The City of Dunbar may soon change how they deal with pit bull and mixed pit bull breed dogs.
Humane Officer Mike Wolfe explained to the Dunbar City Council on Tuesday evening how they could better deal with vicious dogs in Dunbar.
Wolfe wants to change Dunbar's current ordinance to eliminate the discrimination of pit bulls and change the wording to "dangerous dogs," similar to the ordinance the City of Charleston has in place.
Currently, any pit bulls or pit bull mixes within the city limits of Dunbar have to be kept inside or secured in an outdoor kennel either with a concrete floor or a fence that goes two feet underground, according to Wolfe.
"Basically it's a jail cell in someone's yard," Wolfe said.
If the owner takes the pit bull for a walk, the dog has to wear a muzzle around its mouth, regardless of the dog's temperament.
Instead of limiting the restrictions to the pit bull breed, the dangerous dog ordinance would put these restrictions in place for any vicious dogs. It would be more efficient for the city because veterinarians rely on DNA testing to determine whether a dog is a pit bull or not. Most veterinarians would not be able determine whether a dog has pit bull blood based off a photograph.
Wolfe presented a handout with pictures of 16 dogs that looked similar to pit bulls at the council meeting on Tuesday evening. The city council members and audience were surprised that only three of the dogs were a pit bull mix.
"Looks can be deceiving," Wolfe said. "The dangerous dog ordinance is much better."
Police Chief Jesse Bailes said after looking at the yearly numbers, "There are more people who call with animal complaints than burglaries."
The City of Dunbar also promoted three firefighters to lieutenant: Josh Bowers, T. W. Hindman and Kevin Pickens.
By promoting three firefighters to lieutenant, the rank structure of Dunbar Fire Department will be similar to those of neighboring departments.
"When we're out running calls with other departments, this will help streamline us," Fire Chief Butch Ellis said.
Dunbar Mayor Terry Greenlee read a letter from South Charleston Mayor Frank Mullens, who thanked the Dunbar Fire Department for their help and professionalism while putting out the fire at Mojo's Sports Bar.
Greenlee said he drove by the location recently and was shocked at how well the fire was contained.
"It's a wonder the whole block didn't go down," Greenlee said.
Councilman Greg Hudson also praised the Dunbar police for their compassion when they helped an older woman in need last week.
Hudson said Dunbar police officers came in contact with the woman in a home without utilities and worked with the churches in the area to get the woman's heat turned back on.
Hudson applauded the police for taking the time to check the legitimacy of her story and for taking the steps to help her.
"It's hard to know who's true and who's false," Hudson said. "It was a wonderful blessing."
South Charleston High School Principal Michael Arbogast also presented the State of the School address to the Council.
Arbogast said the International Baccalaureate program is basically "AP program on steroids," and is the best program on the market. Arbogast said the high school has an 87% pass rate on AP exams.
South Charleston High School is also streaming most of its activities and programs online. Parents are able to stream the morning announcements online to stay up to date with what's happening at school. The only events that cost money to stream are sporting events.
Arbogast said South Charleston High School is the first school in Southern West Virginia to utilize streaming. He said he received a phone call from a student's grandmother who streamed graduation in her Oklahoma nursing home last year. She was unable to make it to her grandchild's graduation, but was able to watch her grandchild walk across the stage from the comfort of her nursing home with her friends thanks to the streaming technology.
"That was really heartwarming," Arbogast said.
Reach Laura Haight at 304-348-4843, laura.haight@wvgazettemail.com or follow @laurahaight_ on Twitter.