Amending various Sections of Chapter 5 Commonly know as Animals and Fowl

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> t v r Common Council Memo August 24, 1987 Page 6 provocation and a game animal will fight until complete exhaustion or death..." "This behavior is totally abnormal in an evolutionary or ecological sense, and is strictly the result of human intervention..." Another consideration in this report dealt with "communication". "These animals offer little or no indication that a charge or attack in imminent. They often fail to give warning with either a growl , aggressive facial expression or other sign..." The report also focused on "attack behaviors". The report stated that "guard dogs such a German Shepards tend to restrain their enemies by grabbing and holding. The fighting breeds have been selected to inflict maximum damage to their opponents. This is usually accomplished by grabbing , holding , shaking and tearing." The fourth criteria studied in the report was "aggression towards people". The report stated that "even pit bulls with no prior history of aggression have been known to become highly aggressive when at large, when in a pack, when confronted by an aggressive dog , or under other unpredictable situations..." (emphasis added) - In the United States Humane Society publication dated June 1986 entitled "Close-up Report", it is stated that the Pit Bull Terriers are the most commonly fought breed. "Due to generations of selective breeding for combative disposition , along with a grueling training regiment that cultivates the animal 's blood instincts, it is virtually impossible to keep fighting dogs from attacking each other once they have eyed an opponent." In reviewing the many detailed articles addressing vicious dogs and, in particular, the American Pit Bull Terrier, reported statements of veterinarians and animal shelter representatives have provided informative insights. For example: - "The American Pit Bull Terrier gives no notice before it attacks, it has a predisposition to attack, it hangs on, and its attacks are usually much more savage. Pit bull bites are five (5) times stronger than those of Dobermans and are similar to a lion's bite (Senator Neil Zimmers, Senator and sponsor of the state legislation for the State of Ohio). - "Unfortunately, the pit bull when it attacks, doesn't merely bite man or most horribly, child, it clamps its powerful jaws down and literally tears its victims apart. The injuries these dogs inflict are more serious than other breeds because they go for the deep musculature and don't release; they hold and shake." (Emphasis added, Sheryl Blair of the Tufts Veterinary School , "1986 Animal Aggression: Dog Bites and the Pit Bull Terrier Symposium," North Grafton, Massachusetts)