Lancaster approves mandatory sterilization of pit bulls and Rottweilers
Lancaster city officials voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt an ordinance designed to discourage gangs by imposing penalties on the owners of dogs deemed "potentially dangerous" or "vicious."
The new law specifically targets two breeds of dog that officials say are favored by gang members: pit bulls and Rottweilers. When the law goes into effect in 30 days, it will require that all pit bulls, Rottweilers, and pit bull and Rottweiler mixes with "predominant physical characteristics" of those breeds be spayed or neutered. (Puppies under 4 months of age and dogs considered to be at high risk for surgical complications will be exempt from the spay/neuter requirement.) Our colleague Ann Simmons at the L.A. Now blog reports:
Opponents of the ordinance turned out in force at the council's meeting Tuesday night and argued that the new law could lead to racial profiling by law enforcement officials, who they said might unfairly accuse black or Latino males seen with a pit bull as a gang-bangers.
But Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris, who pushed for the new regulations, said he was confident that law enforcements officials could properly identify gang members.
Some critics suggested that Parris invite gang members to sit down and discuss the issue. But the mayor dismissed this idea.
"I have no desire to work with them," he said. "I have no desire to help them. The only thing I want to do is crush them and remove them from the community. ... The days of accommodating a gang member are over."
Under the new law, dogs who act aggressively "unprovoked" may be considered "potentially dangerous."
"Owners of ['potentially dangerous'] dogs would need to have the dog properly licensed, micro-chipped, and vaccinated at their cost prior to their release. Additional conditions could include: the owner being required to secure their property; proper muzzling and leash restraints of the dog; completion of approved dog obedience course training; spay or neutering; a fine of up to $500 for each offense; and costs of the hearing," according to a statement on the city of Lancaster's website.
Additionally, a dog may be deemed "vicious" if it has been trained for fighting or inflicts injury or death. "If so, the vicious dog could be destroyed if deemed a significant threat to the public health, safety and welfare," says the city of Lancaster's statement. "If the dog is not destroyed, the owner of the vicious dog would adhere to the same conditions of a potentially dangerous dog with more stringent requirements to secure the owner’s property and confine the vicious dog. Fines are up to $1,000 per offense. An owner of a vicious dog may also be prohibited from possessing any dog for up to three years."
-- Lindsay Barnett
RELATED:
Lancaster weighs breed-specific legislation for pit bulls and Rottweilers
Photo: Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times
What is needed is control over the OWNERS, not the pets.
This only casts even more negative images over pits.
I've never in my life met an aggressive pitbull, they are actually sweet and a bit crazy happy.
Posted by: Elia | January 28, 2009 at 12:48 PM
For pet's sake, punish the deed, not the breed. This is absolute insanity.
Posted by: Michele | January 28, 2009 at 09:11 PM
How did Rottweilers and Pit Bulls get lumped together? They have nothing in common.
Rottweilers are a 2000 year herding breed that properly socialised and trained make excellent family companions and protectors.
They are also used in many services to the community including search and rescue and assistance dogs. It was a Rottweiler who found the first survivor of the Oklahoma City Bombing buried under the remains of the Federal Building.
Just because a few anti-social elements have dogs they have trained to be anti social you are going to initiate genocide of a whole breed, one of America's most popular pets.
There are hundreds of thousands of Rottweiler owners in the USA who all have votes.
Posted by: Gary Gleeson | January 29, 2009 at 07:46 AM
Another case of an elected politician forgetting WHO elected him. Check his campaign fund - bet it's been padded by Animal Rights!!! This is a HOAX - even the Chicago police see through it! Oh - and such arrogance should be rewarded - as they all get RECALLED!
Posted by: Carol | January 29, 2009 at 09:00 AM
If gangs are the problem, wouldn't it make more sense to go after the gangs instead of their dogs?
This reeks of a bogus excuse.
Posted by: Michael Seebeck | January 29, 2009 at 11:02 AM
This is lunicy at it's highest form, and at the taxpayers expense. The Mayor may get back 10 fold in attorney fees & settlements, his "goal "of harrassing gang members. Punish the DEED not the BREED. Pit bull dogs & Rottweilers don't rob & shoot innocent people. If the council members think that if they remove a dog from any gang member, that the gang member is not going to get another dog, they are living in a fantasy world. Firstly, dogs owned by gang members don't register their dogs with the city. They also don't normally parade / walk their dogs around; the dogs are used for property protection and a WARNING SYSTEM to approaching people (ie: police). Let's surmise that a gang member is walkiing a dog on the streets, & was approached by Animal Control or the police. They would rather turn over the dog, most likely stating it belonged to their friend or brother. They would just go get another dog. DOUBLE SHAME on the Mayor for rudely dismissing the reformed gang member who took her time to come to offer to HELP the council to work with the problem. She was quickly & rudely shunned by the Mayor. RESIDENTS OF LANCASTER, EXERCISE YOUR RIGHTS TO RECALL these people whose salaries you pay. I would if I lived there.
Posted by: Randye | January 29, 2009 at 02:28 PM
This is unreal that a law like this could pass.
I have been a Rottweiler owner for over 20 years,
My Rotties have been socialized and have never had or
been even close to having any kind of incidents.
They have natural herding instincts that have been very
helpful in my working with cattle (which is what they were bred for originally). To lump them with a pitbull is
highly offensive to me, and to ban a breed no matter what it is should be unlawful. Why should these breed of dogs pay for the crimes of gangs. Why don't you ban the cars they drive (Toyota, Fords, Chevys, etc.) or maybe the types of guns they own, tear the houses down they live in... OR maybe take the gang members off of the streets, what a concept.
I will never go to Lancaster again, I will never spend a dime there and maybe everyone else will follow my lead.
The people who passed this law should be ashamed of themselves.
Posted by: Linda | January 29, 2009 at 03:31 PM
EXACTLY!! WHY DONT THEY GO AFTER THE GANGS AND NOT THE DOG!!
THEY ARE DESTROYING A WONDERFUL BREED OF DOG! THE MOST LOYAL IF ANY!
GET RID OF THE GANGS!! and leave our beloved pets alone.
Posted by: BOGUS!! | January 29, 2009 at 05:23 PM
What a lot of Hogwash.
stop and think
its
Ban the deed .... Not the breeds,
Man maketh the dog
why should they , the ROTTIE and the PITTY pay for the stupidity of Humans.
Posted by: Lorain | January 30, 2009 at 12:15 AM
I may be a cynic, but this looks like typical politics to me.
1. Identify problem.
2. Study problem and realise you're out of your depth/it's too hard.
3. Identify diversion.
4. Sell diversion as a solution to the original problem so you can spin it as taking decisive action.
5. Wait for next election and hope nobody remembers your stupidity.
If gang members can't get pits and rotties, they'll get mastiffs, danes, shepherds, mutts, etc - the ones that will notice will be the innocent dogs that suffer from this short-sighted waste of legislative hot air (and most of their law-abiding owners).
Posted by: Stuart | January 30, 2009 at 04:35 AM
This issue always draws such lunatic comments. If any of you cared about the dogs, you would support this measure. Pits & Rotts are lumped together due to the statistics of severe dog attacks and fatalities. Well bred, well trained dogs of both are great when owned by dog smart people. Unfortunately they are being bred in vast numbers by bad breeders, owned by either bad or not dog wise people, and there are way more of them than there are homes. Most dogs killed in shelters these days are pits or rotts or mixes of same. There just are not enough homes, even bad homes, for all of them. Reducing the numbers will help reduce their suffering. Have some compassion. Your screaming means that you care about owning these tokens of ... what? But you don't care about dogs.
Posted by: Gwen Lebec | January 31, 2009 at 01:56 PM
STOP this discrimination! 20-30 years ago, they would have said the same about Dobermans and German Shepherds.
ALL dogs should be spayed or neutered. The breed is irrelevant. There is overpopulation of dogs of all types and the only way to stop euthanasia is to spay and neuter ALL PETS.
Posted by: kginor | February 01, 2009 at 01:37 PM
I voted yes...but not because its a matter of public safety...at least not because of the dogs. Pits & Rotties are great! However, its a matter of public safety that the gangs will be discouraged from having one more thing that they enjoy and that signifies them on the street as potential gang members.
I still think this law should be made applicable to ALL dogs - in the name of animal welfare, to reduce the number of unwanted animals killed at the pound. But an Anti-Gang law is a step forward, especially since its helping these great breeds from leading a life of neglect and being born into a world of dogfighting.
Besides, only irresponsible people don't have their animals fixed, so this really isn't a big deal - people should do it anyways.
Posted by: Melissa | February 02, 2009 at 08:21 AM
This is BIG government at its worse! You have no clue what to do about the gang problem in your city so you enact ineffective legislation. I would hope that this is not really just aimed at pits/rots and if a person that owns a chiuaua or cocker spaniel or German Sheppard that charges and bites would be held to the same standard. Their dog is just as vicious and dangerous only the have a smaller mouth save the German Sheppard.
Posted by: Geenie NaBottle | April 15, 2009 at 09:04 PM
Not to mention that this is really racial profiling. Just because someone has a specific breed of dog then they are treated as a gang member.......really city council ??
Posted by: Geenie NaBottle | April 15, 2009 at 09:12 PM
Way to go, City Council- that'll show those gangbangers who's boss in Lancaster! After all, gangbangers are historically known for being law-abiding and I'm sure they will think twice about shooting citizens in the street after you make them get their pit bulls and rotties neutered! All anti-gang units and SWAT teams should now be authorized to hand out "Snip-it" citations as an enhanced deterrent to gang violence!
And for all you Rottie people out there who are "enraged" that your breed is being "lumped together" with pit bulls- your breedism is just as reprehensible as those nimrods in City Council who passed this truly useless ordinance!
Posted by: Windy | May 29, 2009 at 08:45 AM
It is truly sad that those who set in the seat of judgement, judge on matters they know nothing about. Countless polls have shown that people overwhelming oppose such legislation.
The current tide against Pitbulls is the result of bias sensationalized irresponsible journalism. Recently in the State of Michigan a man was mauled to death by three dogs. The headline read: "Local man found dead in trailer". The smaller bi-line read: "mauled to death by three dogs". Instantly I knew the dogs were not PitBulls. Had it been Pitbulls the story would have appeared on the front page and the headline would have read: "Pitbulls Kill Local Man". Then the article would have focused on Pitbulls and how they account for a large percent of maulings. There would be no mention of the fact that they are the most popular breed in the history of the United States. That they out number every other breed by far and as such, of course they are going to account for more. Never do they mention that they are proven time and again to be one of the best tempered dog.
Click Here for Pitbull Temperament Info
Posted by: MrPitBull | September 16, 2009 at 09:42 AM