Pit bulls, other breeds banned in Maumelle, for now
City Council member Chad Gardner took the first step last week in lifting Maumelle’s current ban on pit bulls and other breeds of dogs deemed dangerous by the city when he introduced legislation that would revise Animal Services.
Currently the city has five designations for animals and Gardner’s legislation would reduce that to three, leaving Nuisance, Dangerous and Vicious, but removing Hazardous and Potentially Dangerous.
It would also, “end Maumelle’s discrimination against certain breeds of animals based on their appearance and will recognize and treat all dogs equally rather than placing labels on certain breeds because of their appearance.”
Maumelle has since 1998 made it illegal to own or keep Pit Bulls or American Bulldogs inside city limits.
North Little Rock also bans Pit Bulls, while Little Rock has no bans but residents there are required to register them as potentially dangerous and are only allowed to own two.
Gardner’s move made for an immediate reaction from fellow Council member Steve Mosley who sent out a lengthy email to constituents and other residents of Maumelle.
In it, Mosley wrote, “I firmly believe that legalizing Pit Bulls and other dangerous dog breeds would strip off a layer of safety that residents currently enjoy and make our community less safe.”
He added, “I've personally seen what a Pit Bull can do to another animal when it attacks, and thus I have safety concerns for our children and pet animals here in Maumelle.”
Mosley noted Gardner had previously attempted to have the Pit Bull ban lifted and it had been defeated after, “an avalanche of emails and phone calls from mainstream Maumelle residents.” Mosley then asked for that effort again and said, “I must ask you again to step up and directly communicate with each and every Council member and let them know your stance on this issue.”
Mosley then included the email addresses for council members, Mayor Caleb Norris and City Attorney Melissa Krebs.
Mosley’s personal experiences don’t jibe with the recommendations from the ASPCA, or the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
In those, the organization said, “there is no evidence that breed-specific laws make communities safer for people or companion animals.”
They also noted that, “breed-specific laws are also costly and difficult to enforce” and that bans come with what they called, “unintended consequences.”
Among those were, “Breed-specific laws have a tendency to compromise rather than enhance public safety” as the focus becomes one of enforcement of the ban instead of what the ASPCA called “effective enforcement” tools like:
Dog license laws
Leash laws
Anti-animal fighting laws
Anti-tethering laws
Spaying and neutering
Laws requiring owners to control their dogs, regardless of breed
Indeed, Tracy Roark, Manager of the city of Little Rock’s Animal Village and Education Center said dog ownership is the most important factor in preventing incidents and added Little Rock has had just, “one legal Pit Bull bite [of a person] since 2006.”
That doesn’t include dog violence to other dogs and animals.
ASPCA said its recommendation was a breed-neutral approach for animal control regulations and that other options include:
Enforcement of dog license laws
Increased availability for low-cost spay and neuter services
Dangerous dog laws focused on owner’s behavior
Graduated penalties and options for dogs deemed dangerous
Laws holding dog owners financially accountable as well as civilly and criminally liable
Laws that prohibit chaining, tethering and unreasonable confinement
Text of Steve Mosley’s email
Friends and Neighbors,
As you know, I send out emails to my constituents about important issues that are in front of the City Council. As such, I am sending you this email to let you know that the issue on Pit Bull dogs has resurfaced. Essentially, Council Member Chad Gardner has again introduced legislation that would serve to lift our longstanding City ban on Pit Bull dogs and several related breeds. I firmly believe that legalizing Pit Bulls and other dangerous dog breeds would strip off a layer of safety that residents currently enjoy and make our community less safe. I've personally seen what a Pit Bull can do to another animal when it attacks, and thus I have safety concerns for our children and pet animals here in Maumelle.
Councilman Gardner's ordinance was defeated the first time, a year or so ago, by an avalanche of emails and phone calls from mainstream Maumelle residents. Essentially, such communication ultimately convinced a majority of Council members to keep the current law in place. As such, I am afraid that I must ask you again to step up and directly communicate with each and every Council member and let them know your stance on this issue. For your use, I have included the email addresses of all the Council members as well as the Mayor and City Attorney as follows:
We have a Code of Ethics for City Council Members in our City Code Book. In it there is a clause stating "Council Members shall bear in mind at all times their responsibility to the entire electorate and shall refrain from actions benefiting special interest groups at the expense of the city as a whole." I think this ethics clause is very applicable in this situation, and so I again plan to vote "no" on this legislation.
Again, please contact all Council Members and the Mayor. Hopefully you'll agree that safety should be the top priority here in Maumelle!
As always, it is an honor and privilege to serve as one of your two Ward 1 Council members!
Maumelle residents please take time to get educated on this banned breed. Your fear of one of the best family breeds (Pit Bull) is understood but frustrating because most won’t take the time to understand the breed.
Our city has laws in place to keep dogs from roaming (leash and confinement laws) so when do you expect to come in contact with these dogs you fear. All...let me repeat...ALL dogs can be and should be trained.
You should read this article from one of our councilmen. I think it does a good job in providing some general education of why one breed...any breed should not be banned.
If you want a pit bull, move to Little Rock or another location where they can be tolerated. Many other breeds and shelter dogs who are not pit bulls are available to love. Hundreds of non viscous rescue dogs are waiting to be loved.
Alderman Shinn commented during campaign it thought might be best to let voters decide by referendum. Let's hope the council uses common sense.
I don’t think dogs have “equal rights”. Part of the trade off living in the city is that many animals are not allowed
Maumelle residents please take time to get educated on this banned breed. Your fear of one of the best family breeds (Pit Bull) is understood but frustrating because most won’t take the time to understand the breed.
Our city has laws in place to keep dogs from roaming (leash and confinement laws) so when do you expect to come in contact with these dogs you fear. All...let me repeat...ALL dogs can be and should be trained.
You should read this article from one of our councilmen. I think it does a good job in providing some general education of why one breed...any breed should not be banned.
http://thewildstars.com/MaumelleCityCouncil.html?fbclid=IwAR0X9b2jOx24Czgq5vXuBpSazz3OSVJ_GNPzwG2hsxrAj_P8COCxzyVlYAM
If you want a pit bull, move to Little Rock or another location where they can be tolerated. Many other breeds and shelter dogs who are not pit bulls are available to love. Hundreds of non viscous rescue dogs are waiting to be loved.