WARREN — A Trumbull County dog pound volunteer and former political candidate for Warren City Council recently took aim at council, opposing the city’s so-called “pit bull ordinance.”

“I was pretty much ready to wash my hands of council,” Amanda Hebert said. “Although I like most of you individually, as a group I find you to be lackadaisical, apathetic and useless for anything except paying bills.”

Hebert added she believes she wasted her time researching, attending meetings and filling out an application for Better Cities for Pets.

This program helps cities be pet-friendly so more people can enjoy the benefits of a life with pets, according to its website.

It was created by Mars Petcare and includes a playbook for cities, an assessment tool, a city certification program and free online resources.

But Hebert fears her credibility with the program’s broker may be gone because her name was listed as a Warren representative.

“I have worked too hard to gain the trust and credibility with local, national and international groups to let that be destroyed by laziness,” she said.

“For over two years I’ve laid things at your feet and gotten almost nowhere. I’ve updated ordinances, training, programs to help the residents you serve, and the rescue community as well. The thing that upsets me most is the Better Cities for Pets. I knew we would be denied …”

As Hebert enlightened council about her passion for dog treatment, she added: “If you wanted it done, it would get done.”

She ran unsuccessfully in 2021 for council’s 1st Ward seat.

WARREN ORDINANCE

Part of Hebert’s frustration arose from what she understands is technically a “pit bull ban” throughout the city.

Her reasoning for requesting a revision to the city’s ordinance is based upon her claim that DNA testing is the only dependable way to identify a pit bull dog.

Hebert, of Denison Drive NW, has two dogs — a 9-year-old “pittie mix” and a 10-year-old beagle mix.

Sixth Ward Councilwoman Cheryl Saffold asked Hebert on June 28 about the importance of changing the language regarding pit bulls. Hebert responded, “Unless you are going around to everyone’s homes and DNA testing their dogs, how are you able to enforce that law?”

“Unnecessary,” Hebert called the ordinance, because pit bull is a classification, or umbrella term for a group of dogs. Codified ordinance 505.13 “Dangerous and Vicious Dogs” lists pit bulls as dangerous, according to Hebert.

The city’s ordinance does outlaw a dog that “belongs to a breed commonly known as a pit bull dog,” under 505.13-B. “The ownership, keeping, or harboring such a breed of dog shall be prima-facie evidence of the ownership, keeping or harboring of a vicious dog.”

Second Ward Councilman Andrew Herman explained to Hebert, however, that her request for the ordinance be taken off the books “wouldn’t change a lot if it isn’t really being enforced.”

There are 18 cities in Ohio that have pit bulls banned, according to the Breed Specific Legislation for Ohio’s website: Amberley, Elmwood Place, Fairfield, Gallipolis, Girard, Lincoln Heights, Lisbon, Massillon, New Lexington, Norwood, Parma, Paulding, Plymouth, Put-in-Bay, Rome, Shelby, South Point and Warrensville Heights.

Ashtabula, Poland and Struthers declare the type of dog as vicious in their ordinances.

Trumbull County dog warden Michelle Goss explained that the pound is always seeing a large number of pit bulls, in general. “Trumbull County enforces all dog laws, except for Warren,” Goss said.

For now, however, Goss said her group has picked up Warren’s jurisdiction, because the city is hiring a new dog warden.

Youngstown repealed its code against pit bulls in 2015.

MISUNDERSTOOD

Diane King of the Animal Welfare League of Trumbull County said pit bulls are “definitely misunderstood.”

“People think of pit bulls as dangerous because they have the power to do more damage than other dogs,” the director of outreach and programs said.

“There’s a stigma for them being fighting dogs because some of them are trained to be fighting dogs. They’re actually considered ‘nanny’ dogs because of their loyalty and gentleness.”

Warren resident Danielle Clisby, of Merriweather Street NW, said: “I would be more worried about a German shepherd.”

Clisby rescued both of her pit bull-mix dogs from the pound over the last year. She said it took some work for them to grow into good behaviors, and it is all about the trainer.

King said pit bulls are the most common group that the AWL sees because they fall under a generic term applied to various breeds.

“You can’t guess the breed based on appearance,” she said, agreeing with Hebert.

“So, how do you know it is a pit?”

Jason Cooke, who operates the Healthy Hearts and Paws Project in Brookfield, also agreed with Hebert’s describing the ordinance as being meaningless.

“It’s sort of a school of thought sort of situation,” Cooke said. “In one school, there’s the notion that the ordinance isn’t enforced. But on the other hand, that ordinance could potentially keep people from being able to adopt certain dogs.”

The Healthy Hearts and Paws Project services dogs and advocates for those that face heartworm disease.

“Pit bulls are highly likely to get heartworm because they are most often the type of dog that is chained up, outside, in backyards, and dogs often get heartworm from mosquitoes,” Cooke said.

OWNERSHIP

Goss noted how ordinances on paper, like Warren’s, could keep people from owning pit pulls. “I haven’t read the Warren city ordinance, but I understand that it’s not a ban,” Goss said. “But as with all dogs, there could be landlord issues, pet deposit fees and more” for dogs that are deemed vicious.

Hebert, King and Cooke said they believe communities should focus more on tethering and leashing, rather than laws “against dogs.”

“I would like the county to focus more on tethering laws,” King said.

“This is 2023; dogs shouldn’t be chained up in a backyard with no socialization, health care, or spaying and neutering, facing heartworm disease.”

“Dogs unleashed are a No. 1 threat to the public,” Cooke added. “The goal should be to educate people about dogs, as well as ending the backyard breeding problem. It’s a vicious cycle, and we should be more focused on ownership. Breed discrimination is not only wrong, but it does nothing to keep a community safe.”

Hebert said she hoped that a meeting with officials will be scheduled.

Councilwoman-at-Large Helen Rucker, however, suggested that the meeting will take place “only if it has to,” because the ordinance is not enforced.