City gets tough on pit bull owners

A divided Common Council has approved tough new regulations on pit bulls that will require owners to have microchips implanted on the dogs and purchase a special permit for $50.

Under the new ordinance, approved by a 3-2 vote on Tuesday, pit bull dogs are defined as "dangerous animals," and owners will be required to have their dogs licensed and properly confined. The microchips that must be implanted under the dog's skin contain information about the dog and its owner, so that the animal can be quickly returned if lost.

All pit bulls will be required to wear bright orange collars when they are outside. They must also be kept on a leash not longer than 4 feet, and the leash must be held by a person who is at least 16 years old.

Owners also will be required to display a "Beware of Dog" sign on their property and on their dog's kennel.

Mark Otto, 3rd District alderman, and Tom Pavlic, 5th District alderman opposed the ordinance while Mary Schissel, 2nd District alderman, and Joseph Mikolajczak, 1st District alderman and president of the common council, supported it.

Mayor Ryan McCue broke the tie by voting in favor of the ordinance.

An amendment requiring pit bull owners to attend a dog behavior class at a licensed dog training facility in Wisconsin was rejected by the council.

However, another amendment stating that any person charged with selling or delivering illegal drugs will not be allowed to keep a pit bull dog passed in a 3-1 vote. Pavlic voted against it.

"I sat through the first discussion on this and this ordinance would make you think that we have a rash of pit bull attacks, bites all over," Pavlic said.

Cudahy Health Officer Carol Wantuch said there have been 26 animal bites in Cudahy this year from a variety of cats and dogs. Only two bites were caused by a pit bull, she said.

Because any dog or cat could potentially be a "dangerous animal," Pavlic played the role of devil's advocate, suggesting the council ban all cats and dogs in the city.

"Obviously, I don't believe in this ordinance," he said.

He said a dog is more likely to attack if trained by a bad person rather than because of its breed.

"I guess I'm not an advocate of advocating a breed specific thing when it's the people not the breed, but the rest of you can vote however you like," he said.

Otto concurred with Pavlic.

"This ordinance, unfortunately in my opinion, just penalizes good people," Otto said.

But Mikolajczak said the ordinance encourages people to be good dog owners.

"How many times have we seen kids who can barely control a dog walking a pit bull or walking a dog? They also have these flimsy retractable leashes," he said. "This bans that."

Because the Police Department would be responsible for enforcing the ordinance, Pavlic voiced concerns that more staff may be needed to respond to people violating the ordinance.

"There are other things that are more important that this," he said.

If any provisions of the ordinance are violated, pit bull owners could face a fine between $250 and $2,000.

Any owner who fails to keep their pit bull's license and registration up to date must remove their pet from the city and will not be eligible to re-register the dog.