Pit Bulls targeted again :(
Dog Warden Reports on Pit Bulls ( Copied from wtol.com)
TOLEDO -- Lucas County's Dog Warden calls pit bulls the new calling card of criminals. The Safety Committee of Toledo's city council asked Tom Skeldon for a report. In an appearance before the committee Wednesday morning, he called pit bulls dangerous, even deadly.
Despite the report, some feel the city has it all wrong. The Bonnough's 2-year-old pit bull "Queenie" has been a part of their family longer than their daughter Breeanna. "I have three children. My daughter is 15-months-old. She [Queenie] gets two playful for my daughter sometimes because she is so big and wants to play," said pit bull owner Robert Bonnough.
No outbursts. No hassle. Robert says Queenie's been no problem. The family wants another pit bull dog, but owning two is illegal. "We are actually going to move to Michigan so we can have more," said Hazel Bonnough.
Wednesday, Robert and Hazel went to the city council to be heard. During the meeting, city leaders heard that the pit bull population is skyrocketing in Toledo, and it's very dangerous. "The only calls I have had are pit bulls fighting or people feeding domestic dog like Shepherds and Rotwiellers and other types to the pit bull to teach them to kill," said Doug Allen of the Toledo Police Department.
Robert and Hazel believe they are taking the heat for the criminal who abuse their pit bulls. Officers say that's not the case. "We are dealing with the people who are misusing and abusing the animals we are not going after those other people. I have never done a search warrant on someone's house because they own a pit bull," said Allen. Those words are little comfort to the Bonnough's, who want their pit bull family to grow.
Right now the city is on track to confiscate more than 600 pit bulls. That's up from last year.
Posted 6:45pm, Wednesday, October 1, 2003
