Tongues Wag Over Possible Dog Ban

Mugsy is exactly the kind of Venice boardwalk visitor that the Los Angeles City Council is worried about.

Short, stocky and looking very mean, Mugsy strides down the boardwalk in chains and spiked leather straps. Everyone stares. They can’t help it. It’s just that some gaze admiringly, while others watch in fear.

“Isn’t she beautiful?” boasts John Sanchez as he scratches the pit bull on its monstrous head. “She wouldn’t hurt a thing.”

Mugsy seems content, not realizing that this could be her last Saturday afternoon stroll on the boardwalk.

Because of the number of dog bites on the boardwalk, the City Council has passed a resolution--now being considered by the mayor--that would limit canine access.

Feelings on the boardwalk Saturday were far from united.

Although some liked the idea of “reasserting humanity’s role as the dominant species,” many Venice regulars argued that the weekend canine parade is part of the beachfront’s unique culture.

“That’s the reason people come here--to show off their dogs,” said Beto Olmedo, as he kept a tight grip on Vixen, his pit bull. “They’ve been doing it for years. It’s tradition.”

Not everyone was disappointed with the possible ban. Pushing his 2-year-old daughter in a stroller, Jorge Hernandez liked the idea of a weekend walk without worrying about “those attack animals.”

“These dogs are massive and mean,” Hernandez said. “Why would you buy a pit bull? They’re bred to bite.”

Breeding aside, plenty of dogs on the boardwalk have attacked strollers and that’s what has the City Council concerned. There were about 150 reported dog bites and attacks along the boardwalk in 1997, enough to convince the council that safety would be better served by banning dogs from the beachfront walkway between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. on summer weekends and holidays.

On warm afternoons when businesses are closed, the boardwalk teems with pit bulls, Rottweilers and other dogs with less than savory reputations. Although most dogs strut in peace, some owners stage fights, and trade or sell fighting dogs on the beachfront as well.

Those problems prompted City Councilwoman Ruth Galanter, who represents Venice, to propose the dog-walking limits. The council passed the resolution unanimously Wednesday and sent it along to Mayor Richard Riordan.

The council resolution was on the mind of dog owner Steve Snider on Saturday as well. He had heard about the possible ban earlier and decided to take Shilo, decked out in her usual sunglasses, for one last weekend stroll.

“I come down here a couple times a year, put the glasses on her and walk her around,” Snider said. “People like her, they get a kick out of her.”

Even Marilyn Earl, who relies on dog owners to patronize her homemade dog hat business on the boardwalk, was adamant that the weekend canine scene is out of control.

“I know the City Council wants this because all the pit bulls and Rottweilers have gotten out of hand. Something should be done about them,” Earl said.

But Earl, who uses a pair of small, white, fuzzy dogs as models for her hats, wants a system that bans aggressive canines but tolerates “nice” ones.

“Not all dogs are bad. People like to pet my dogs,” Earl said. “They put their babies in between my dogs and take pictures.”