Pit bull bans have been under much contention over the past year, and Louisiana was home to the most heart-wrenching of all the stories behind the fight to protect owner’s pit bulls. The Inquisitr has reported on the emotional story of O’hara and her pit bull Zeus. The little girl, who is wheelchair ridden, added her voice to the mess that was a pit bull ban.
The ordinance rose up in the town of Moreauville because the Mayor and Alderman claimed the town cried out for a “vicious dog” ban. The ban, or ordinance, would force owners to get rid of their pit bulls and rottweilers or they would be taken away. After being taken away, they would potentially be destroyed.
The impact, despite Zeus the pit bull’s case being won , had been muted initially but now another Louisiana town is stepping up their fight against their local pit bull ban. KTBS 3 reports that several residents in Morgan City are fighting their eight year old pit bull ban, a ban that is specifically aimed at pit bulls. The 2006 ban in Morgan City specifies that NO pit bulls are allowed in the city, and if they are found, they can be “taken away and killed.”
Normally, the face of most opposition to pit bull bans are pit bull owners, but that is not case in Morgan City. KATV reports Aimee Monnin is one of the many opponents of the current ban, despite the fact she does not own a pit bull. Monnin is the owner of a Rottweiler named Tank, a dog that was part of Moreauville’s recent rescinded ban, but has a soft spot for the pit bull breed.
“If that dog hasn’t done anything, I don’t see why there should be so many harsh restrictions, or a complete ban on any one dog. No dog is inherently vicious, that’s on the owner.”
Monnin felt so strongly about her view that she started a Facebook page and an online petition called “Standing Up.” The online petition has over 1,600 signatures, and she spoke to the Mayor regarding the pit bull ban with suggestions on rules that could be used to replace the current ban.
“We’ll keep some restrictions, like make sure that they’re trained, make sure that they’ve been spayed or neutered, the fence restriction, the leash requirement, and all of that.”
Though, Morgan City’s mayor does not seem in opposition, he expressed his concerns on the ban being reversed. He based most of his opinion on the notion that it is “hard to take an ordinance that’s been on the books for that long, and make a change”.
“The burden of persuasion is going to be up to the party that’s coming in to say there’s something wrong with that ordinance, but as the Mayor it’s my job to give that citizen an opportunity to state his case, and I plan to do so.”
Though the people of Morgan City do not seem to have as persuasive of a case as Zeus’, other pit bull bans have been repealed and replaced this year .
[Image Via Creative Commons]