Village Dog Ban Curbed

After stark opposition to a recently passed local law banning Rockville Centre residents from owning pit bulls and Rottweilers, the village board unanimously repealed it at its July 20 meeting.

More than 200 dog owners and pet lovers from all over Long Island flooded the village's recreation center to voice their disapproval of local law 9-10, which banned those breeds from the village. The law did allow current owners to keep them, but required the dogs to be registered and muzzled. The breed-specific legislation was passed after a resident's three-year-old daughter was bit by a pit bull that was unleashed in a local hair salon.

"We've had complaints from residents about those two breeds in our neighborhoods," Mayor Mary Bossart said. "We passed it in response to those complaints, and no one contested it when we passed it."

Dog lovers and animal-rescue organizations from as far as Coram and Riverhead came in droves to express similar thoughts on the ban: punish the deed, not the breed. "Breed specific legislation is a band-aid on an issue that needs to be addressed," said Kathleen Gallina, of Sayville, who owns two pit bulls. "Bad ownership is the problem. They need to punish irresponsible owners."

Before the board voted to repeal the ban, it gave those in attendance the opportunity to address the board. More than 30 people shared their experiences with pitbulls and Rottweilers, and most expressed how the two breeds are loyal and often misunderstood. "This law makes no sense," said Kenneth Sergeant, 22, of Rockville Centre. "There are a lot of good dogs out there."

Diane Indelicoto, an 18-year resident of Rockville Centre, said the blame should fall squarely on the owners, not the breed. "The only time I saw a bad pit bull is when I saw a bad owner," she said. "People have the right to own them."

Former Rockville Centre resident, Lisa Shulman, was the lone supporter of the ban. Her three-year-old daughter, Isabell, was bit by a pitbull in March at Technicolors Hair Salon on South Park Avenue. Owners of the salon run Ruff House Rescue, an organization that saves dogs from "kill shelters" and had a saved pit bull puppy, unleashed, in the salon. Shulman said her daughter went to pet the dog, and it jumped up and bit her daughter under her left eye.

"A salon is an illogical place to have rescued animals," she said. "My daughter almost lost her eye. She had to get a rabies shot. I love dogs, but the next victim could be maimed or killed."

Amy Chaitoff, an animal welfare attorney from Bay Shore, said the village's breed specific legislation violated Article 107 Section 5 of the New York State Agriculture and Markets Law, which prevents municipalities from banning certain breeds. She added that several animal activist groups and other organizations were ready to sue the village if the ban were not repealed.

Chaitoff explained that the village should enforce the New York State Dangerous Dog law that is already in place, which is not breed specific and addresses each charge on a case-by-case basis. "What the village needs is better enforcement of the law we already have instead of creating another unfunded mandate that will place another financial burden on an already highly taxed village," she said.

Board members said they hope to craft a new law, one that would determine if a dog should be muzzled based on police documented history of biting or attacks.