Council Member Jim Graham, D-Ward 1, wants to make ownership of pit bulls illegal in the District.
Graham, who has tried unsuccessfully to pass similar bills through the D.C. Council since 2000, introduced the “Pit Bull Public Protection Act of 2007” earlier this month.
Not only does the bill ban the dogs, or those who have the “appearance of being predominantly of the breed of dogs,” it also would impose criminal penalties of up to $20,000 and a maximum two years in prison if a pit bull injures or kills another domestic animal or human without provocation.
Under the law, current pit bull owners would be forced to register their dogs with the city, provide evidence that it had been either spayed or neutered and pay an annual fee of $20 for enforcement.
“It’s an inherently dangerous breed,” Graham said. “Given the wrong environment, given the wrong owners, these are dogs that are prone to become violent given the wrong owners.”
Prince George’s County enacted a similar ban in 1996 after a series of dog attacks.
“I don’t want it to take some little baby being mauled by a pit bull in the District,” Graham said.
But a number of people Wednesday said it should not be a matter of banning a breed but of dealing with negligent owners.
Charnita Fox, office manager at the Washington Humane Society, which contracts with the District for animal-control services, said pit bulls are a dominant breed at the D.C. Animal Shelter because of their prevalence in the city. Fox said the dogs have not proved themselves to be any more dangerous than other animals.
Erik Nielson, a pit bull owner who lives on Capitol Hill, disagreed with Graham and took issue with the city’s current animal enforcement rules. He said he’d support legislation that would “create a class of dogs” known to be more violent that would impose higher registration fees on owners.
“We already have laws on the book that are supposed to control owner responsibility but they’re not enforced,” Nielson said.
