Riverside County: The bite prevention effort that isn’t
Riverside County, CA is having some trouble with dog bite prevention. In October 2013, Riverside County Animal Services ushered breed specific legislation in to unincorporated parts of the county in the form of a mandatory spay/neuter law that targets families who own dogs described as ‘pit bulls.’ They’d hoped to promote public safety through this ordinance and, by focusing law enforcement resources on sterilization, decrease the number of dog bite incidents. That move came on the heels of a well publicized attack involving two mixed breed dogs described as �Australian shepherd pit bull mixes.� “It’s time to say enough is enough,” County Supervisor John Tavaglione said. “I’m tired of seeing innocent people hurt.� LINK Debates leading up to the ordinance stirred the usual pit bull breed myths and stereotypes in online discussion and news stories, but did not bring additional funding for animal control officials, bite pr...