Dogs must prove they can be good citizens

If the pit bulls are going to live in this town much longer, they will have to prove they can play nice.

Their owner, Carlos Rodriguez, already believes it. He allows his children, as young as 5, to play unsupervised with the dogs and their four puppies.

Still, Rodriguez, 36, plans to pay for a certified socialization screening and training in order to keep the dogs after Aug. 1, when Wapato's ban on pit bulls, Rottweilers and mastiffs takes effect.

"I'm not getting rid of them," Rodriguez says.

To quell a dangerous dog problem in a city that can't afford an animal control officer, Wapato City Council members on June 18 banned certain breeds they say pose the biggest threat. In the past five months, police have had to shoot six dangerous dogs.

The law imposes a $250 fine. However, owners may keep their dog if it's screened for social skills by a trainer certified by the American Kennel Club.

Wapato is not alone. Yakima, Moxee and Selah also ban pit bulls. Other cities, including Grandview and Prosser, have containment, registration and insurance requirements so strict that few owners find pit bulls worth the trouble.

Nationwide, many cities and counties, and the entire state of Ohio, outlaw pit bulls, according to the American Kennel Club. Tennessee legislators are talking about it, while Pennsylvania lawmakers may remove restrictions that prohibit counties and cities from banning certain breeds.

Still, many experts insist breed-specific bans don't work. The Humane Society of Central Washington, the American Kennel Club, local dog trainers and animal control officers throughout the Valley share the sentiment.

"I don't think that's the solution," says Randy Sutton, animal control officer for Yakima County, which has no bans specific to breed.

"The county treats every dog as an individual," Sutton says.

The critics contend that any breed can bite. Sutton, for example, cites heelers, cocker spaniels and English sheep dogs -- the super fluffy kind seen in Disney movies -- as among the most common biters.

They argue the only thing that breed-specific bans get rid of is good dogs, because they have good owners who follow the law. Bad dog owners, who don't socialize their dogs in the first place, will just hide their vicious dogs.

"You're inflicting legislation on law-abiding citizens," says Daisy Okas, a spokeswoman for the American Kennel Club, which frequently lobbies against breed-specific legislation.

Breed-specific bans also pose enforcement challenges, putting police officers in the position of trying to identify dog breeds. Even mixes of pit bulls are not allowed in Wapato.

The city of Yakima has banned pit bulls for 21 years and animal control officers still have trouble enforcing it.

"Some people blatantly walk down the street, deny it's a pit bull or act surprised," says Ben Zigan, animal control officer for Yakima.

Wapato Police Chief Richard Sanchez promises to enforce the new ban patiently, case by case. He does not plan to make officers knock on doors or set up dog patrols. Nor does he plan to send his officers to any specialized training.

Sanchez owns a dog that is part pit bull, but he lives outside the city limits.

Some Wapato residents worry that people will just dump their banned dogs, either inside or outside the city limits.

Animal control officers say dog dumping is a problem, but they don't predict a spike because of the ban. There was no such increase when the other cities banned pit bulls, Sutton says. Likewise, the Humane Society does not fear an uptick in surrendered pit bulls because of the ban, says Alan Landvoy, executive director.

Wapato dog owners may not like it, but they appear to be complying.

Jane Bumgardner, owner of Manning Dog Training in Union Gap, has five Wapato dogs on her calendar for Canine Good Citizen screening. She usually has no more than one at a time.

Bumgardner is one of four Yakima Valley trainers certified by the American Kennel Club to administer the social skills test, which involves 10 steps such as letting a stranger pet it and interacting peacefully with other new dogs.

She charges only $10 for the screening, but usually requires that the owners hire her for an hourlong private training at $50 as she gets to know the dog better. It's for her own safety in case the dog really is mean, she says.

Bumgardner also decries breed-specific bans. In fact, she owns two Rottweilers. Her 20-year-old, Guardian, greets customers every day at her dog training business in Union Gap.

One of her customers will be Wapato resident Kim Miranda, who owns a Rottweiler named Butch. Miranda does not know how Butch will handle the training. He's gentle with her, but he barks at many passers-by, especially at night. If he fails the test, she might move out of town rather than give up the dog. Her family is looking at property now.

Even Daniel Garcia, who does not even own a banned dog, does not believe banning pit bulls will keep anyone safer. It's dogs of any breed that get loose that cause the problem, he says.

Wapato elected officials say they feel for dog owners, but needed to do something quickly to solve a problem.

Two of the six dangerous dogs that police officers have shot in the past five months were at least part pit bull; the other four were not identified on police reports.

Public safety comes before dog owners' rights, they argue.

That's true for Juan De La Torre, a councilman who has a pit bull in his own backyard. It belongs to his 17-year-old son, who will comply with the law, De La Torre promises.

"In my agenda, public safety is No. 1," he says. "Even if it hits at home."

* Ross Courtney can be reached at 930-8798 or rcourtney@yakimaherald.com.

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