Page 1 of 330 The Monthly National Legislation Report 7/5/2010 ...

The Monthly National Legislation Reporthttp://mnlreport.typepad.com/Page 307 of 3307/5/2010from $75 to $150, she called that “a place holder.” The draft bill also redefines pet shops and doubles their license fees and grants sweeping powers of seizure to animal welfare agents,including not requiring them to get warrants before entering private property to take animals.South Portland - (11/12/08) - Using no-nonsense terms, South Portland city councilors discussed tougher laws for dogs on Willard Beach, including increasing beach patrols, issuing finesand banning unruly dogs from the city's popular beach.MARYLANDSalisbury - Dog owners who fear Fido might bite or that he might bark incessantly should take notice of a law designed to curtail his deviant behavior. Wicomico County Council will hold apublic hearing Wednesday on a "dangerous dogs" proposal. The law would set up an Animal Appeal Board that can rule on euthanizing a dog after just one violent attack and impound abarking dog if it is deemed a severe "public nuisance." Dogs must have clean drinking water, shelter from inclement weather and proper veterinary care, the law states. Owners can't leave adog unattended in an automobile without ventilation on a hot, summer day. Owners must provide their dog with uncramped living quarters and keep the area free of a buildup of feces. Thelaw also states that no chains or ropes can be used as collars.MASSACHUSETTSHB5092 - Resolve, Directing the Commissioner of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources To Review and Make Recommendations Regarding the Regulationof Dog and Cat Breeding Facilities http://www.mass.gov/legis/185history/h05092.htm Today (10-23-08) the Massachusetts Legislature’s Joint Committee onMunicipalities and Regional Government decided to send House Bill 5092 to “study,” which effectively ends the consideration of this onerous bill for theremainder of the current legislative session.Brockton - (10/14/08) - Bridgewater is not alone. Across the region, in Brockton, Middleboro, Raynham and elsewhere, communities are losing thousands of dollars in uncollected doglicense fees and late fines — at a time when they face a budget crunch that is getting worse as the Wall Street mess trickles down to Main Street. Communities need every dollar they can get,but lenient policies or inadequate manpower to enforce them make it mighty difficult to go after dog-license scofflaws, officials say. “There’s no teeth to the law,” Middleboro Town ClerkEileen Gates said about her town’s dog-license policy.Essex - (11/5/08) - Residents in Essex decided to adopt new dog control laws during Monday night's special Town Meeting. Article 11, which proposed placing more controls on dogsroaming at large, eventually passed, but not before discussion and some amending.Haverhill - (11/3/08) - The public will have its chance to weigh in Thursday on a proposal by the mayor to open up a city-owned trail along Plug Pond and through the woods for dogowners to walk their pets unrestrained by a leash. What: City Council hearing on the mayor's proposed dog trail When: Thursday, 7 p.m. 11/6/08 Where: Room 204, City Hall What's afterhearing: Council will vote on the plan after getting public inputSalisbury - (10/22/08) - A pit bull owner must go before selectmen after Animal Control Officer Harold Congdon brought complaints to the board, and the town may consider overhaulingits dog ordinance entirely after two other reports of pit bull problems in town.MICHIGANNo report for MichiganMINNESOTANorthfield - (10/21/08) - There’s no Northfield ordinance or statue for dangerous or potentially dangerous animals.” The city doesn’t have a way to identify dangerous animals or a methodfor pet owners to challenge such a ruling. Northfield's ordinances regarding dangerous dogs are fairly lax compared to those of other Minnesota cities. Faribault, Shakopee, Brooklyn Parkand Minnetonka all have pages-long ordinances guiding how dangerous dogs are dealt with. In Brooklyn Park, dangerous and potentially dangerous dogs must be registered annually andphotographed. Anyone who keeps a dangerous dog in the Hennepin County city must keep it securely confined and restrained and have it implanted with a microchip to help identify it.Brooklyn Park also allows for forced sterilization of dangerous dogs, their removal and destruction. Faribault ordinances provide for dealing with vicious dogs, which they define as an “animalthat has inflicted multiple bites on a person or which has bitten more than one person at least once.” Vicious animals are illegal in Faribault and by law, must be impounded. Morisette, thecity’s prosecutor, said it shouldn’t take long before the city’s ordinance is revised. He believes he can cobble together a city council resolution giving the police chief authority to designatedangerous and potentially dangerous animals. If all goes well, said Morisette, the council could approve a resolution by year’s end.MISSISSIPPIColumbus - (10/22/08) - Columbus pet owners will not be required to register their dogs and pay a registration fee, but pets who roam outdoors must wear identification tags, according toa new animal control ordinance passed Tuesday by the Columbus City Council. Additionally, while the ordinance prohibits the tethering of dogs to inanimate objects, the ordinance does allowfor a dog to be “temporarily” tethered, if the owner is “within 20-feet of the animal.” The new ordinance also requires pets to wear tags from a veterinarian specifying they have beenvaccinated, especially against rabies. The council issued initial approval of the ordinance Tuesday (10/21/08) night; the council will be asked to approve the ordinance for adoption in 30 daysor more. The ordinance can be found on the city’s Web site here.Jackson - (11/5/08) - The Jackson City Council is scheduled to vote on a proposed dog ordinance Tuesday (11/11/08). They are scheduled to meet at City Hall at 10 a.m. The ordinancewould ban pit bulls and other dogs considered dangerous from living in the city limits. The council is also considering limiting the number of dogs per household. UPDATE: (11/14/08) - TheJackson, Mississippi city council will be discussing at its next regular council meeting on Tuesday, November 18, 2008, a dangerous and potentially dangerous dog ordinance that would banspecific breeds from the city of Jackson. The ordinance was proposed by City Councilman Jeff Weill, and would ban “pit bulls” and “several related dogs.” For city council contactinformation, click HERE.MISSOURIColumbia - (11/14/08) - An ordinance that could raise fees for people whose unspayed or unneutered animals are impounded by Animal Control was discussed Thursday night at theColumbia/Boone County Board of Health meeting.The proposed ordinance would implement an impoundment fee of $150 for each animal that is not spayed or neutered. Also discussed at themeeting was the possibility of renewing the city's contract with the Humane Society. If the contract is not renewed in 2009, other ordinances will need to be updated, too. The board alsodiscussed the role of the city and county in animal welfare services. Health department staff will discuss and modify the proposed ordinances at the next Board of Health meeting, whichwill be Dec. 11.Joplin - City Council members on Monday (10/27/08) will look at health-board recommendations that would change Joplin’s animal ordinances to try to reduce the risks of dog bites. TheJoplin Health Department’s advisory board was asked several months ago by the council to study ordinances that would make the city safer and to report back to the council, said DanPekarek, health director. The health board’s efforts included examining breed-specific legislation that bans breeds such as pit bulls and Rottweilers.Park Hills - (11/16/08) -Park Hills City Council officially banned housing of mountain lions within city limits Thursday night. The same goes for lions, tigers, bears and 17 other wild animals.The amended animal regulations ordinance also prevents city residents from having a leopard, ocelot, jaguar, jaguarondi, cheetah, margay, Canada lynx, bobcat, panther, hyena, wolf, coyote,fox, wild cat, wolf hybrid, nonhuman primate, or any deadly dangerous or poisonous reptile. Boa constrictors and pythons less than eight feet long are exempt from the new provision, as areevents where a special permit has been issued by the city for entertainment purposes. The amendment passed 6-0, with Ward I Councilman Mike Glore and Ward IV Councilman TerryBarnett absent.Pilot Grove - (11/10/08) - A violent dog ordinance is now in effect in Pilot Grove, Missouri after the council's unanimous approval at last Wednesday's meeting (11/05/08). Under the newordinance, there are options for what could happen to an animal that bites or injures a person, including impoundment or humane euthanasia. The ordinance also reinforces the provisionsfor keeping a vicious dog in city limits. The eight restricted breeds in Pilot Grove, MO: American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Terrier,Rottweiler, Doberman Pinscher, Chow Chow, Chinesischer Kampfhund (Chinese Shar Pei) To find out more about the ordinance, including what breeds are considered vicious, contact Pilot