2012/07/25 Council Agenda Packet

much more likely to retaliate and bite someone. Omaha has leash laws and anti-tethering laws in place to combat these problems. In 2009, Omaha introduced breed-specific legislation aimed at Pit Bulls. Under the current law, the city of Omaha identifies Pit Bulls as "any dog that is an American Pit Bull Terrier,American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Dogo Argentina, Presa Canario, Cane Corso, American Bulldog, or any dog displaying the majority of physical traits of any one or more of the above breeds (more so than any other breed), or any dog exhibiting those distinguishing characteristics which substantially conform to the standards established by the American Kennel Club or United Kennel Club for any of the above breeds. Owners of dogs considered to be Pit Bulls must have the dogs leashed, muzzled, and under the control of someone at least 19 years of age when they are in public. In addition, Pit Bull owners must keep the dogs in securely fenced areas when not leashed and must have at least $100,000 in liability coverage. Well- behaved Pit Bulls can avoid the muzzle requirement by passing a Canine Good Citizenship test through the Breed Ambassador program at the Nebraska Humane Society.; A Pit Bull ban in Omaha would deprive responsible pet owners of their right to private property without impacting the overall number of bites in the city. Pit Bull bans target all the Pit Bulls in the city, whether they are well-behaved family pets or have an aggressive history. This approach places blame on the breed of dog, which does not decrease bite rates, rather than on the behavior of the owner. Council Bluffs enacted a Pit Bull ban in 2005. While the number of Pit Bull bites significantly decreased after the ban (because Pit Bulls not already owned and registered were not allowed in the city), the number of overall dog bites increased the year after the ban was instituted from 115 bites in 2005 to 132 bites in 2006.; % Denver enacted a Pit Bull ban in 1989 and has lost about $250,000 per year since then due to enforcement costs. Despite this long standing and costly ban, Denver has a higher hospitalization rate due to dog bites than any other county in Colorado. The chart below from the National Canine Research Council shows that Boulder, a city with approximately half the population of Denver, had only one sixth the amount of serious dog bites as Denver, even though Boulder has no legislation directed at Pit Bulls. From 1995-2006 Denver 567,000 people 273 dog bite Breed ban enacted in ,hospitalizations 1989 Boulder 290,000 people 46 dog bite No breed-specific hospitalizations legislation Pit Bull bans affect responsible owners who have raised their pets as family members. These types of dog owners are the owners that follow leash laws and anti-tethering laws and would adhere to the Pit Bull ban. Negligent owners who are attracted to Pit Bulls because of their negative reputation and who use them as status symbols or for fighting will not be influenced by the law. According to the American Kennel Club, "To provide communities with the most effective dangerous dog control possible, laws must not be breed specific. Instead of holding all dog owners accountable for their behavior, breed specific laws place restrictions only on the owners of certain breeds of dogs. If specific breeds are banned, owners of these breeds intent on using their dogs for malicious purposes, such as dog fighting or criminal