In a recent post at http://www.newstalkkit.com  Yakima Mayor Kathy Coffey says it may be time for an advisory vote on the pit bull ban that's been in place since 1987.

My question is why?  Why are we even talking about pit bulls at all? The last time the breed made the news it's because a couple of them in town illegally got into a fight and sent their owner to the hospital with serious bites.

Are pit bulls any less dangerous today than they were in 1987?  Is there any new animal science that offsets the disproportionate  collected statistics on the lethality or savage nature of pit bull attacks compared to the dog population at large?  Has the ban proven ineffective?  Are the local deaths and bite statistics showing the ban has failed?  Have pit bull bans been found to be illegal by the courts?

The answer to all of the above is NO.

So then what is the reason for the council even revisiting the pit bull ban?  I submit the personal feelings about dogs by some members of the council has overridden their sense of responsibility to your safety.  That and the loud voices of a couple dozen wannabe pit bull owners have opened the seal on a question that was asked and answered decades ago and continues to work well to this day.

So since it's your safety at risk, at worst, you should have a say in the decision to mess with it.  If the majority of Yakima residents want to open the city to pit bulls, then the course is clear.  Look at "enhanced" dangerous dog laws all you want council, they too could improve future safety.  But before you lift the pit bull ban, at least let their potential victims have a say.

The council is talking about this at this Tuesday(4-17-18) evening's meeting.  The pro-pit bull people will be there.  They are as tenacious as, well, as ..a pit bull.  If you think we're all safer with the ban in place, then you need to turn out too.

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