

While pit bulls can be loving dogs, the breed can be dangerous.

According to a special study by the federal Center For Disease Control and Prevention, pit bulls were responsible for killing 60 people in the United States between 1979 and 1996, more than any other breed. Rottweilers were second with 29.

In all, there were 279 human deaths by canines, according to the study.


The American Pit Bull

Beginnings: Breed was created in England in the early 1800s.

Uses: Used for baiting bulls as entertainment for England's poor. Later used for dog fights.

In America: Early immigrants from England and Ireland used the dogs to guard their homesteads and to hunt hogs.

Death: Responsible for killing 60 people between 1979 and 1996, more than any other breed, according to a federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention study.

Some famous pit bull owners: Helen Keller, Theodore Roosevelt, TV chef Rachel Ray and rapper DMX.

[Helen B.]

This is the article that was written about a month ago.

Published: September 06, 2006 12:00 am

Pit bull lovers:Don't muzzle the dogs

By Jason Tait
Eagle-Tribune


View as a multiple pages

METHUEN - A muzzle law proposed for pit bulls is facing stiff resistance from dog lovers, who say it is unfair and cruel to target the breed.
The City Council last night delayed a vote to require all pit bulls in Methuen to wear muzzles when they are taken off their owners' properties.

The ordinance was put forth in response to a pit bull attack on Jane Road last month in which a Chihuahua was killed.

Bonnie Hajjar of Birch Avenue owns a pit bull mix named Busta and is among those who believe the breed can be loving animals.

She spoke at the council meeting last night, calling the muzzle proposal "cruel." She said Busta is a popular dog with children and highly skilled at Frisbee games.

"I feel it is very unfair to enforce this law upon our dogs," Hajjar said.

She was joined at last night's meeting by other pit bull advocates and several professional dog handlers in opposition to the ordinance - Michael Keiley of the Nevins Farm animal shelter, Lisa Camuso of the Franklin-based American Dog Owners Association, and Holly Stump of the Massachusetts Federation of Dog Clubs and Responsible Dog Owners.

All three said breed-specific muzzling has not worked.

In fact, the American Dog Owners Association sued Lynn for a similar muzzle law and won, said Stump, an Ipswich resident. The court found that it is too difficult to define exactly what a "pit bull" is, Stump said.

"I would like to remind everyone that dangerous dogs become such in the hands of irresponsible owners," Stump said.

The proposed law will be reviewed and possibly revised by its author, City Council Chairman Stephen Zanni. He will consult with dog experts before bringing it back for a vote.

Several councilors are against the specific ordinance.

City Councilor Phil Lahey questioned whether poodles or other breeds would be muzzled if they bite someone.

"I don't think the solution is punishing a whole breed for one dog," Lahey said of the pit bull that killed the Chihuahua.

Two councilors voted against sending the proposed muzzle ordinance to a subcommittee - Larry Giordano and Kathleen Corey Rahme.

They both said it was not fair to individual dogs.

"I think responsible pet ownership is the key," Rahme said.

Kara DiFruscia of 9 Rosewood Road, who identified herself as a local lawyer and dog owner, advocated for tougher leash laws. The Aug. 11 attack on the Chihuahua, named Guido, happened near Timony Grammar School, the same neighborhood where the pit bull had several violent run-ins with other dogs.

The neighborhood circulated a petition last month to have the pit bull removed. Instead, owners Christine Goldeski and her fiance, John Beckos, of 4 Hadley Road agreed to have the pit bull, named Ollie, euthanized.

Zanni's ordinance would require all pit bulls to wear muzzles if they are off their owner's premises, and be penned all other times. The penalties would be a warning for the first offense, a $100 fine for the second offense, and seizure of the animal for the third offense. A seized animal may be euthanized, Zanni said.

Of 637 dogs registered in Methuen, 19 are pit bulls or some mix of the breed, according to city records.

Zanni said he spoke with police, who confirmed there are many other pit bulls in the city that are not registered, a violation of law. Zanni said he proposed the ordinance because pit bulls are aggressive and strong and have a history of violence.

[LavenderRott]

Zanni said he spoke with police, who confirmed there are many other pit bulls in the city that are not registered, a violation of law. Zanni said he proposed the ordinance because pit bulls are aggressive and strong and have a history of violence.

If the police know that there are unregistered dogs in the city - why are they not ticketing these owners?

In order for laws to work they must be enforced! Why is it that a city thinks that they can enforce a muzzle law when they can't (or won't) enforce a leash law or a registration law?