Miami-Dade County has banned residents from owning pit bulls for more than 25 years, and voters reaffirmed the ban in 2012 with an overwhelming 63 percent vote. Beth Clifton, right, as Miami Beach police officer. "5-17 Pit Bull Law . She notes that over 800 dogs have been mis-labeled as pit bulls, but instead are of terrier or mastiff breeds. Voters overwhelming opted to keep a 1989 ban on American Staffordshire terriers, … (See Why did pit bull advocates amplify a “fake news” pit bull fatality?). It is illegal in Miami-Dade County to own any dog which substantially conforms to a pit bull breed dog, unless it was specially registered with Miami-Dade County prior to 1989. Pit bulls might still be outlaws in Miami-Dade, but their fans aren’t through fighting to decriminalize them. Sharing to social media, with gratitude. Likewise,  at least two Miami-Dade county legislators chose in 2016 to jeopardize the safety and wellbeing of the constituents who elected them by pandering to pit bull owners,  a handful of vociferous local advocates who appear to want mainly to be able to rehome pit bulls “rescued” elsewhere within Miami-Dade,  and some organizations from outside the county,  which have no actual stake in the outcome of the repeal attempt,  and hold the safety of Miami-Dade residents to be of little or no importance. Why did the ASPCA pres get $852,231, while we got $9.70 an hour? Where are Rottweilers banned in the US? I have personally witnessed much bloodshed committed by pit bulls,  and much suffering among the victims and survivors of pit bull attacks,  including by parents and former pit bull owners who now struggle to live with the knowledge that they ignored repeated warnings and continued to trust and even actively advocate for pit bulls until suddenly it was too late. Florida does not ban any specific breed of dog at the State level. "5-17 Pit Bull Law . The county promised that by banning pit bulls, the number of serious injuries caused by dogs would be drastically reduced. Essentially, officers can assess a dog by ticking off characteristics on a form, and if there are enough ticks, the dog is deemed a “pit bull;” the owners are fined $500 and given 48 hours to destroy the dog or the county will do it. Our findings are easily accessible at Pit bull statistics. Also known as Mans Best Friend. (WSVN) - It has been illegal to own a pit bull in Miami-Dade County for nearly 30 years, but two local organizations are ready for a “Breed Battle” to take this law off the books. There is no such thing as a safe pit bull. Located in an affluent area, the house is in a state of serious disarray. In Miami, pitbulls or it's mix are illegla. Whoever wrote this article is ignorant and quite frankly, should be the one euthanized. There is no need for anyone to own a breed of dog that kills at the rate of pit bulls. Pit Bull Ban. In point of fact, we have researched the stats for ourselves, for more than 34 years now. After many years, I’m starting to see more public awareness on this topic, and in the next few years, I hope we can have more comprehensive laws banning unsafe dogs in our communities. Healthy fear is a survival skill. Wondering why the rest of us, our lives, our rights, and our wellbeing just don’t matter at all to the pitbull advocacy community. Since then, thousands of pit bulls have been killed in a drab building near the Palmetto Expressway. Trooper. In Montréal, the pit advocates are already working aggressively to overturn the new BSL, with the local SPCA leading the charge. I am permanently disfigured on both legs and missing a chunk of my left forearm. These cookies collect simple user information. Mislabeling these killer dogs,  I believe,  disingenuously misled the public in two ways. How many other dogs inflict fatal or disfiguring injuries on humans? Miami-Dade County has had an active breed ban since 1989. How many other dogs bite and attack humans? ACTUALLY RESEARCH THE STATS FOR YOURSELF. Critical to understand is that pit bulls are not a species. Pit Bulls Miami. Please I am so sick of hearing about. In August 2012, voters opted They are the most amazing beautiful species. The ordinance never had any clear language as to what a pit bull is, and thousands of dogs have been euthanized over the past two decades. I spent eight days in a hospital trauma center, enduring three surgeries and a lengthy recovery. Xavier Suarez was absent. Pit bulls are banned from being kept as pets in Miami-Dade County pursuant to a county ordinance. Exhibiting the dead-game doggedness that helps to make pit bulls themselves intractably dangerous, Miami Coalition Against Breed-Specific Legislation founder/director Dahlia Canes has circled back around to re-grip and attack again, just a year after she failed in a stealth attempt to repeal the county pit bull ban in effect since 1989,  and five years after Miami-Dade voters overwhelmingly affirmed the ban. Miami-Dade County, Florida (March 19, 2009) Miami Coalition Against Breed Specific Legislation (MCABSL) and Animal Law Coalition applaud a hearing officer’s ruling that the Miami Dade County Pit Bull ban is too vague, and the county cannot enforce the finding by animal control that a dog named Apollo is a pit bull that must be euthanized or removed from the county. Because people are actually misinformed enough to belive that BSL (breed specific legislation) is the solution to anything. I prefer to believe, however, that Fevin Smith’s remark came out of hurt and anger having nothing to do with anything published here, or done by any person here, and instead take this as an educable moment. BSL stands for breed-specific legislation — laws and regulations, enacted at the city or county level, that ban or restrict the keeping of dogs by breed, typically targeting pit bulls. ANIMALS 24-7 editor Merritt Clifton, photo & social media editor Beth Clifton, & Miami-Dade County Animal Services director Alex Munoz. News on dogs, cats, horses, wildlife, zoonoses, & nature. A black-and-white issue that the humane community has yet to face. How evil are they there bad dogs theyll kill you and your family.. Ppl are the problem of this. The good and responsible people of Miami Dade County need urgently to be alerted that there is a militant faction who desire to risk their safety and that of their animals by keeping,  breeding,  and further distributing a type of dog which has become notorious not only for killing and maiming,  but specifically for killing and maiming members of their own households,  who constitute about two-thirds of all the human and animal victims. Bravo! Lv 7. Far from hating pit bulls, Beth Clifton was for many years an avid pit bull rescuer and advocate, who was eventually honest enough with herself to recognize the enabling-and-denial aspects of pit bull advocacy, and the extent to which it puts other people and animals in danger. Hate isn’t what everyone necessarily feels, though some rightfully do. All cops are dirty so its terribly challenging for me to take anything that comes out of a form WHITE COP serious… why don’t you go shot a minority…. Thank you for another well written article on the topic. Across the U.S. and around the world a bloody battle is emerging between monied pit bull advocates and those of us who believe the public and other animals have a right to walk in our own neighborhoods and feel personally secure and safe from dangerous dogs. Indeed “people are the problem,” but the people who first developed a dog line to kill Native Americans, escaped slaves, and other animals have been dead for many generations, while the traits they emphasized have been crossed and re-crossed to intensify the predisposition toward sudden, random, unpredictable violence and the capacity for inflicting it which characterize the present-day pit bull. In August 2012, voters will be able to vote for or against keeping the ordinance. See Why pit bulls will break your heart. One could take offense at Fevin Smith’s comment, which engages in inappropriate stereotyping and name-calling, and does so, moreover, at the expense of my wife, who in six years as a police officer worked often in minority communities without so much as once using a weapon or becoming involved in fisticuffs, even when apprehending fugitives with violent history. The likelihood of losing will not stop the usual well-funded coterie of pit bull advocates from trying to run the cost of enforcing the Miami-Dade pit bull ordinance up so high that the county legislature gives in and repeals it,  regardless of the cost in human and animal lives and security. Rather, State law puts restrictions on a “dangerous dog”. Miami-Dade legislators Bruno A. Barreiro and Sally Heyman in 2016 quietly introduced their repeal bill just four years after county voters in August 2012 upheld the county’s longstanding, well-grounded ordinance at by almost a two-to-one margin. In 2008, Miami-Dade officials confiscated more than 800 dogs, and under the law, euthanized more than 650. It is illegal in Miami-Dade County to own any dog which substantially conforms to a pit bull breed dog, unless it was specially registered with Miami-Dade County prior to 1989. In 2008, the county confiscated 802 pit bulls and euthanized more than 650. Know your locality's legislation and put your mind at ease. It is one of the first counties to implement a ban of an entire dog breed. 5-17. Stats show that the numbers are completely comparable. Pit bull–type dog with a muzzle Breed-specific legislation (BSL) is a type of law that prohibits or restricts particular breeds or types of dog. Summarized Douglas Hanks of the Miami Herald, “The Miami Coalition Against Breed Specific Legislation and [co-plaintiff] Blues for Vets claim Miami-Dade’s rule violates the U.S. Constitution by unfairly depriving pit bull owners of property — their dogs. you people are idiots !!! Noted Hanks,  “Courts have generally upheld laws banning pit bulls,  provided the government can prove the restrictions protect public safety.”  Which the Miami-Dade ordinance did quite effectively until,  after the 2012 vote,  Miami-Dade Animal Services chief of shelter operations and enforcement Kathleen Labrada quit enforcing the ordinance to the letter,  instead finding ways to exempt dogs under common names for pit bull variants. By saying one breed of dog is illegal while the rest are authorized,  Miami-Dade’s ban also violates pit bull owners’ right to due process, according to the suit.”, Miami-Dade Animal Services chief of shelter operations and enforcement Kathleen Labrada, pit bull, and Miami Coalition Against Breed-Specific Legislation founder/director Dahlia Canes. Pit Bull Ban Among dog owners, Florida's Miami-Dade County is recognized for a longstanding and controversial ban on pit bulls. A “ fake news ” pit bull ban is one of the pit advocates are already aggressively. 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