Posted on 11/24/2014 9:59:54 PM PST by Altariel
MOREAUVILLE, La. (KALB News Channel 5) -- A family in Moreauville is pleading with their village to overturn an ordinance that would force them to get rid of their beloved family pet.
On October 13, the village passed an ordinance that states if you own a pit bull or a Rottweiler, you must get rid of it by December 1 or they will take it for "disposition."
News Channel 5's Brooke Buford (Twitter: @brookebuford) has the story.
O'Hara Owens is trying to spend as much time as she can with her beloved pit bull, Zeus, before the village she lives in promises to take him away from her and dispose of him on December 1.
"If anything ever happened to him, I would just shut down," she said.
O'Hara suffers from severe neck problems and has been forced to wear a halo brace and use a wheelchair.
She says Zeus acts as a sort of "therapy dog," providing love and support for her and her other brothers and sisters.
"I can sit here if I'm in pain, he comes and he notices it before I even make any noise," she said.
But, Zeus has been blacklisted as a "vicious" breed in Moreauville.
On October 13, the village voted to ban pit bulls and Rottweilers.
A letter was sent out to owners saying that if they didn't get rid of them by December 1, then they would be taken for "further disposition."
"The breed is not vicious," she said. "It's the owner. It is the way that you raise them."
O'Hara's parents tried to fight the passing of the ordinance at the meeting, but were outnumbered.
They say no one has ever complained about their dog and it has never bitten anyone.
"I asked the question, well what if I don't give you my dog?" said Joanna Armand, O'Hara's mother. "(Chief of Police) Scott Lemoine said they would come and get the dog and the dog would be disposed of and we would be fined."
News Channel 5 reached out to village to hear its side of the story.
Alderman Penn Lemoine said the ordinance was created to appease several residents.
"We had several residents that were complaining about not being able to walk along the neighborhoods because these dogs were basically running along town," Lemoine said in a phone interview.
We asked Lemoine about dog attacks...
"There have been, but I don't think they're documented," he said.
And, if they plan to kill the dogs they collect on December 1...
"I'd rather not elaborate on that," he said.
"Is that what it is? Are you going to kill the dogs?" asked reporter, Brooke Buford.
"If that's what the ordinance says, then that's what it says," Lemoine responded.
Lemoine told us he owns a German Shepard. But, he only considers pit bulls and Rottweilers as "vicious."
He also says what the town is doing is completely legal.
O'Hara Owens and her family say they plan to continue to fight for Zeus.
"Like I told them, they're going to have to take him from my cold, dead hands before they get a hold of him," Owens said.
Alderman Lemoine says if there's a strong enough public outcry about the severity of the ordinance he says he would consider possibly changing it.
The next council meeting is December 8.
If you would like to sign a petition to overturn the ordinance, you can through the family's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/savingzeusybaby?pnref=story
Goldens, Labs, and Cockers are always in the news for killing and maiming people, right?
I have never had the occasion to be around a pit bull for any length of time. My only encounter was when one rushed at me from across the street of my daughter’s house, because I stepped out of my car to put something in the mailbox. All I know about them are all the reports in the news and statistics from sites I visited while looking at dog breeds (I’m thinking of getting a dog but want a breed that has a reputation for being kid-friendly.)
Then you must not live on a 5 acre plot filled with 275 units as I do. Pit bulls do not do well here, and yet that is the breed every idiot college student goes to the pound and brings here to make their “baby.” And 99% of them have caused problems. In fact, I can think of only one that has not been a problem here. And when they do “explode,” the results are either another dead dog, or about $2000 in vet bills. I go to every HOA meeting and hear the stories. So lucky you, yours hasn’t gone off. Yet.
That is very wrong. I can’t believe they thought this would ever fly. You can’t just take a person’s pet away and kill it all because it “could” turn bad. That being said I think there should be stiff penalties for all owners of large, or otherwise potentially aggressive dogs if they do not restrain the dog at all times (make sure it cannot escape yard)thus making neighbors afraid to even walk down their own street.
I see you’re already here...I was going to send you an “absolute stupidity” ping.
I’ve come across many specimens of the oh-so-dangerous breeds, and they have all been sweethearts.
The only dog that ever snapped at me-—bit me, actually-—was a small yapper.
I actually do not support bans. Not because I trust pit-bulldog types, but because mistaken identity can happen too much. Especially since it is not a “breed” we are talking about, but a type. There are many pit-bulldog-terrier breeds. Some are generally good, some are generally bad. Mutts muddle all the questions, including identity as well as trustworthiness.
I should say I think even dogs should be grandfathered in. I can understand a “ban” meaning no one can bring another in, but not retroactive bans. Of course, maybe that would be hard to administer, unless a license is enough.
Actually while they (as a TYPE, not a breed) are probably more likely to attack, the main problem is their tenacity (NOT “locking jaws”). They won’t let it go. Fighting bulls wasn’t enough, the terrier tenacity had to be brought in. Thus are PBT-types more likely to kill and severely maim than the average “vicious” breed.
The thought process for these folks, is "because I am afraid, you must destroy what I fear."
We have one of those little yappers. Best burglar alarm there is. Damned thing has taught the bird to bark too. You get both of them going at the same time, and you can't hear yourself think.
I agree with you. The Pitbull is not a good companion breed. The Blacks get these dogs because they feel empowered to have a bad azz dog. They could get a German Shepherd. Colorado has had a ban on them for years according to Mr. GGs. There are a lot of dogs that will protect you and your kids without being so unpredictable. In Atlanta they are everywhere. I wish we could get rid of them here.
Yes, that is called grandfathering.
Brilliant!
Uppity peasants. Why won’t they sit back and do what their betters expect of them?
</sarc>
I am willing to bet that 99% of your local college students fail to understand basic dog psychology.
That demographic makes the same mistakes with the toy breeds.
“Oh, I’m sorry. You can’t sit there. It upsets Fifi.” (Small dog growls at guest, is not rebuked by owner).
You have ignorant dog owner problems, not a dog problem.
It is threads like these that make so many FReepers appear to be or prove they really are uneducated liberals.
Few of them will even make an attempt to read your post.
Apparently they thought no one would notice this sneaky little pogrom.
I’m willing to bet that the “99% statistic” is crap.
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