No breed of dog, pit bull or otherwise, will be banned in Oxford Township.
Officials last week voted 6-0 to continue with their current Dangerous Animals Assistance Ordinance, enacted in 2002, rather than instituting any breed-specific bans.
‘I do like the ordinance we have,? said township Supervisor Bill Dunn, who made the motion to stick with what’s on the books. ‘It is a vicious animal ordinance. It’s not specific. I think it works.?
Under the existing ordinance, a person attacked by any type of animal, not just dogs, files a sworn complaint with the township, which then is forwarded to the township attorney, who brings it before a judge in Rochester Hills 52-3 District Court.
Following a hearing, a judge determines whether the animal is dangerous as defined by state law. If deemed dangerous, it’s up to the judge to decide the animal’s fate.
Officials were looking into the idea of breed-specific bans following an Aug. 15 incident in which a pit bull mix attacked a resident in the Oxford Meadows subdivision.
The victim, Martha McDonald, requested the township board look into banning pit bulls as a result of the attack. She attended last week’s board meeting to lobby for the ban in person.
‘There’s an obvious problem with this breed,? she told officials after reciting numerous accounts of pit bull attacks and resulting fatalities from around the country.
She cited a statistic from the Centers for Disease Control which stated that from 1979-1984, the pit bull breed had the highest amount (37 percent) of bite-related fatalities among all pure breeds.
McDonald also cited a statistic from the National Canine Research Foundation which found that pit bulls and pit bull mixes were responsible for 44 percent of fatal dog attacks between 2000 and early June 2005.
‘These dogs are a problem time and time again,? she said.
But McDonald was the lone voice in the crowd calling for a ban.
‘I think instead of needlessly punishing scores of responsible owners and well-behaved dogs, we should just rely on the dangerous dog laws that we have right now,? said township resident Karen Auchterlonie, who owns a pit bull.
Auchterlonie noted that most of the communities that have adopted breed-specific bans have found them to be ‘very expensive (to enforce) and ineffective.?
Shayna Davis, a Macomb Township resident who owns two pit bulls, stated that there are more than 60 million dogs in the United States and more than 5 million are registered pit bulls ‘that we know of.?
Despite the fact that pit bulls outnumber most of the other 300 breeds and their population has grown by ‘almost five times? over the last 20 years, the number of incidents involving bites or attacks ‘has not grown at all in proportion of that.?
‘The number of breed incidents has stayed in proportion despite the population surge,? she said. ‘That is a huge testament to the temperament of the dog.?
Rather than engage in a lengthy discussion, Dunn pushed for a vote to stay with the existing Dangerous Animals Assistance Ordinance, which focuses on the individual animal’s actions, not the breed or type.
‘The current ordinance is effective and it does protect people not only from dogs, but from cats and goats,? the supervisor explained.