Elkhart committee doesn't support ban on pit bulls Originally printed at http://www.wsbt.com/news/local/70298102.html
ELKHART — An ad hoc committee will not recommend banning pit bulls when Elkhart City Council overhauls its animal control ordinance in the coming weeks.
The 6-3 vote by the committee this month does not mean the council cannot still vote for the measure. But it did not meet the approval of the nine-person committee, made up of Humane Society officials, veterinarians, an animal control officer and council members.
The committee will have a final public hearing at 5 p.m. Thursday in council chambers, where members will review the final draft. The board will consider comments at the hearing.
Elkhart City Council President Rod Roberson, who first proposed the ban on pit bulls as one of many changes to the ordinance, says the ordinance likely will go back before council for a second reading Dec. 7. It’s possible, he said, there may be a special meeting set up sometime in the next month.
"It could still be part of the final draft if indeed council members are for it," Roberson said.
Roberson, who is on the committee but did not agree with the majority’s recommendation to ban breed-specific language, says the ordinance still contains language that can "reduce the population of pit bulls," in the city.
Anne Reel, director of the Humane Society of Elkhart County, was pleased with the recommendation. She is against a breed-specific language.
"I think, again, any dog has the potential to be a biter," she said. "Any dog has potential dangers. But the ordinance shouldn’t be limited to any specific breed."
Roberson said the past three months since the committee began reviewing the ordinance have been a learning experience.
"We’ve come a long way in the process and believe that the owners should be penalized severely if they don’t take the appropriate precautions to, one, train and socialize the dog, and, two, endure that public safety is first and foremost. And, third, owners — a lot of them don’t understand the breed. That is the problem — the proximity to kids and seniors so close in those areas."
"The problem is we have thousands of pit bulls and hundreds of good owners that are going to have these pit bulls. But what happens to other 90 percent? It’s not a cut-and-dry issue."
Robertson added the ordinance, even without a ban on pit bulls, could still limit how many pit bulls are in Elkhart. The animal ordinance would limit the number or large animals that can be obtained to four, and the dangerous dog portion of the language has been revamped.
Staff writer Tom Moor:
tmoor@sbtinfo.com
(574) 247-7756
