Ken Schram: It's the owners, not the dogs

Ken Schram: It's the owners, not the dogs

Story Published: Apr 7, 2008 at 12:07 PM PDT

Story Updated: May 26, 2008 at 10:34 AM PDT

By Ken Schram

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SEATTLE -- It's not the dogs.

It's the owners.

When it comes to so-called "pit bulls", I don't find that a particularly tough concept to grasp.

I guess that means that officials in the City of Lakewood are a tad on this side of dense.

They're looking at putting together an ordinance that makes it easier to label pit bulls dangerous.

Said to based on what the City of Auburn has done, Lakewood is pondering having pit bull owners register the dog by breed and keep them from running loose, something that every dog owner should be required to do.

But here's the rub: If a pit bull so much as gets loose, it would be labeled a dangerous dog.

As such, the owner would have to, among other things, post a bond of $250,000, carry at least $250,000 in liability insurance and pay the city extra money to keep it legally registered.

Truth be told, if the city decided to enact this law across the breed of dog spectrum, I'd have little problem with it.

But singling out one or two breeds for harsh judgment and punishment will only result in more stupid owners making more stupid decisions.

And in the end, it'll only be the poor dog that suffers.

Have something to say to Ken? E-mail him at kenschram@komo4news.com.

And be sure to join Ken, along with John Carlson, on "The Commentators", which airs every weekday from 3-6 p.m. on AM 570 KVI.

It's a lively exchange of information, insight and perspective with two guys who don't agree on much, but still manage to enjoy each other as they tackle issues of the day. Even better, callers are invited in on the verbal action.

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