Pit bull fans sound off on breed-ban petition

WAUSAU — After months of carrying a banner for an ordinance banning pit bull dogs in Wausau, mauling-victim Cindy Ryder is stepping back and another resident is taking up the grassroots effort to enact a ban.

Meanwhile, local pit bull owners and defenders are none-too-happy about ongoing challenges to their pets and they are ready to push back against the direct legislation effort.

Todd Schisel, who lives in the town of Wausau with his pit bull Nivea, said he would sooner move than give her up to accommodate a ban in the area.

"That's just how much she means to me," Schisel said. "I just want people to give (pit bulls) a chance."

Since last summer when a neighbor's pit bull killed Ryder's Chihuahua and injured her, she's been pressing for a ban. When local elected leaders declined to take up the issue, Ryder started working to petition for direct legislation. Now that she's found someone to run that campaign, Ryder is bowing out.

"(The new coordinator) can recruit whoever she likes, but I'll move to the background," Ryder said about future efforts. "I've done my part."

Daily Herald Media could not reach the new petition coordinator for this story.

Ryder believes that a citywide vote to ban the breed could pass. But first organizers have to collect 2,150 signatures to bring the ban to City Council to pass or refer to referendum.

Pit bull fans, like Schisel, expect initiatives like this to come and go because of the breed's reputation but plan to fight against a ban if necessary.

By the numbers

Breed-specific policies and opposition extend across the country and inspire ferocious debate. Twenty states forbid municipalities from either regulating dogs based on breed or declaring dogs dangerous based on breed, according to the Animal Legal and Historical Center at Michigan State University.

Wisconsin has no such law, and a handful of municipalities including Montello, Antigo and the village of Stratford in central Wisconsin have banned pit bulls.

Wausau City Council members have shown reluctance to consider such bans, questioning whether they can be fairly implemented and enforced. But ban proponents argue that pit bulls are unpredictable and cause more damage than other breeds.

In Wausau last year there were 53 dog bites, according to data from Wausau and Everest Metro Humane Officer Ashlee Bishop requested by Daily Herald Media. Mixed-breed dogs account for 12 bites, the most of any category. Pit bulls were responsible for seven bites. And dachshunds, beagles, huskies, Labradors and German shepherds were each responsible for three bites.

Of the 10 dogs deemed dangerous in Wausau last year, four were pit bulls or pit bull mixes and two were huskies. The other dangerous dogs were a boxer, Labrador mix, shih tzu and a Rottweiler.

Breeder not the breed?

Mary Kirlin, executive director of the Humane Society of Marathon County, admits that she too had some prejudice against pit bulls which she overcame by meeting so many of them when she moved from Florida to Wisconsin.

"We're saturated with them here," Kirlin said. "Why doesn't Wausau look at more of a breeding permit?"

As she talked, a clumsy seven-month-old American bull dog bounded around the room. The puppy, Peyton, has an awkward gate due to a congenital spinal malformation. Kirlin and Shelter Operations Coordinator Lisa Held said backyard breeders throughout the area are breeding dogs, despite congenital injuries and an overabundance of the breeds often classified as pit bulls.

Self-proclaimed pit bull lover Held said if the breed were banned in Wausau, she would reconsider even working at the humane society.

After one assessment, Kirlin said bully-breed mixes — like pit bulls, with square heads and muscular bodies — made up 48 percent of dogs in the humane society and Labrador mixes made up another 48 percent.

She said humane society staff conduct rigorous reviews of dogs' behavior before putting them up for adoption.

Backing up pit bulls

Schisel adopted Nivea at the county humane society a few years ago, having never owned the breed before. After seeing the golden-hued, 75-pound dog, he fell for her.

"She's my child," he said. "I think she is a good ambassador (for the breed)." His Realtor was frightened of pit bulls until Nivea won him over, Schisel said. Nivea has small seizures if she gets too excited, but otherwise seems to run the house. She sleeps in Schisel's bed, under the covers.

Like humane society staff, he's not opposed to animal policies, just breed-specific policies.

"All you're really doing in the end is punishing responsible dog owners," Schisel said. He points to a policy in Illinois that holds owners criminally responsible for their dog's actions, which he supports. And he'd like to see tougher policies on animal abusers.

When he first brought Nivea home, she would wince if he raised his hand to open a cabinet. Some of her health problems probably trace back to abuse, Schisel learned from his veterinarian.

"Here's a dog that was hurt at the hand of the human. But she turns around. She's able to love people, even though they hurt her," Schisel said. "As people, we should have the capacity to do the same thing."

Nora G. Hertel can be reached at 715-845-0665. Find her on Twitter as @nghertel.