Saginaw, MI Seeks to Restrict Five Dog Breeds, Impose Limit Law
April 7, 2011
The Saginaw City Council is seeking to declare five dog breeds as “dangerous” and limit all dog ownership to three dogs per household.
The AKC strongly believes that dog owners should be responsible for their dogs and promote public education programs designed to teach responsible dog ownership. We oppose, however, legislation that seeks to single out specific dog breeds as dangerous and seeks to arbitrarily limit dog ownership.
Local clubs and dog owners are strongly encouraged to contact the mayor and city council and ask them to oppose these proposals. It is expected that the proposals will be formally introduced on April 18 and scheduled for a final vote on May 9.
Summary:
The city has created a list of the “Top Five Dangerous Dogs”, which will be updated each year. Currently the list includes the following breeds:
“Pit Bull”
Rottweiler
German Shepherd
Bullmastiff (Presa Canario) - **Note: This is how the breeds are listed on the official city document. It is unclear if both breeds have been declared dangerous, or if the city believes these breeds to be the same.
Alaskan Malamute
A dog must only have the physical appearance of any of these breeds to be declared dangerous. Owners of these breeds would be subject to the following requirements:
Pay a $20 registration fee and post a sign on their property
Keep the dog in a pen or kennel with sides that are at least four feet high
Notify the City Clerk within one business day if the dog escaped, attacked someone, has been sold, has died, or has been permanently moved from the city. The Clerk must also be notified within one business day if “there has been a birth of an offspring of the dog”.
In a separate proposal, all dog owners (regardless of breed) would be limited to owning three dogs over four months of age, regardless of breed. Those who currently own more than three dogs would be permitted to keep them, but could not own more than three in the future.
All dog owners must abide by numerous requirements, including:
Never allowing a dog outside a kennel or fenced yard unless it is securely leashed with a lead of adequate strength. The dog must never be tethered to an inanimate object.
Never keeping a dog on a porch, patio or in any part of a house or structure that “would allow the dog to exit such building on its own volition”.
A person may not be a “commercial dog breeder” or “broker” without registering with the City Clerk and obtaining a business license. These terms are not defined.
How You Can Help:
Contact the Mayor and Saginaw City Council and ask them to oppose these proposals. Click here for a sample letter to personalize. The contact information is as follows:
Mailing Address:
City Hall
1315 S. Washington Avenue
Saginaw, Michigan 48601
Mayor Greg Branch - anngreg@chartermi.net
Councilmembers:
Amos O’Neal - amossam@charter.net
Dennis Browning - dbrowning125@charter.net
Larry Coulouris - lcoulouris@yahoo.com
Dan Fitzpatrick - dlfitz@ameritech.net
Amanda Kitterman-Miller - akitterman@spsd.net
Dr. William “Bill” Scharffe - drbills@charter.net
Paul Virciglio - Ptvirciglio90@charter.net
Andrew Wendt - wendtmsu93@yahoo.com
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Robert
www.TheAnimalLawyer.com
