Hearing Set for Bill to KILL All the PIT BULLS in MONTANA

Hearing Set for Bill to Kill All the Pit Bulls in Montana
Posted Jan 11, 2009 by lauraallen Breed Bans
There will be a hearing on H.B. 191 Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 3:00 PM in Hearing Room 172 at the Capitol Building in Helena. Plan to attend.

For more information on this bill and how you can contact Montana legislators, read Animal Law Coalition's report below.

Original report: Montana state Rep. Robyn Driscoll, a Democrat who represents the 51st District, has introduced a bizarre bill calling for the elimination of all "pit bulls" from the state. If the bill, H.B. 191, becomes law, owners must surrender their pit bull dogs which must then be euthanized within 10 days.

Those who don't give up their dogs to be killed? Well, any peace officer is authorized to obtain a search warrant and come and get the dog.

The cost of paying animal control and other law enforcement officers throughout the state to round up family pets and kill them will be substantial. A task force found that a pit bull ban in Prince George's County, Maryland, just one county, cost $560,000 in one year.

There are exceptions for pit bulls temporarily in the state, passing through, or attending an exhibition, show or competition "sponsored by a dog club, association, or similar organization". Even for the dog to attend an exhibition, show or competition, the owner must obtain written permission from the county and the sponsor must take steps to "prevent [the pit bull dog] from escaping or injuring the public." The only other exception is for a pit bull wearing a tag indicating it is a registered pit bull, but the registration and tag must have been obtained before the law's effective date. Here is a copy of the bill.

The National Canine Research Council reports that between 1965 and 2008, there were 3 fatalities in Montana from dog bites. Yes, 3 in 43 years. In 2005 alone, just one year in Montana, 1,400 people died from smoking and 251 in traffic accidents. (Maybe Driscoll should work to protect Montanans from smoking and second hand cigarette smoke or negligent or drunk drivers; that would at least be something useful.)

The NCRC notes, "All the dogs involved ... were ...not spayed or neutered....All three cases involved unsupervised children left alone in a yard with unfamiliar dogs (2 cases) or the child wandering off and encountering an unfamiliar, chained dog (1 case)."

Significantly, none of the dogs was a pit bull.

The bill, H.B. 191, is now in the House Local Government Committee. Check Animal Law Coalition for updates.
[link to www.animallawcoalition.com]