A bill passed by the Ohio Senate on Tuesday seeks to change a provision in the Ohio Revised Code that labels all pit bulls as vicious.
The law currently states that among vicious dogs are ones that "belong to a breed that is commonly known as a pit bull dog." The bill as passed removes that provision, making a vicious dog one that kills or injures a person without being provoked.
The bill was introduced in the Ohio House last January and later passed. The legislation is awaiting the signature of Ohio Gov. John Kasich. If signed into law, pit bulls no longer will be blindly labeled as vicious.
"He's the third one I've owned, so I wouldn't go any other way. I wouldn't have another dog," said pit bull owner Michael Conti.
Conti is the owner of Apollo, a 2-year-old pure-bred pit bull that Conti has had since he was a puppy. Under current Ohio law, Apollo is considered a vicious dog.
"It dosen't automatically make a whole class of dogs vicious. Now if a dog does something wrong, it can still be classified as a vicious dog, so the protection is still there for the public. It just doesn't ban a whole species of dog," said Mahoning County Dog Warden Matt Ditchey.
Ditchey said pit bull attacks are less common than one would think.
"The actual numbers, you'll find that smaller dogs actually have more dog bites than bigger dogs. Pit bulls are not No. 1 in the number of bites. It's just the severity when they do because they are a strong dog," Ditchey said.
Youngstown does have its own pit bull regulations, but a new law could force changes. Fourth Ward Councilman Mike Ray said the city is monitoring the proposed law.
"We'll have to explore that and see what makes sense and if we have to make any changes to comply with state regulations," Ray said.
Conti hopes the governor signs the law.
"It's about time. It's a shame that there are any breed specific laws for any breed, but this particular breed has been persecuted for quite some time," Conti said.
The measure also would bring about changes in how the law pertains to police dogs. Under the proposed new law, a police dog that injures or kills an individual while assisting law enforcement will not be considered vicious. As the law stands now, a police dog that seriously injures or kills someone while aiding law enforcement could be labeled vicious.
