Leflore County Passes Pit Bull Ordinance

New Pit Bull Law
Leflore County, MS - Leflore County, Mississippi (population about 38,000) contains the city of Itta Bena. Yesterday, the Board of Supervisors of Leflore County passed a pit bull ordinance, citing as motivation recent cases in which pit bulls mauled an Itta Bena woman and killed a 3-year-old boy in Jackson. The new law requires pit bull owners to:

• Secure dog in a four-sided pen, 6-feet high with a top and concrete floors
• Post a "Dangerous Dog" sign
• Muzzle and leash the dog when outside of the cage
• Spay or neuter the dog
  
• Be at least 21 years of age
• Register the dog with the Leflore County Humane Society
• Carry a $100,000 liability insurance policy or post a $100,000 cash surety

Penalties for failing to comply range from $100 to $500 and increase with each offense. Pit bulls will be confiscated until the conditions of the law are met. After three offenses, the dog is permanently confiscated. Reasons cited for the ordinance include: the pit bull's heritage as fighting dogs, a powerful set of jaws, their unique insensitivity to pain and their aggressive temperament.

Aubrey Whittington, president of the Leflore County Humane Society, praised the board for passing the ordinance. "You have shown that you care about the welfare and safety of the Leflore County citizens and their children," she said. "You have taken a giant step in the right direction, and I hope the other counties and the cities will follow your fine example."

Some animal advocacy groups agree with DogsBite.org.

Whittington said the Humane Society will work with the county to enforce the ordinance. "This is unacceptable behavior with these pit bulls, and it has got to stop," she said. Last week the county built secure cages at the Humane Society that can hold vicious dogs. The pit bull that attacked the Itta Bena woman escaped from a non-secure pen and has still not been caught.

DogsBite.org applauds the Leflore County Board of Supervisors and Humane Society for creating an ordinance that protects its citizens and pets from pit bull dogs and forces pit bull owners to truly take responsibility for their animals.

Related articles:
07/28/08: 1,600 Stitches for Pit Bull Attack Victim, Dog Snaps Chain to Attack
07/25/08: Fatality 2008: Mississippi Boy's Mother Discusses Fatal Dog Attack

Labels: dog law, pit bull ordinance