BY VINAYA SAKSENA

CENTRAL FALLS — Two months after the City Council passed an ordinance banning pit bulls, the police officer in charge of enforcing the law says he still gets some surprised and slightly annoyed reactions from some residents found in possession of this canine contraband.

The ordinance, proposed by Animal Control Offer Joseph Bolvin, was voted into local law by the city council, taking effect on May 14. Shortly thereafter, the Times spoke to Bolvin about the specifics of the law and ran an article describing it. However, Bolvin said earlier this week that he still encounters people keeping pit bulls- and pleading ignorance with regard to the ordinance.
“That’s everybody’s biggest complaint about the whole thing- that it’s not fair because they never knew about it,” Bolvin said. “But the problem is if they had just followed the law all the time and registered their dogs, then they would have been grandfathered in.”
At the time that the ordinance passed, Bolvin estimated that there were approximately 17 pit bulls in the city that fell under its grandfather clause, having been vaccinated and registered in the city before the ordinance took effect.
The ordinance barred pit bulls from being kept in the city with a couple of other exceptions as well: for pit bulls temporarily in the care of a licensed shelter and those brought into the city for a public exhibition.
While he said he was trying to be reasonable with residents about it, Bolvin said he would not make any other exceptions. However, he said the police department would try to make accommodations for those who were unable to find a place for their confiscated dog.
“We do try working with the people, because we’re only required to hold onto the dogs for ten days,” Bolvin said. “But if somebody’s moving and they can’t (fully comply), we try to extend that courtesy.”
When the Times spoke to Bolvin, he said had confiscated 38 dogs under the law so far. He said he was uncertain how many might still be in the city illegally. A pit bull owner himself, Bolvin said he understood the frustrations of those who love their pets and do not want to give them up. However, he emphasized that the law was intended to protect people, particularly children, from pit bull attacks.
“People aren’t too happy about it,” Bolvin said. “But unfortunately all of the pit bulls in the city aren’t the cuddliest, friendliest dogs in the world.” 
And while he said he did not enjoy taking people’s pets from them, Bolvin added that there was one factor that often made the job of finding the illegal dogs easier. Those who got in trouble for violating the ordinance, it seems, have often been all to happy to name others also harboring pit bulls.
“I’m loving every second of it,” he said. “It just makes my job much easier.”