Wyoming explores dog rules

WYOMING, Mich. (WOOD) - She says it was horrific.

Elizabeth Taylor remembers both of her dogs were injured, her husband was hurt and riding off into an ambulance "and I'm wondering what I'm going to do with my dogs and if they're going to make it."

She said they were attacked by a pit bull-type dog as Taylor, her husband and their two dogs went for a walk last summer in their Wyoming neighborhood.

Taylor's husband missed weeks of work and one of their dogs now has a steel plate in his front right leg.

This summer, Taylor went to the Wyoming City Council. She wants to see owners forced to take more responsibility.

"I would like to see the laws updated a little bit," she told 24 Hour News 8.

Last summer's incident did make her afraid of pit bulls, she said, but Taylor is not pushing for a ban. After Monday night's city council meeting, she said she was not set on rule changes that target specific breeds or types of dogs.

The idea of a ban or so-called "breed-specific" rules drew strong criticism at the council meeting.

One man likened it to racial profiling; another woman said her pit bull was more likely to "lick you to death" than attack.

Wyoming dog owner Jon Farrell told 24 Hour News 8 he doesn't think a breed-specific solution "is going to solve the problems they're attempting to" solve.

Like others, Farrell said it's about the owner. That was echoed Monday night by representatives of Kent County Animal Control and Wyoming's police chief, James Carmody.

Existing state law, Carmody said in a presentation, is reactive. It deems dogs dangerous after incidents.

From May 2010 to May 2011, the Wyoming police took 30 dog bite calls, the chief said. Seventeen of those required some medical attention and pit bulls were involved in eight (47%) of those incidents. But Carmody said there was no good way to discern the proportion of pit bull-type dogs in the canine population.

The chief said he found plenty of myths out there about pit bulls.

And there are legal questions about enforcing an ordinance targeted at a breed or a type. Specifically, defining a pit bull can be difficult. A city could be held liable for illegally seizing a dog. Carmody said research will continue.

The issue is bigger than the city of Wyoming, he said. Mayor Jack Poll also suggested he may be interested in pursuing a solution along with other communities.

No formal proposals are before the council and Poll said Monday night he does not want to see a "knee-jerk" reaction.

"We want to delve into this and see what's best for all involved," he said.