Sturgis council passes pit bull ordinance

City says it hopes to ensure responsible pit bull ownership and safety of citizens.

By Heather Kari, Meade County Times | Wednesday, October 08, 2008

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STURGIS -- The Sturgis City Council on Monday unanimously passed the second and final reading of an ordinance placing stringent regulations on the owners of pit bulls within city limits.

Mayor Maury LaRue made clear that the city's intention is to hold owners responsible for their pets, not to ban the breed from Sturgis.

According to Sturgis Animal Control Officer Curt Nulle, the number of attacks on dogs and humans by pit bulls has steadily increased in the past few years. Nulle's statistics show pit bulls have been the main breed responsible for canine attack incidents within the city. In fact, he said there's been one pit bull attack on a human and one on another dog just since the council's last meeting.

The ordinance defines the pit bull breed and requires registration of any dog within city limits that fits the description. Pit bulls will need to be securely confined indoors, or in a secure enclosed fence, pen or kennel. When outside the approved enclosure the pit bull must be on a leash no longer than four feet and will not be allowed to be kept on the leash outside the kennel area unless the owner is in physical control of it. Owners will be required to carry $250,000 of public liability insurance, place a public sign on their property stating the breed of the dog, and provide the animal control officer with identification photographs of the dog.

Sturgis resident and pit bull owner Jason Klingenberg told the council that he agrees that owners should be responsible for their dogs but opposed a breed-specific ordinance. Saying he is a responsible owner, Klingenberg said he already carries liability insurance on his pit bulls and doesn't have a problem with that requirement but said, "To push (regulations) towards one breed is not fair." He urged the council to make all dog owners comply with the regulations they planned to impose only on pit bull owners.

Judi Bendt of Piedmont called the insurance requirement of the ordinance "unconstitutional." She said that after contacting area insurance agents, she was unable to find anyone willing to provide a liability policy for pit bulls. Bendt said that Sturgis is no different than any other community and that the problem is "dogs at large, not a pit bull problem." She encouraged the council to raise fines for dogs at large rather than impose a breed-specific ordinance.

Animal Control Officer Nulle informed council that he had researched the issue and insurance policies for pit bulls are available locally. Nulle also said that ordinances regulating pit bulls had been tried elsewhere and have held up in court.

"It might have been easier to ban pit bulls altogether, but I didn't want to do that," he said.

Nulle said that because of breeding and genetics, pit bulls have aggression issues and that passing this ordinance will help reduce attacks and ensure the safety of Sturgis residents.