Legislation against Pit Bulls and Owners in Sioux City, Iowa

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If you’re a pit bull owner in Sioux City, Iowa, you are faced with certain ordinances that make it more difficult to own and keep your dog. This is Sioux City’s attempt to keep its citizens’ safe and prevent the abuse and harm of the pitbull. The city is trying to promote safety and animal advocacy. This ordinance is not effective because it punishes the animal and not the owner; it also does not take into account the animals individual personality. Legislators should create laws that consider all dogs based on their individual behavior and hold owner accountable for their animals.

These types of ordinances are referred to Breed Specific Legislation or BSL. When lawmakers impose BSL on communities they are singling out specific breeds of dogs without allowing the animal to prove that it is a good citizen. The legislation ranges from an all out ban on the animal to heavily restricting the targeted breed. In Sioux City, the legislation currently will not allow any new pit bulls to enter city limits and all existing pit bulls must be registered with the city, micro-chipped, put on a six foot or shorter lead when being walked, walked by an adult 18 or older, and kept in an enclosed kennel or fence that is at least six feet tall (Sioux City Animal Control).

A pit bull is not a breed of dog but rather a type of dog. Pit bulls are several dogs of different breeds grouped together that exhibit similar characteristics. Some of the dogs that are most commonly referred to as a pit bull are: American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Bulldog, Bull Terrier, and the Mini Bull Terrier. There are over twenty-five different bulldogs classified as pit-bull type dogs (Pitbull Advo...

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