Exception in Pit Bull Ordinance Eyed

Pit bulls were again a topic of discussion at Lakewood City Council.

This time, council president Brian Powers introduced a measure that would clarify the that bans the breed from the city.

The proposed amendment would allow pit bulls to “temporarily” be housed by veterinarians, animal hospitals and animal rescues. 

The measure comes on the heels of a state measure, introduced last week, that would de-classify pit bulls as vicious animals.

But don’t expect Lakewood to reverse its pit bull ban anytime soon, said Powers.

“(This ordinance) is just to clarify that certain professionals can hold those animals,” he said. “There are certain folks in our city who are grandfathered in. And we wanted to make it absolutely clear that if one of these animals are in their possession for any period of time, it’s not a violation of the law.”

Why now?

“It came to my attention, and it was something we wanted to clear up,” he said, adding that it has nothing to do with the state proposal.

Last week, the in the Ohio Revised Code. The House of Representatives approved a version of the bill in June.

Under the proposed law, a dog can be labeled vicious only if it kills or causes serious harm to a person while unprovoked.

Kevin Butler, the 's law director, told Lakewood Patch that the city’s 2008 ordinance deeming all pit bulls and canary dogs as “dangerous animals” will likely stand.

“I don’t believe that merely removing pit bulls from the definition of vicious animals in the state code alone would affect our ordinance, because it doesn’t classify them as vicious animals,” he said.

The House must approve the Senate’s version before the proposal can get sent to Gov. John Kasich’s desk, who has yet to indicate if he will sign it.

“The state does what the state does,” said Powers. “There’s no reason to change what we have.” 

Cory Shaffer contributed to this report.

Check out our coverage topic page on the city’s bull ban. And feel free to tell us what you think about it in the comments. But please use your full first and last name.