By David Skolnick

skolnick@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

City council Wednesday will consider repealing a pit-bull ban it passed eight years ago that no longer is enforced.

The request to lift the ban came from Jason Cooke, a local animal-rights activist and a representative of Ohioans Against Breed Discrimination. The organization’s goal is to repeal laws in communities that discriminate against dogs based on breed.

“Any dog can inflict injury or cause a fatality, so we need to have an ordinance for all dogs and hold owners responsible,” Cooke said. “Breed discrimination doesn’t do anything except instill a false sense of security that a certain type of dog is banned so there won’t be attacks when other breeds can attack. A lot of dog attacks are because they [dogs] are beaten, abused and kept outside.”

When the ban took effect in 2007, it largely was ineffective because city officials expected the Mahoning County Dog Warden to enforce it, something that office never agreed to do.

Instead it was up to Youngstown police to enforce the ban, with about 10 pit-bull cases prosecuted and none in the last three-plus years after the state removed pit bulls from its definition of vicious dogs. The state law did not, however, outlaw communities from having a pit-bull ban.

Council’s safety committee is recommending lawmakers vote Wednesday to repeal the ban.

“The city hasn’t enforced it for years,” said Councilman Nate Pinkard, D-3rd and safety committee chairman. “We’ll enforce the vicious-dog ordinance and not be breed-specific.”

Though the ban isn’t being enforced, Cooke said repealing it is important “because it can be enforced in the future, and I don’t want anyone to have the ability” to do so.”

Cooke, who owns eight pit-bull terrier mixes, said he and numerous pit-bull owners will have a celebratory rally outside city hall at 4:45 p.m. Wednesday. Council is meeting at 5:30 p.m. that day.

The city pit-bull ban, adopted in September 2007, meant that no new pit bulls could live in the city limits effective Sept. 15 of that year. Those who had registered pit bulls in the city before that date were allowed to keep them though the dogs were required to be muzzled when outside. Also, puppies born to properly registered pit bulls were required to leave the city limits no later than 10 weeks after birth.

The ban came after council members at the time contended the city was having problems with dog fighting, attacks and threats by pit bulls toward people and other animals. Also, those conducting illegal activities were using the dogs as intimidators.

The city of Canfield recently repealed its pit-bull ban.

Cooke said he and his organization will also seek to eliminate bans in Struthers, Columbiana and the village of Poland in the coming months.