Last modified: Tuesday, May 8, 2007 3:27 PM CDT
Dog owners may be ignoring pit bull law
By Brian Flinchpaugh
A man walking his dogs on a Berkeley street seems normal enough - except if the two dogs happen to be pit bulls.
That's what had Berkeley Ward 4 Councilwoman Louvenia Mathison, Mayor Kyra Watson and residents worried at Monday's city council meeting.
Mathison told city officials she's heard complaints from her ward that some residents may be keeping pit bulls as pets. That's despite a two-year-old ordinance that prohibits them in the city.
"If you see someone walking pit bulls in the street, call it in," Mathison told the council and residents at the meeting.
Some residents may think puppies or some types of dogs are grandfathered in and not subject to the ordinance, passed in February 2005, she said.
Watson agreed, saying new residents in particular may not be aware of the ordinance. "We have to keep track of it," she said.
The city's ordinance prohibits "certain dogs" such as pit bulls and Rottweilers.
The penalty for violations is a fine of $1,000 or a 90-day jail term.
Residents at the meeting said they've seen people with suspicious-looking dogs, taking them out for walks.
"They're definitely out there," said Eric Willis, a city resident. Willis said he's owned Rottweilers, but pit bulls "are something else entirely."
Watson and Mathison said they've heard no reports of incidents or attacks.
But Mathison said residents on one street are worried.
"The owner has been letting the dogs out to run around," she said.
Reach Brian Flinchpaugh a [email protected].
Dog owners may be ignoring pit bull law
By Brian Flinchpaugh
A man walking his dogs on a Berkeley street seems normal enough - except if the two dogs happen to be pit bulls.
That's what had Berkeley Ward 4 Councilwoman Louvenia Mathison, Mayor Kyra Watson and residents worried at Monday's city council meeting.
Mathison told city officials she's heard complaints from her ward that some residents may be keeping pit bulls as pets. That's despite a two-year-old ordinance that prohibits them in the city.
"If you see someone walking pit bulls in the street, call it in," Mathison told the council and residents at the meeting.
Some residents may think puppies or some types of dogs are grandfathered in and not subject to the ordinance, passed in February 2005, she said.
Watson agreed, saying new residents in particular may not be aware of the ordinance. "We have to keep track of it," she said.
The city's ordinance prohibits "certain dogs" such as pit bulls and Rottweilers.
The penalty for violations is a fine of $1,000 or a 90-day jail term.
Residents at the meeting said they've seen people with suspicious-looking dogs, taking them out for walks.
"They're definitely out there," said Eric Willis, a city resident. Willis said he's owned Rottweilers, but pit bulls "are something else entirely."
Watson and Mathison said they've heard no reports of incidents or attacks.
But Mathison said residents on one street are worried.
"The owner has been letting the dogs out to run around," she said.
Reach Brian Flinchpaugh a [email protected].
