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Pit Bulls Now Banned from NYC Housing Projects
By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 29, 2009
Modified Apr 29, 2009
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By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 29, 2009
Modified Apr 29, 2009
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The NYC Housing Authority has prohibited pit bulls from all the housing projects it administers, and placed a new weight restriction on all pets, requiring them to weigh no more than 25 pounds. (Previously, and according to the NYCHA website, the limit was 40 pounds. Here's a pdf outlining the new rules.) 24 other breeds, including Rottweilers and Doberman pinschers are also banned, but residents who already own any of the proscribed pets can keep them as long as they register the animal before Friday. Queens Councilman Peter Vallone praised the ban, telling the Daily News, "Finally someone is realizing that these potentially dangerous animals have no place in a confined urban space." Of course not everyone is pleased; Anthony Nieves, who was walking his 1-year-old pit bull, Storm, near his home at the Wald Houses, says, "It all depends on how you teach a dog. My dog is like a puppy." And the ASPCA's advocacy rep explains that the group opposes both the breed-specific ban and the weight restriction because "so many breeds are over 25 pounds. You can get an overweight beagle that weighs more than 25 pounds."
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John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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