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Wednesday, 25 February 2009 |
By KATIE YANTIS
Staff Writer
ST. MARYS — Pit bulls were the topic of discussion as the Kiwanians met to hear from Assistant Dog Warden Jim Heistan at the Eagles Tuesday night.
As Heistan discussed housing and adopting out dogs, he informed club members that the warden does not adopt out pit bulls.
“I am not going to take a chance that the owner would have kids and the dog would just flip, that is what those dogs are bred to do,” Heistan said. “We have really cracked down on the problem in our area.”
The recent incident of a pit bull that attacked a neighbor dog was brought about in the presentation as well.
“We Tased the dog for five minutes, it quit and then got right back up on the dog again,” Heistan said. “We Tased it again and it quit.”
Heistan said by state standards, the dogs are considered dangerous.
“A pit bull is considered a dangerous animal,” Heistan said.
To emphasize the level of danger that is presented to neighbors, children and owners when it comes to pit bulls, Heistan compared pit bulls to the German Shepherd police dogs.
“The German police dogs have a bite of 800 squares per inch, pit bulls have a bite of 2,000 squares per inch,” Heistand said. “They lock their jaws and they don’t let go.”
One Kiwanian asked about protection from a pit bull and Heistan informed the members of the rules on protection.
“You have a right to protect yourself,” Heistan said. “I tell the farmers the same thing, to protect themselves and their livestock from pit bulls.”
Heistan also said owners of pit bulls are required to have a cage with a solid top and a lock on the door and have liability insurance on the dog.
A topic that was brought up during the presentation was the increase in fees for dog tags.
“A lot of people think it is for our pay,” Heistan said. “Trust me, it’s not.”
Heistan said the money goes directly to the warden and helps continue the services he provides.
“We had no equipment when we started,” Heistan said. “Every bit of the money raised stays with the dog warden.”
Heistan also discussed the usefulness and efficiency of dog tags when trying to return a dog to the owner.
“It is so much easier with a dog tag to get it back to who it belongs to,” Heistan said.
Heistan informed the Kiwanis members about the program, which has only been existent since June.
“The kennels are located in New Knoxville,” Heistan said.
Heistan said the warden would like to expand the facility, but as of late has no where to move.
“The commissioners have done a really good job at looking,” Heistan said. “There is just not anything out there right now.”
Heistan also predicted the warden will see an increase in the amount of dogs that will be at the warden. Heistan said the community also has stepped up to support the program.
“Adoption rates have been phenomenal,” Heistan said. “The community has really stepped up behind us on what we are doing.”
Heistan said adoption rates have continued to climb despite the hard economic times.
“We have seen more adoptions that have really shocked us,” Heistan said. “You never know if it is the economy or if one got lost.”
Heistan informed the group members on the procedure to follow if someone encounters an aggressive dog.
“Call me, we will go down there and give a verbal warning,” Heistan said. “If we are called out again, we will write a citation.”
The chief warden is Russ Bailey and the other assistant dog warden is Jake Foxhoven, along with Heistan.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 02 March 2009 )
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