Legislators curb bill to ban pit bulls in Montana

HELENA – A drive to outlaw pit bulls in Montana stalled Thursday after opponents told lawmakers it would not solve problems with aggressive animals.

The House Local Government Committee tabled House Bill 191, sponsored by Rep. Robyn Driscoll, D-Billings. The bill would have banned any form of the Staffordshire bull terrier. Pit bulls already in Montana could remain but would need to be registered.

Owners of suspected but unregistered pit bulls would have to prove their dog is not a pit but or turn it over to authorities to be destroyed.

Driscoll said her aim is to curb the number of dog attacks.

“This law has the potential to prevent an enormous amount of sufferings, both of the dogs and the humans and animals they attack,” she said. The breed’s unpredictable behavior and aggression, plus its high tolerance for pain, make it especially dangerous, she added.

Driscoll also argued that pit bulls are often mistreated and bred for aggressive behavior like dog fighting.

She said she knew her bill would be contentious but didn’t expect the intensity of the reaction. She read excerpts from letters from opponents who called her derogatory names and threatened her life.

Two of the bill’s three supporters were victims of pit bull attacks. Doug Ruebke said he was walking his dog in Billings when a pit bull attacked him.

“It was trying to get my face, bite my hand off,” Ruebke said.

Ruebke said he bit the dog’s ear and gouged an eye, but it kept attacking. He suffered permanent injuries to his hands.

Rep. Don Roberts, R-Billings and oral surgeon, said most of the dog-bite cases he’s seen involve pit bulls attacking children.

“Even a well-repaired facial laceration can leave a lifetime of non-cosmetic scarring,” Roberts said.

But opponents outnumbered supporters 30 to 1 at the hearing. Many said outlawing pit bulls would not solve Montana’s problems with aggressive dogs.

Dave Pauli, representing 66 animal care associations across the state, said the breed is not the problem and aggressive behaviors can be monitored.

“Any dog can be dangerous and we need controls that address all potentially dangerous animals,” Pauli said to crowd’s applause.

Troy Kechely, a law enforcement dog trainer and aggression evaluator for Think Dog Consulting, said owners should be punished, not the breed.

“This is not a dog issue. This is a human issue,” Kechely said. He blamed problems on untrained owners and pit bull abuse.

Other opponents included pit bull owners and representatives of the Helena Humane Society and Big Timber’s animal control office.

-by CNS correspondent Molly Priddy