Owners of the maimed and killed dogs, Indy and Pepper, describe finding their pets as horrific. The attacks happened over the past week.
Police and the Butler County Dog Warden say the owner of the two dogs (which the dog warden’s office consider a mix breed of pit bull and boxer, according to court documents) said the dogs somehow escaped their confinement and ran for days in the Beckett Ridge subdivision.
Here’s a few things regarding the case that didn’t make it into the story, mostly because of space. But I’ll also explain additional reasons for their exclusion.
First off, I spoke with a board member of the Dogo Canario Club of America, Inc., regarding the background of the Presa Canario. This was not included in the story because, although the owner of the dog said he thought the dog was at least a descendant of a PC, there was no real proof. Additionally, the county’s dog expert, Chief Dog Warden Julie Holmes, said the dog didn’t have the full characteristics of a Presa, and looked like something more of mix between a bull terrier and a boxer.
Now, Randy Green, board member of the DCCA, said it’s “extremely rare” for PC’s to attack unless, of course, if they’re provoked. He said, in fact, no more so than a poodle or a Labrador.
I agree with that. Any dog backed into a corner is capable of anything. What anyone can’t ignore is the fact that a poodle bite isn’t the same thing as a PC’s, a dog that’s historically trained to hunt down cattle in the Canary Islands so they can be slaughtered. Green agreed.
While Green said dogs are a product of their owners, their surroundings and more (instead of possessing a “killer instinct” for example), Holmes challenged that theory.
She said “There are several factors to how a dog behaves. It’s not just how they’re raised.”
On to the “vicious” designation, which has raised quite a bite with local owners, especially those of the bull terrier breed.
That word, “vicious” is a legal term used by the state of Ohio to designate certain breeds’ owners to carry liability insurance in the event of an attack.
That didn’t happen in the Beckett Ridge case, according to Holmes, which is why the guy is charged (times two) with failure to carry insurance in addition to the failure to confine charges.
Holmes also said she understands the frustration with state law, which actually allows for some subjectivity because the law is enforced according to appearance. So if it looks like a bull terrier, it is, by law a bull terrier, and by law considered “vicious.”
As I’ve said here before…not my decision, but them’s the rules.
A Butler County Common Pleas Court Judge Tuesday, March 9, dismissed charges against one of two men accused in the September stabbing death of 15-year-old Amber Robinson.
On Thursday, Sept. 10, West Chester police were called out to the North Pointe Townhomes off Muhlhauser Road not once, but twice.
After arriving just after 7 p.m. that night on a reported disturbance, they left the scene following an investigation they said revealed no crimes had been committed.
About a half hour later, they returned to the complex to find out the situation had escalated, and that 15-year-old Amber Robinson had been stabbed to death.
Don’t mean to go all sports columnist on you this morning, but I thought about it all weekend and the tips of my fingers are itching.
Let me say, I love this time of year. Don’t get me wrong, I also may be one of the only people in Ohio who actually loves snow. Seriously, I love it. I had more fun during the February snow storms (mostly because of news stories that followed and my work on Local12) than I’ve had in awhile. Hell, if it’s going to be winter, let it be winter … rather than that gray 40-degree rain we seem to get for weeks every six months in southwest Ohio.
Now, seasonal transitions are one of the reasons why I chose to stay in this part of the state (I grew up on Cincy’s west side), and the winter-to-spring version is tantalizing.
It’s also around this time NCAA basketball becomes significant: Win or go back to studying. Conference championships leading in to the tourney of (for now) 64, and it doesn’t get much better.
But it does.
I took off from here at around 2 p.m., Friday, March 5, radio already tuned to The Big One, eagerly awaiting those wonderful, magical words that instill (some) hope: “If you’re ready now, the starting line-ups…”
Just thinking about it now gets me going.
When I got home, the first thing I saw was my faithful Weber on the deck, dirty cover and still surrounded by snow that had to be piled up after the second storm just so my dog could make it out the back door.
I couldn’t help it. It was silly, really. Snow still littered my yard, and the temps were only into the upper 40s (much warmer by the coals, though). I have to say, I do grill in the winter, but mostly use the other Weber potbelly for smoking ribs and shoulders.
But, full-on, steaks, brats and sides are pretty rare this time of year (at least at my house).
Either way, the next month will be spent splitting time between The Famer and The Cowboy and The Blue Devils … That’s right, I’m a Duke fan.
There’s just a few more steps to go before plans for Liberty’s Bethany corridor are officially added to the books. And that means, for those interested, there’s a few more chances to add your 2 pennies.
Once all three entities hear it (and approve it), the plan will be a part of the township’s comprehensive plan.
At the work session Thursday, there was still some apprehension on behalf of some existing business and property owners, who feel a trustee’s going to show up on their doorstep in the near future with an eviction notice.
It’s not the case, never has been and never will be. Trustees have continued to say that development will lead the charge to how the Bethany corridor turns out. They’re simply creating a plan to guide future development. Besides, do you really think a guy like Trustee Dave Kern would be all for the government showing up and saying “Time to move on…” Probably as likely as Kern stumping for the federal stimulus package. In other words, it ain’t.
Still, there’s not been a lot of trust issued to the government at any level as of late, so it’s not all that surprising.
Trustees took the first step Tuesday, March 2, to building a fourth township firehouse with the purchase of more than four acres of land.
Trustees unanimously approved a total of $221,700 for the purchase of the two adjacent tracts — totaling nearly 4.4 acres — near the corner of Kyles Station and Cincinnati-Dayton roads.
The cost for the land tops out at $211,500, and the township will use the remaining $10,200 for surveying, environmental studies and closing costs, according to Administrator Dina Minneci. Minneci expects that work and the closing process to take approximately 90 days, meaning the land will be officially turned over to the township on or before June 2.
Few things about this purchase and the future of the fire station. Township Administrator Dina Minneci said Tuesday the new building would likely mirror the one trustees built off Ohio 747 near Ohio 4. Minneci said as a result, the township would likely be able to save hundreds of thousands of dollars in engineering and other costs.
It’s also not expected to come to fruition this year. While some planning may take place, construction may not start on the new station until sometime in 2011. Stay tuned for the possibility of a fire levy sometime between now and then.
And, as for the open house, it’s slated for noon to 3 p.m., Saturday, March 12. Station 111’s address is 6682 Princeton-Glendale Road.
But there are some hard feelings to get over, among them thoughts that the Pisgah area has been neglected as a result of attention being paid to places like Tylersville Road and the Union Centre Boulevard interchange off I-75.
And it’s not that those feelings aren’t at least somewhat justified, as the U.S. 42 corridor became a political buzzword for candidates vying for spots on the Board of Trustees last November. At that time, candidate after candidate, including incumbents Catherine Stoker and Lee Wong, said the area had been neglected for too long.
Attitudes are changing, however, as trustees earlier this year approved a move to spend $480,000 on various projects in the U.S. 42 corridor. In addition, members of the U.S. 42 property owners group have gained the ear of township administrators and trustees, most recently during a work session late last month.
Below is a copy of the Pisgah plan as presented by residents and property owners. While it’s still in rough draft form, local residents hope to have the plan adopted by the spring.
It was an interesting meeting, Feb. 23, heated at times as electric- and rate-speak led to terse words.
Here’s an excerpt:
For the first time since Nov. 2005, when voters approved trustees’ ability to enter into an agreement with a company other than Duke Energy to provide utility services, local residents will have the opportunity to save money on electric bills, trustees said Tuesday.
The agreement approved Tuesday locks in rates that are more than 35 percent below the most recent comparable rate structures offered by Duke Energy, according to a presentation by Mark Burns, president of the township’s aggregation program broker, Independent Energy Consultants. The agreement runs from May to Dec. 31, 2012, with Akron, Ohio-based FirstEnergy Solutions.
Gas aggregation has been used by the township since 2006. Most recently, the program saved West Chester residents and small businesses more than $1.5 million, Burns said.
When nearly 60 percent of voters approved Nov. 8, 2005, the township’s participation in electric and gas aggregation programs, they agreed to automatically be enrolled in the program with a majority nod by trustees. Residents may still opt out of the program from the start, or opt out if Duke’s rates fall below offerings locked in by FirstEnergy. Whether there would be a penalty for opting out of the program in its first six months of existence still remains to be seen, however, as deals were still being worked out during Tuesday’s meeting.
You can still opt out of the program, and more info regarding that can be found on the township’s Web site.
I’ll keep you informed about the rapidly growing festival, including a Web site that is expected to be created for additional information and contacts in the coming weeks. Stay tuned.
Here’s an excerpt from the story:
Plans began to change for the festival early this year when the Union Centre Boulevard Merchants Association decided against having the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber — which produces the annual Taste of Cincinnati and Oktoberfest Zinzinnati, among other events — run the festival as they have for the past six years.
Instead, the Merchants Association inked a deal with West Chester-based By Design, which will spearhead The Blast for the next three years.
Commissioners heard from The Trust for Public Land, a national non-profit organization that helps public park agencies in areas of conservation funding, ballot measure basics, feasibility studies and other lobbying. TPL will soon be conducting polls of area voters to take their tax temperature, so to speak.
Results will then be used to determine what type of levy to seek, when to ask for it and for how much.
Also, regarding the above-linked story, I wanted to address a few comments.
“Me too” makes this statement:
What a waste of $29,000! We are telling you now the answer is NO…Hell NO…and this is a FREE poll! Charge a higher entrance fee.
Others have made the same suggestion, perhaps not realizing MetroParks agreed last year to raise entrance fees to $5 daily and to $10 for an annual pass.
“taxed enough” suggested the agency close more parks.
As of Nov. 1, (and as indicated in the story) MetroParks’ 23 parks and nature areas operated daily were cut to 10.
They’re staff has been cut as a result to bare bones, or at least never before seen levels.
“Mercy! No More Levies!” makes this comment:
The Butler County Commissioners don’t need to “poll” the taxpaying residents of this county.
Keep in mind, although county commissioners would ultimately be placing a levy on the ballot, they are not the ones conducting the polls. TPL will be conducting the polls at the instruction of park commissioners.
And “park lover” suggests:
They have a $140,000 deficit and have a grant for $29,000 for a feasiblity study. Why not put the $29k toward the deficit?
The 29K has already been donated for the study. When we’re talking about public dollars, they are earmarked specifically. For example, the federal Community Development Block Grant program can ONLY be spent on projects that fit that particular bill. Butler County received hundreds of thousands of dollars in CDBG funds last year, but couldn’t just dump the money in the general fund. Them’s just the rules.
And finally, “Suzanne” suggests:
Metroparks could rally neighborhoods near each park and try to form volunteer groups to help with maintenance, like the old garden clubs. Think outside the box, people!
Again, something MetroParks has already done. They’re always looking for volunteers, and since so many of the community parks have closed up in the past year, those opportunities are growing. Visit their Web site for more info.
Dave Greber covers the townships of West Chester and Liberty, Ohio, government, business and local residents just like you for The Pulse-Journal and Hamilton JournalNews. He wants your suggestions and questions for more news stories. Leave a comment here, e-mail Dave at dgreber@coxohio.com or call (513) 820-2112.
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I am the notorious Joel M. Lovins. It isn’t my fault this happened. I personally didn’t