| Possible ban on "attack" dogs in Chicago
Legislator wants to ban attack dogs
February 22, 2005
BY BEN FISCHER Sun-Times Springfield Bureau
SPRINGFIELD -- All dogs are created equal, as far as Illinois law is concerned.
Two years ago, the state forbade most localities from banning or regulating any particular breed. But one lawmaker wants to strike that rule, which would likely trigger renewed efforts in some places to outlaw pit bulls and other dogs.
The proposal by Rep. Jerry Mitchell (R-Sterling) has already raised the ire of dog lovers and animal rights groups. They say bans on pit bulls and other "dangerous" breeds are hard to enforce and unfairly punish responsible owners -- and may be unconstitutional.
"Canine profiling doesn't work. It's a knee-jerk reaction," said Ledy VanKavage, lobbyist for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
No regulations in Chicago
Before the 2003 law took effect, at least 10 Illinois towns banned pit bulls, Rottweilers or Dobermans, including Cicero, Addison, Northlake and Lombard. Many others imposed special requirements on those breeds.
Chicago, a home-rule city, has no breed-specific rules. Ald. Ginger Rugai (19th) introduced a pit bull ban last year but it died in the face of Daley administration opposition.
Mitchell's proposal comes three weeks after 14-year-old Lydia Chaplin was found dead near her home in rural Erie, close to the Mississippi River. Three pit bulls and a mixed-breed had mauled her late at night, and she died of hypothermia as she lay in a cornfield.
The Chaplin incident and others convinced Mitchell genetics play some role.
"If it's all just the training humans give them, I guess then, why do we not take wolf cubs and make pets out of them?'' he said.
From 1979 to 1998, some 25 different breeds killed humans in the United States, according to a 2000 study done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Just two breeds -- pit bulls and Rottweilers -- were responsible for half of all fatal bites.
Yet enforcing breed bans is tough, said Peggy Wolfe, an Illinois Dog Club and Breeders Association board member. "Pit bull" is not technically a breed, but rather an informal category, she said. Also, two states -- Ohio and Alabama -- have overturned breed-specific laws because they violate an owner's due process rights.
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FAQ 
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=7 
Chins...they CHEW, they POO, thats what THEY DO!
Mom to: 
7 Chins, 8 Dogs
, & 4 Beardies
