[MI] Saginaw City Council passes 'Dangerous dogs' ordinance 5-3

[PitBullHappenings]

Saginaw City Council passes 'Dangerous dogs' ordinance 5-3
Published: Monday, June 20, 2011, 9:37 PM Updated: Tuesday, June 21, 2011, 7:25 AM
By Gus Burns | The Saginaw News


A pair of pit bulls are caged in the Saginaw County Animal Care Center.

Saginaw dog owners have a few more rules to follow.

The City Council Monday passed the contentious "dangerous dogs" ordinance after a year of debate, which requires owners of designated breeds -‑ pit bulls, presa canario, bull mastiffs, rottweilers and German shepherds -- to register their pets at the City Clerk's office for $20, post a sign in the front of their homes stating "Dog on premises" and keep their animals either on a leash or within a 4-foot pen.

The measure passed 5-3, with Councilman Dennis Browning, Councilman Andrew Wendt and Counclman Larry Coulouris dissenting.

Browning and Wendt took issue with the breed-specific language, while Coulouris said he wished an advocate for responsible dog owners had been on the committee.

"There are a lot of responsible dog owners that are going to be taking the brunt of this, and at some point we should have had a representative from that group on our committee," Coulouris said.

Councilman William Scharffe and Councilman Dan Fitzpatrick, who drafted the ordinance, said they made concessions throughout the process and are pleased with the version that passed.

"The process took a long time and there was a lot of input from a variety of sources," Scharffe said.

He said much of the comment against the law came from outside the city.

City Council cast an 8-0 vote in favor of another ordinance that forbids tethering as a primary means for confinement and limits the number of dogs owned by a single resident to three.

Residents who own a dog that is deemed "dangerous" are required to register their animal at the City Clerk's office, 1315 S. Washington in Saginaw, by June 30 to be in compliance.

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