2 years ago
ShareJacksonville says despite its law, it's seen a surge in stray pit bulls. These dogs aren't allowed in city limits unless they were grandfathered in by the deadline. Dog owners had until May of 2007 to register their pits.
Now if an unregistered dog is caught, owners have a few days to find it a new home outside the city or the pet could be killed.
Meet Rock, he's about a year old. Being a pit in Jacksonville, he's public enemy number one. His breed is banned.
Because Rock's owners didn't register him by last year's deadline, the Jacksonville animal shelter says he has to find a new city to call home or be put to sleep.
People like Joy and William Harris and Mark Brown, who live in the area, have mixed opinions about the Vicious Dog Ordinance.
"I hate the idea of euthanizing any animal," says Joy Harris.
"I think it's a pretty good deal they are dangerous they really are," says William Harris.
"I don't think you should pass the same judgment on an entire breed of dogs based simply on their genetics I think that the primary responsibility is that of the dog owner," says Brown.
The city's shelter says every year it takes in about 2,500 strays,
500 are returned to owners, and 1,000 are adopted. Another 1,000 are killed.
As for pit bulls their chance for survival is less than other breeds.
Except in rare exceptions, the city ordinance restricts the shelter from putting pits up for adoption.
This year, the shelter has taken custody of 137 pit bulls. It says most were strays, and others were turned in by neighbors. Of those, 93 were put down.
Mayor Tommy Swaim says since the city has enforced the ordnance it's seen the number of pit bull related dog bites cut in more than half.
"It's sad for us to have to do that but the safety of the public particularly the small children is the main source of our concern," says Swaim.
As for pits like Rock, the shelter says it's seeing an increase of them without a legal place to call home. Jacksonville says before it passed its pit bull ban, they saw an influx of pit bulls because people were moving to town from other areas that already had bans in place.
Dog rescue groups that adopted eight pits from the Jacksonville animal shelter this year are now full and can't take any more.
