Everett, Wash.
Published: Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Owners protest Monroe plan for 'potentially dangerous' dogs

Many at a public hearing blame irresponsible owners for behavior problems.

By Debra Smith
Herald Writer

 MONROE -- Dog owners marched downtown to City Hall on Tuesday night to protest a proposal that would label certain breeds of dogs as potentially dangerous.

Traffic slowed on Main Street as drivers gawked at the hubbub and some cars honked in approval. Dozens of dog lovers walked about a mile from a pet store on Lewis Street to City Hall on Main Street chanting "we want responsibility" and waving signs.

"We are being unjustly punished for the acts of just a few people," said Rita Morgan, a Monroe resident who helped organize the protest, before the meeting. "We are trying to raise awareness around this issue."

Monroe, like most area cities, uses a two-strike approach. Dogs earn the label of potentially dangerous once they bite or act aggressively. If a second incident happens, the dogs are registered as dangerous. That forces owners to keep stricter control of their dogs.

The City Council held a public hearing last night to consider eliminating that first warning for a dozen breeds, including pit bull, Akita and American Staffordshire terrier. The city doesn't want to ban the breeds. Officials contend that owners of these breeds would have to take no additional measures if their dog doesn't cause problems.

The public hearing drew so many, people filled the council chambers and spilled outside.

Singling out certain breeds didn't sit well with most of those at the hearing. Veterinarians, a shelter worker, a canine search and rescue trainer, and many Monroe dog owners stood at the podium to tell City Council members breed-specific legislation doesn't work. Most of those who spoke placed the blame on owners, not the dogs.

Andre Brown said he considers his dogs like his children. He said as a dog owner, he's prepared to answer for any problems his dogs might cause.

"If someone doesn't raise their children right, what are you going to do, ban children?" he said.

Bill Brain of Monroe told the City Council that he didn't support signaling out certain breeds but the city needed to do more to deal with problem animals. He said he has called 911 a half-dozen times because of a pit bull that runs loose and has jumped over his 6-foot-high fence into his yard where his dog and children play.

The City Council began considering this proposal after people living in a Chain Lake neighborhood demanded the city do something about several dogs involved in several incidents. One of the dogs bit three people and the owner opted to have it put down. The other two dogs, both pit bulls, were designated by the city as potentially dangerous after they attacked a neighbor's dog, which led to $400 in vet care.

Matt Vandecasteele told the City Council he was the owners of those dogs. He said other dog owners shouldn't be punished because of the actions of his animals.

The dog that bit other people was actually a lab mix and not a pit bull, he said. He characterized the incidents as minor and said his neighbors "blew it out of proportion." He said if the dogs were truly dangerous, he wouldn't let them around his 2-week-old son. He said he's never had a fenced yard for his dogs before now.

"My pit bulls have never bit nobody," he said. "They sleep in my bed, they eat my food. Maybe it is the way I've raised them."

Morgan, one of the organizers of the rally, said other municipalities have tried laws that focus on specific dog breeds and those laws are ineffective because they do nothing to get to the root of the problem -- irresponsible dog owners. She owns a rescued American pit bull named Kobe.

People only tend to hear about pit bulls in the newspaper when something goes wrong, she said. The dogs are no more likely to attack or bite than any other type of dog.

Pit bulls and other breeds such as Dobermans are often the dog of choice "for a lot of people who seem to create a lot of problems," she said. She said thugs and criminals have brought their propensity for violence to the breed.

Rather than breed-specific legislation, the City Council should consider stiff leash and confinement laws, she said.

"When you step in early and fine someone $100, $200, $300 -- that's going to get someone's attention," Morgan said.

The city of Everett has a similar law on the books, signaling out pit bulls, Staffordshire bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers and mixes of these breeds as "potentially dangerous dogs." Potentially dangerous dogs are required to be registered, licensed and embedded with a microchip.



Reporter Debra Smith: 425-339-3197 or dsmith@heraldnet.com.
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