Thurs., March 3
March 3, 2011Mon., March 7
March 7, 2011
Vicious dogs and their owners will be kept on a short leash if members of the Terrebonne Parish Council have their way in drawing up new ordinances that would have specific rules for the keeping of select breeds.
Councilman Billy Hebert has spearheaded an effort to address the matter of vicious dogs following a number of pit bull attacks in the parish, including one on 4-year-old Christian Silver of Bayou Blue in January that left the boy with facial scars.
“A few weeks ago I asked [parish legal counsel Courtney] Alcock to look at a few ordinances I had received from around the country to do something with the dog bites we have been having in Terrebonne Parish,” Hebert said during a council policy, procedure and legal committee meeting last Monday.
Hebert asked Alcock to present a model ordinance based off findings from other communities where vicious dog ordinances exist.
“[We] came up with a compilation from other areas. Basically, what other areas do is define vicious dogs and set regulations on vicious dogs … and establish regulations for owning vicious dogs such as pit bulls,” Alcock said.
A sample regulation presented to council members suggested definitions on what constitutes a vicious dog. Those included biting or attacking when unprovoked. It suggested measures that would require specific kenneling of vicious animals, and offered licensing requirements that would include implanting a microchip in a dog to identify the owner. Additionally, owners of vicious dogs would be required to carry appropriate liability insurance of at least $100,000 to cover damage and injury resulting from a dog bite.
To make his point, Hebert invited residents to tell of their experiences involving attacks by pit bulls.
Among those present were Christian Silver, along with his parents, Chad and Leah, and sister, Camryn. The parents of this bite victim told those in attendance their story.
“Not only are we having to pay co-pays [for their son’s medical treatments] but we have to pay for gas, time away from work … it is an expense [we have to pay] for somebody else’s negligence,” Leah Silver said. “If you are going to own an animal you have to be responsible for it.”
Chad Silver told of how a neighbor’s pit bull dogs have destroyed a fence board to gain access to his property on repeated occasions.
While Christian still carries the scars of his attack, he also exhibited before council members the energy of a normal child. “Thank you,” Christian Silver said to the council as his family returned to their seats.
Council member Kevin Voisin revealed that in the past a vicious dog had attacked him and that he was glad to see that Christian Silver was doing well under the circumstances.
“There is a great need for a [new] local ordinance. Our ordinances are outdated,” Terrebonne Animal Shelter manager Valerie Robinson said. Robinson noted that the definition of a dangerous dog is broader than just pit bulls although they have gained a great deal of attention in recent years
Robinson offered statistics to council members that list Pit Bull Terriers as the top dog involved in attacks in 2009. The second breed of dogs that made the most attacks that year was Labradors and the third was Chihuahua.
“A lot of people who get killed [in dog attacks] are the owners,” Robinson said. “When you hear about dog bites it is because of the [severity of] damage done.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 5 million people suffer from dog bites each year with nearly 380,000 victims requiring emergency room treatment.
In 2010, a total of 34 deaths resulted from vicious dog attacks in the United States. That number is double the deaths during one year in comparison to an average of 17 deaths per year between 1980 and 1990. From 2006 to 2009 totals in insurance claims related to dog bites increased from approximately $322 million to more than $412 million. It is also reported that hospitalization because of dog bites has increased 88 percent during the past two decades.
Duane Deshotel runs Triple D Pit Bulls out of Denham Springs. He is among those that contend that a dog is vicious not because of the breed alone, but because of the owner and the conditions in which an animal is kept.
“Most cases where they have problems are where people are abusing the dogs,” Deshotel said. “You can abuse any dog and any dog over 40 pounds can hurt you.”
Deshotel said that many pit bulls – the term is not of an actual breed but a term that refers to the mixing of select breeds – which have been raised to fight, have been bred that way and treated in a matter that makes them vicious. He stressed that just because he raises pit bulls does not mean he endorses dog fighting or intentionally attempting to produce an aggressive animal. “[My dogs] couldn’t fight their way out of a wet paper sack,” he said.
According to the Phillips National Injury Group, the deadliest dogs in America are the American Pit Bull, Bull Mastiff, Rottweiller, German Shepherd, and Doberman Pinscher.
Robinson said that there are many conditions that can make these and other breeds violent. She noted the aggressiveness of a dog can be enhanced by the mixing of select breeds or reduced by having the animals spayed or neutered.
“If they ban one dog they will have to ban every kind of dog,” Deshotel said. “You need to crack down on people that are doing wrong with them.”
Council members said they want to study the matter further before adopting a final ordinance, but each one voiced support of the proposed regulations.
The Silver family of Houma, (from left) Leah, Camryn, Chad and Christian appear before the Terrebonne Parish Council policy, procedure and legal committee to tell their experience when a pit bull dog attacked Christian and severely injured him. MIKE NIXON
