Officials in Sac City may consider loosening restrictions on what dog breeds residents are allowed to own. At their meeting Tuesday, Dec. 10, the council was approached by Sheli Dougherty, a Sac City resident, asking for an update to the community’s animal protection and control ordinances. Currently, the city code has two ordinances addressing dog ownership. The first makes ownership of vicious dogs illegal. Vicious dogs are described as canines that have or can reasonably be expected to attack or bite any person without provocation. A separate ordinance prohibits the ownership of pit bulls, pit bull mixes and rottweilers within city limits. While no action was taken concerning the request, Administrator, Jamie Lawrence, indicated they will consider removing the breed specific ban on animals after they have conducted more research into the issue. Several other Iowa communities, including Sioux City, Iowa City and Maquoketa, have repealed their ban on pit bulls within the last 30 days.
