New York Personal Injury News & NYC Legal Current Events

Long Island Village Bans Pit Bulls And Rottweillers Despite NY Dog Bit

The small Long Island village of Rockville Centre has gone against New York state laws and banned pit bulls and Rottweillers, beginning on June 8. While all owners of the banned dog breeds can keep their pets, no new adoptions can be made, say government authorities. At the same time, those who do own the two newly illegal dogs must spay or neuter their pet, must get $100,000 in insurance coverage, and must leash and/or muzzle their dog when in public.

These new breed-specific dog laws did not come after a dog bite incident, dog attack, or aggressive dog report – though a village spokesperson claimed that there were incidents that led to the ban and that city officers wanted to address the issue before someone was harmed. Also, town officials admit that their new law is in conflict with a ten-year-old New York law that makes it unlawful to ban specific breeds of dogs from municipalities.

While the new breed-specific dog ban has only been in effect for several weeks, the Board of Trustees is already under pressure to reexamine the issue. Pressure from animal advocates, pet owners, and those familiar with New York laws has lead to a new hearing that will be held this week.

Dangerous dog bans are becoming more common around the country, especially after statistics showed that pit bulls and other select dog breeds are responsible for the majority of dog bite injuries and dog attack fatalities. However, some argue that the laws are unfair to dogs  and pet lovers – and that bad owners create dangerous dogs, not genetics.

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