Rockville Centre residents divided over pit bull vote

A day after the Rockville Centre Village Board repealed a controversial ban on pit bulls and rottweilers, Long Islanders were split between those who welcomed the vote and others who said it would make residents less safe.

"I'm disappointed," said Lisa Shulman of Valley Stream, whose daughter Isabella, 3, was bitten by a pit bull at a village hair salon in March. She escaped with some stitches, but her mother said it could have been much worse: "We were lucky, but the next time, who knows what could happen?"

But Sue Weiss, president of the East Meadow-based Long Island Coalition of Dog Fanciers, which helped organize opposition to the law after it passed on June 8, said the law had unfairly targeted the breeds.

"Pit bulls are not vicious dogs," Weiss said Wednesday. "There's nothing wrong with the dogs. It's the people who own them [who] are not educated about them."

Late Tuesday, the board voted 5-0 to rescind the ban to avoid running afoul of a state law that forbids municipalities from regulating specific breeds of dogs. While Shulman spoke out in support of the ban, most of the approximately 20 people who entered comments criticized the law, according to village spokesman Jeff Kluewer.

The village ordinance, which was passed last month but had yet to go into effect, banned ownership of the dogs in the village. Exceptions were made for veterinarians who treated the dogs and for dog shows.

Residents who already owned a dog could keep them, but would have had to spay or neuter them, muzzle and leash them in public, insure them against liability for at least $100,000 and pay for annual licenses.

Police, animal control officers or the local building inspector would have been authorized to impound unlicensed dogs, and shelters would have been authorized to destroy them.

At a hearing before the vote, Mayor Mary Bossart called dealing with dogs in a densely populated village a "vexing issue." She issued a statement Tuesday saying the village would "work to craft another law that better meets the needs of our residents," though she did not elaborate. Bossart did not return calls for comment Wednesday.

Officials said the effort to outlaw the two breeds stemmed from a March 18 incident at Technicolors hair salon on South Park Avenue in Rockville Centre where, according to police, a pit bull bit Isabella near her left eye. Employees of the salon declined to comment yesterday.

Residents interviewed last night in Rockville Centre were divided over the board vote.

Karen Hughes, of Rockville Centre, said the ban made her feel comfortable.

"I'm afraid of those dogs," she said. "They seem to be more dangerous."

But Jaime Elliott, also of Rockville Centre, said the attacks aren't "the dog's fault. It's the owners that make them dangerous. Getting rid of these breeds won't get rid of bad owners."

Saga of the ban

MARCH 18: Village police respond to a report of a dog attack at a hair salon on South Park Avenue. Isabella Shulman, 3, of Valley Stream, was bitten near her left eye by a pit bull loose in the salon, according to police.

JUNE 8: The Rockville Centre Village Board votes 4-1 to ban pit bulls and rottweilers. Current owners may keep them, but must register and insure them or have them impounded.

JUNE 29: Animal rights activists and organizations representing dog lovers protest the ban at a packed board meeting at Village Hall. The board votes to suspend the law due to legal concerns and public opposition until it can be reconsidered at the next board meeting.

JULY 20: The board votes 5-0 to repeal the ban due to concerns about violating the state's ban on breed-specific legislation.

Compiled by Zeke Miller