Pearl provides best model for dog ordinance
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Jason PattersonCity Attorney Sarah O’Reilly -Evans has provided a great service to our Mayor and Board of Aldermen by presenting them with a report on ordinances regarding dangerous dogs from other cities that is easy to understand.
The increasing popularity of pit bulls among people who are either unwilling or incapable of taking adequate measures to protect others from their dogs is a ticking time bomb in our city.
It’s becoming a familiar news report. Someone, often a child, gets maimed or killed by a pit bull and the people left picking up the pieces are forced to wonder how such a senseless tragedy could have ever been allowed to happen in the first place.
There’s always the predictable statement from the owner describing what a little angel the dog had always been up until that point and the legions of pit bull fans arguing that we shouldn’t judge the entire breed on the actions of one dog (or the countless documented incidents related to the breed for that matter).
Fortunately it hasn’t happened yet in Yazoo County, but the odds are against us. It’s not uncommon these days to see a kid practically being dragged around by a large pit bull by the leash he’s holding. Here at The Herald we had problems for a while with a pit bull that sometimes got loose, usually still dragging the rope which had been tied around its neck. One day I heard some awful growling outside my office and realized it was the dog growling at my wife as she entered the front of the building.
That dog is no longer a problem for us, but it scares me to think of what could have happened.
Our city leaders have been debating this issue for some time, but have failed to take any action. Ward 4 Alderman Aubry Brent Jr. seems to have the best understanding of the potential threat and has kept the issue alive.
This week O’Reilly-Evans submitted summaries of the ordinances from Biloxi, Jackson, Pearl, Pascagoula and Pearl. Jackson’s ordinance will hopefully be revisited as it has recently been the site of a child killed by a pit bull that was inadequately secured and escaped from a neighbor’s property.
The ordinances present a wide variety of approaches ranging from an outright ban of pit bulls and other breeds regarded as dangerous in Clinton to Jackson’s which uses observed behavior to determine if a dog is potentially dangerous.
After reviewing the summaries of all of these ordinances, I believe Yazoo officials should consider modeling our new ordinance after Pearl’s. It addresses many issues that I have raised in this space before such as setting guidelines for safe housing and requiring owners to have liability insurance.
Pearl’s ordinance doesn’t prohibit people from owning pit bulls, but it does force them to be responsible owners.
Owners must have a 100 square foot pen enclosure with a concrete floor covering the entire area, chain link fence a minimum of 6 feet in height, a roof covering the enclosure to prevent escape and the enclosure must be located in a fenced backyard.
Owners must also have a liability policy of $200,000 and a letter from insurance provider indicating that it has knowledge of the dog’s presence at the address and that the insurance is in effect and covers injuries to persons or property caused by the dog.
All those regulations may sound excessive to some, but in my opinion it’s a small price to pay to protect the rest of us from irresponsible dog owners.
Dear Editor,
The decision by the present school board not to renew the teaching and coaching contract of Mr. Archie Carlyle was a planned and calculated act of politics. This kind of thing has been happening for years.
They didn’t follow policies or procedures in this matter. The state’s report on the district asked the board to stop interfering in this kind of situation, but it seems they didn’t get the memo.
My mother always put her 11 children first in making decisions for their futures. It is clear this board did not do that.
Mr. Carlyle’s only crime was putting his students first. I feel like Jesus, when he told the people at the well, “He who is without sin cast the first stone.”
I and the 800 people who have signed the petition calling for Carlyle’s return can find no fault in his dedication to our community. We are being laughed at across the state, and on Facebook and Twitter.
Our community is losing faith in our ability to work in a productive and successful district. The Yazoo Herald’s sports editor called it a “travesty.” I ask the question, where are all those Christian folks, his co-workers, his pastor and his fellow church members?
Where are the athletes, past and present, and most of all where are the parents? He has mothered and fathered when you were unable to make it to a game or on the road, giving your children heart-to-heart talks of motivation and encouragement both in the halls of our schools and on the streets of this community. Now he deserves your support in this critical matter.
This affects us all, black and white, because the future of our community is at stake. I am asking everyone to show as much concern about this matter as they do during election time.
Mr. Clifton Jones, I sat on the school board when you and your wife in a 3 to 2 vote were denied what you rightfully deserved. When you first ran for alderman you were the only politician I ever spent an entire day with, walking the streets because I believed in you. When I ran for mayor as an independent, I endorsed McArthur Straughter in the primary. Many people thought I was crazy, but I was exercising my rights.
Mr. Aubry Brent Jr., I followed you from Vicksburg to Belzoni and saw people commit perjury to defeat you. When citizens support a candidate, they want something in return. As a citizen with the 800 petitioners, we are calling in our wager. Just get the record of the board of that decision, which is public record. Check the timeline of the action, and you will be amazed. Next month you will appoint or reappoint a board member, but before you do we deserve answers.
If you find me wrong I will come back and sit before you and the school board and give a public apology. Everyone deserves their day in court, and Mr. Carlyle certainly does.
What you do or don’t do will determine the caliber of teachers and coaches willing to come into our community and work with our children.
Johnny Staples
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