Friday, February 22, 2013

Pawtucket RI - Come for the not being mauled by pit bulls


Stay for the New England charm, delicious seafood, urban farming movement and the utter awesomeness of still not being mauled by pit bulls.

Population 2011: 71,153
Median Income $39,628 well below RI median income of $55,975 and the US median income of $52,762.
Economic base: textiles, Hasbro toy manufacturer, jewelry, silverware and metals
Supposed cost of just implementing BSL according to BFAS BS calculator: $112,132
Actual 2011 total animal control operating expenses (with 9 year old ban): $124,920

Love Pawtucket.  Run afoul of their pit bull ban three times and like magic we all get our wish - JAIL TIME FOR NUTTER!

This is an excerpt from a radio interview on NightSide with Dan Rea with guests Boston City Councilor Rob Consalvo  and Amy Conrad, an advocate for unidentifiable animals.  They're discussing the Massachusetts ban on BSL that Amy Conrad helped get slipped into law while no one was looking.  Cuz we all know when you ask the people, they like to have both local control of government and pit bull regulation.  John Holmes, the animal control supervisor for the city of Pawtuckett, calls in to share his city's experience with a ban on pit bulls.

Thanks to April29 for sharing this great interview.

Transcribed excerpt:
Dan: Back to the phones we go…let's go to John Holmes in Rhode Island…John how are you tonight?
John: Good, how are you?
Dan: Good, What's up?
John: I just want to say I'm the Animal Control Supervisor in Pawtucket.
Dan: Ooh, great! Thank you for calling in.
John: You're entirely welcome.  We did put the law banning in 2004 banning pit bulls in the city of Pawtucket.  And I just want to say right up front that I do agree with the young lady that, I forgot her name
Dan: Amy
John: Amy, there are good pit bull owners.  What we did was, we were known as the pit bull capital of Rhode Island, the number of bites that were publicized in the late 90s - 2000s.  We looked at this for a number of years…  And let me also say they're wrong, about these people going out and getting another breed - that has not happened in the City of Pawtucket.  But, we're very aggressive with the law.

We put this law in to protect the animal as well as the people.

We were picking them up in the housing projects after they were fought, dead in plastic bags.  We were euthanizing pit bulls on a weekly basis prior to this law.  Last year we had to put down three.  And the numbers are getting shorter and shorter.  Our shelter is not full of pit bulls anymore.

They are a good dog.  We've got one in there now we just had neutered.  We don't believe in euthanasia just because it's a pit bull.  But, the law has to be done and it has to be done right.  Protect the good pit bull owners.

We have 80 pit bulls that are grandfathered in the city and owned by responsible people.  But again, we targeted the drug dealers.  We targeted the idiots that were walking around with big tow chains on 'em.  Those are the people we went after.

And this law has not only worked, it's worked tremendously.  And I welcome anybody to come in and see our numbers.  It's a shame that you have to pick out any breed but it's the dog of the day to the drug dealers and the idiots that make these dogs vicious.

Now you had one caller say, Well target the people.  How do you ban people?  We looked at this.  We went by the Denver Colorado law, but we went one step further.  We put jail time in there.  After the third offense, you go to jail.  And that's the end of it.

And people can walk down the streets of this city and not be afraid of being attacked by ANY dog, let alone a pit bull.  We're very aggressive with our leash law.  Our people are all trained; they've all been to the academy.

So, if you're gonna do this, don't put a law in if you're not going to enforce it.

Rob Consalvo: Hey that's a great point and this was an awesome call.  And I appreciate you, as a trained professional, have shown that breed specific laws can work in specific areas. Your town is different than my town and what you've chosen to do and modify is working for you.  You should have that right and Boston should too.

But you bring up another great point.  We've tried to market this as a pro-pit bull ordinance, actually.  And if you talk to Animal Control, they'll tell you that the ordinance was the tool to go in and rescue pit bulls from dogfighting dens.  They normally would have had to get a warrant in a court but now they have the ordinance as the tool because a neighbor complained.  they've rescued pit bulls as part of the ordinance.  They've used it as an education tool.  They always didn't fine for the muzzle or the beware of dog sign or the other pieces of the ordinance.  They educated people who were disobeying the law into becoming better pit bull owners.

So, yes there was a lot of controversy around muzzles and BSL, but if you talk to the good men and women who go out into the field and respond to the calls, they've used it as a positive pro-pit bull tool to rescue those dogs in an urban area who are in danger and that's an important piece to this.

Dan: John, thank you very much for the call and the background information.
John: Can I just say one more thing, and I'll make it very quick.
Dan: Sure
John: You know animal control are quick to be blamed, you know, looking at these laws.  But you gotta understand that they're sick of euthanizing these dogs.  They're sick of picking them up from the drug dealers and these idiots that don't know how to take care of them and euthanize them.  And the law does work.  Thank you.

Nightside with Dan Rea February 21, 2013 
You can listen to the interview.  It is divided into two parts.  The first part is nutter dominated.  The awesome John Holmes can be heard on the second part.

36 comments:

Your Quiet Neighbor said...

I especially loved this part of the story:

And people can walk down the streets of this city and not be afraid of being attacked by ANY dog, let alone a pit bull. We're very aggressive with our leash law. Our people are all trained; they've all been to the academy.

Don't you wish you could live in a city like that?

scorched earth said...

Interesting material posted by Amy Conrad on the New England Bully Breed website.
http://www.meetup.com/nebbc1/members/43976242/

"What kind of dog do you have? (All breeds welcome!)
(Amy) he is a mutt but resembles am American Staffodshire Terrier.
How social would you say your dog is?
(Amy)He is good until you come withing a 3 ft buffer. Then no so good. On leash walking only for my boy!"

Let me think out loud here for just a moment. Conrad is a professional advocate for a breed she can't identify (per the broadcast). She denies that her dog is of the breed that she can't identify. She has joined a breed specific organization for a breed that she doesn't have and can't identify so that her dog can hang out with other examples of the breed she can't identify.

She can't spell the name of the breed that her dog isn't.

AND she admits that her dog is aggressive.

Yep, the perfect breed specific advocate.

Small Survivors said...

Oh my goodness, SE,

"She can't spell the name of the breed that her dog isn't."

I laughed the whole way through!

Yes YQN, I would love to live in a town like that. I think they should include presence of well enforced breed bans to the criteria for selecting those "most livable" lists.

Anonymous said...

just want to say that bsl can be a workable solution for an area or a community that wants an alternative to the ridiculous pitbull situation in many places . of course, the nutters dont like it but so what ? they perhaps need educating about how well bsl can work . ive seen bsl get killer dogs put out of commission and so i am a big fan .

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

re: amy's poor spelling, to be fair, it is difficult for these hysterical dingbats to type correctly through the sobbing and tears.

Rumpelstiltskin said...

Scorched Earth,

Yeah, I took a look at Amy's profile. Claims they are mutts but from the pictures, they are all pit bulls! I can see her now introducing her pit bulls as "Lab-mix".

That "3 ft. buffer" she talks about. Most likely, what the dog is doing is waiting for something to come into range. If she uses a 6 ft. leash, the pit is well aware if he waits til the other dog comes within 3 ft., he might get the dog. Smart dog eh?

Anyone know if Animal Planet's Fatal Attractions has a pit bull episode yet? There's lots of pit bull "incidents" they can pick from.

DubV said...

Awesome interview.

Just located a new pit bull about 1 year old in my 'hood.

The owners are likely plastic surgeons looking for extra income: the pit bull is tied to a tree in the unfenced front yard, the tree is 3 feet from the sidewalk and the chain is 7 feet long.

Good news though. My brother is now the postmaster in my town and this is an obvious danger to mail carriers. It is very easy to drop a dime in multiple ears now.

vintage said...

GREAT PIT BULL DBRF RE-ENACTMENT MOMENTS IN HISTORY:

Feb 2013, Toledo, OH ; 24 year old Pregga-nuttress is mauled by her own pit bull for 15 minutes before police arrive during Darla Napora fatality re-enactment attempt...Be sure to watch the video!

http://www.13abc.com/story/21311309/dog-attacks-owner-who-is-believed-to-be-pregnant-owner-sent-to-hospital

*Disclaimer...You Can't Make This Stuff Up!

Anonymous said...

"They've always taken good care of the dog and kept it chained up. So, I don't know if the dog just turned on them or what," Troiano said."

Well that's a paradox if I've ever heard one. Well taken care of, always on a chain. Ha.Happy to know that's what people think taking good care of a dog is. I guess as long as it's fed and watered who gives a shit, right?

Dog's probably better off PTS.

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

freya, i caught that too. i think she misspoke. i think that she meant to say, "they've always taken good care of the NEIGHBORS by keeping the frankenmauler chained up".

LOL, another nutter mauled by their own mutant.

Packhorse said...

Boo-hoo, Craven is mean to my grippers...They must be banned from teh internetz!!1

http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/craven-desires-colma-california-c455286.html

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

yay! new comments!

i like this one:
Craven Desires is a coward and refuses to identify themselves. Does anyone know the name and Address of this person?
He/She has a big mouth and yes this is America but just because you have a mouth does not mean you have the right to say anything about anyone you may dream up. That is unless you got the ass to carry it off. Just post your name and address so we call all see how you deal with Real Americans when they show up on your door step. What ya say Punk?


what i say? you're a fucking idiot. people (REAL americans) who cherry pick elements of american democracy and then wrap themselves in patriotism, do so because they don't have anything of substance to support their position.

Rumpelstiltskin said...

That dumbass jfrost1 threatens normal people and besmirches GSDs. WTF?

The dumbass changed his/her statement already! LOL! Continues to imply GSDs are somehow more dangerous than the shit bull terrier who's been bred to kill other dogs.

I whimpered a little when I read what he/she said about GSDs...boo hoo hoo. Now I'm gonna sue that bitch! HAHAHAHA!

I have 2 GSDs, I will sue for mental anguish and DOUBLE DAMAGES!

Typical how they threaten violence and lawsuit all in the same comment. Of course he/she changes the statement.

tropical storms said...

Realgamedogs&conspiracy board. Found this just surfing around. I took a look due to a Randy Fox comment. Enjoy.

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

link please

tropical storms said...

@Dawn, realgamedogs&conspiracies, members.boardhost.com/ so far out in crazy space the Hubble couldn't find it.

tropical storms said...

Sorry, members.boardhosts.realgamedogs.com, I just found it goofing around and saved the page. Enjoy.

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

HOLY COW!!!

orangedog said...

That last link is just gold. It's always smart to put your illegal activity on the web where those "rats" will find it.

I also like how the pit nutters threaten violence if you say anything mean about pittie, while they freely besmirch all manner of other breeds.
Internet tough guys and none too bright at that.

Miss Margo said...

Hey guys. Sorry I've been scarce. Shitty week.

LOVE the complaintsboard whining.

I adore that site, though. It's weird--it's like craigslist without the community policing. I think the people who post there have a collective IQ of -8. I must admit, sometimes I go there just to waste time. I like to read about people complaining that McDonalds forgot the ketchup packets in their order at the drive-thru, or the local psychic ripped them off because the $150 "love spell" didn't work.

Hmmm, realgamedog and conspracy board, hmmmm.....lemme look....

DubV said...

Hmmm...

dog man is doing illegal stuff, dog man gets in trouble and has a light shone on him, dog man concludes this is a conspiracy against dog men.....well he is right in a sense, it just doesn't involve freemasons and the like, just law enforcement that bust dog fighting rings

Small Survivors said...

Thanks for that, DubV. I admit I got bogged down in the Free Masonry mixed with PETA & CIA psychotropic drug conspiracies. You hit it on the head.

I love his take on Jessup!

http://members.boardhost.com/Realgamedogs/msg/1264899701.html

I also love that for the background image of his board, he chose an image of...a board.

tropical storms said...

I still can't figure out if PETA is controlling or controlled by the CIA. I do like the way in which so many conspiracy theories are rolled into one.

PutMeInCharge4OneDay said...

You guys got a lot further with the conspiracy page then I did.

All that kept playing in my head was Jimmy Cagney saying "you dirty rat".

I could not get past that.
Though I might be the only one here old enough for that!

Anonymous said...

I just listened to the podcast.
Conrad's argument that pit bulls cannot be identified came off weak and desperate.

She tried several times to trap him into saying this was about pit bulls but he didn't "bite". Sorry for the pun.

Anonymous said...

Dawn James writes "people (REAL americans) who cherry pick elements of american democracy and then wrap themselves in patriotism, do so because they don't have anything of substance to support their position."

You mean like Kris Crawford, [AKA Kris Dawghandler]
wrapping herself and her dogs in the American flag while exploiting REAL American heroes like the Lone Marine on her FB page.

http://banning-beaumont.patch.com/articles/service-k9-tribute-ambulance-may-be-displayed-saturday-wednesday-in-riverside#photo-9381441

april 29 said...

Yes Mallardhead, EXACTLY like that!

There is no documentation that the felon Kris Crawford and her pit bulls ever participated in any of the searches she claimed. She has been shunned by the SAR community. Crawford is a disgrace and she continues to lie to the public.

Rumpelstiltskin said...

Mallardhead,

Ah, the seedy underbelly of pit bull "non-profit". There's been a few pit bull advocacy scams. Suppose it goes with the territory.

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

exactly like kris crawford. i can't understand why the authorities have not gone after her little fraudulent side show.

Small Survivors said...

And people STILL insist that she was a 911.

Crawford is amazing and disgusting. She has kept on scamming people even after news of her previous scams became known. Basically, her behavior was so outrageous that it was easy for her to say, c'mon, do you think I could really do that? That's just crazy.

There's a line I love in the move Notorious:
When its discovered that a german spy has married what turns out to be an american spy, his mother says:
You are protected by the enormity of your stupidity.

Kris Crawford Amy Conrad et al seem to have embraced this concept and live by it.

Conrad insisting that no one can identify a pit bull and that the only pit bull is the apbt is just ludicrous, and all bites are equal in a live interview made for some laughs...I loved the radio silence when she was asked whether she would rather be bitten by a chihuahua or a pit bull.

She was also using the "a bite is a bite" argument, and I LOVED the radio silence when she was directly asked, "would you rather be bitten by a chihuahua or a pit bull?"

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

that radio silence was awesome. as is the line from notorious, "You are protected by the enormity of your stupidity."

Anonymous said...

Here's an old post from Kris Crawford's sister pleading for the bloggers to stop. she sounds pretty condemning.


"I am Kris Crawford's sister and am horrified by what has been written about her. I have spoken to Kimberly about this and we, her family, are in the process of trying to uncover the truth. I would appreciate that no more be written about her - the damage has been done. For all of her faults, whatever they may be, she has done some good things that I hope are not forgotten. If what is being said is true - let me be the first to apologize on her behalf."

scorched earth said...

Very interesting quote from Crawford's sister. Where did you find that Mallardhead?

Where was the sister for all the years that Crawford was scamming the public and engaging in illegal and abusive activity?

Incredulous said...

Well, kids, it was good while it lasted -- now there is a new law being passed in RI that will um, ban bans. The language is so loose that it seems to protect not just grippers, but say, bears and tigers too: http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText/BillText13/HouseText13/H5671.pdf

Is there no national lobbying group that can get serious about this, state by state? The PB advocates are vocal and organized.

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

thank you for the heads up.

Anonymous said...

Am I the only one that noticed the AC guy from Mr. Potato Head's home town was named John Holmes.

I love it.
So many juvenile jokes I could make.

Speaking of Hasbro they help fund a great children's hospital up there. Sadly with the law being overturned that hospital will get lots of practice trying to reassemble children that come in there in pieces.