Pit bull ban to end in Lakewood

Mayor Mike Summers has proposed an elimination of the city’s pit bull ban, which City Council will consider for the first time at its meeting tonight.

Summers said after listening to residents regarding their feelings on the city ordinance, which banned dogs if they were deemed more than 51 percent pit bull, he wanted revive the conversation to repeal the ban.

“When this ban was passed back in 2008, it was done with the idea of safety in mind,” he said. “Since then, that’s what we’ve had in mind when enforcing this. However, the time has come for us to reevaluate.”

Summers said the new ordinance is based on existing legislation in Lima and Avon Lake and nearby cities, such as Rocky River have similar components, such as muzzling requirements.

According to the proposed legislation, no breed of dog will be banned in the city but there are requirements on how certain types of dogs are controlled when at home and in public while also placing consequences on owners who do not follow the requirements.

Based on the recommendations from Lakewood’s animal control officers, the breeds covered in the proposed legislation include pit bulls, pit bull mixes, American Staffordshire terriers, Stafforshire bull terriers, American pit bull terriers, American bulldogs, canary mastiff dogs and Cane Corso dogs.

When dogs of these breeds are on their owners’ property, they must be confined in one of the following ways:

• Inside an enclosure with a secured top, including a house
• In a locked fenced yard in the rear of the property also tethered to the ground on a tether no longer than 10 feet or on a tether controlled by someone 18 and older
• In a locked pen, with a secure top, and supervised by someone 18 and older

When dogs of these breeds are not on their owners’ property, they must be:

• Muzzled and on a leash no longer than 6 feet in length and have a person controlling them who is 18 and older
• Inside an enclosure with a secured top, including a house
• In a locked fenced yard in the rear of the property also tethered to the ground on a tether no longer than 10 feet or on a tether controlled by someone 18 and older
• In a locked pen, with a secure top, and supervised by someone 18 and older

The dog must be able to eat and drink while wearing the muzzle

According to the legislation, residents may only own one dog that is a breed listed above and owners must maintain a liability insurance policy of not less than $100,000.

Summers said there is also proposed changes to the classification of dogs, adding a new “potential nuisance dog,” which would be the lowest aggression classification behind nuisance, dangerous and vicious.

“The idea with this new ordinance is to focus on how the dogs are controlled by their owners and therefore hold the owners responsible,” he said.

The only time a dog can be permanently removed from the city or euthanized is if the court orders it after finding that the dog killed another domestic animal or caused serious injury to a human as a result of the owner violating one of the requirements.

Summers said since the ordinance is just being introduced for the first time tonight, he doesn’t expect everyone to agree on every component proposed but he looks forward to the upcoming legislative process.

To read the proposed legislation in full, click here.