Past Events:
Des Moines Register Article: 9/28/09 Reporter: Jason Pulliam
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009909290352
From the article page:
What’s next?
- City officials will speak with representatives from the Animal Rescue League of Iowa and other interested groups about possible changes in Des Moines’ vicious-dog ordinance.
- City Manager Rick Clark said he hoped to have a policy recommendation before the City Council within a month.
- A volunteer group composed of certified dog trainers, business owners and citizens has formed to offer input on Des Moines’ vicious-dog ordinance and promote responsible dog ownership. The group has created a Web site: www.adapt4dsm.org.
Des Moines Register Article: 9/28/09 Reporter: Jason Pulliam
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009909280319
If you reply to the blog please stay polite, the people who argue about this won’t help our cause, people who publicly state they will not license their dogs or become compliant are a prime example of irresponsible owners who have no respect for the laws of the city. I am very pleased that a majority of remarks support us. While I may not agree with all the ordinances if I want to see a change I have to work towards getting those changes made! Cindy
City Council Workshop 9-28-09 7:30 AM
Current ordinances to be discussed which includes the pit bull ban proposal!
City Hall 400 Robert D. Ray Drive, 2nd floor
(515) 283-4209
September 28, 2009 Stop Puppy Mills
Are you interested in the issue of puppy mills in Iowa?
Have a story to share or simply want to learn more about this issue? Join Iowa Voters for Companion Animals for a discussion with Iowa Senator Matt McCoy. The Senators/Legislators NEED to know how the voters feel about puppy mills. DO NOT BE AMBIVALENT and expect that others will get the point across for you!
7:00-8:30 PM
Mapes Auditorium
Enter through North Entrance
Animal Rescue League of Iowa 5452 NE 22nd Street
Des Moines, IA 50313
No RSVP required.
July 25, 2009 KCCI Report
DES MOINES, Iowa — Des Moines city leaders are considering a ban on pit bulls in the city, but the head of the Animal Rescue League said he thinks it’s a bad idea.
The idea is getting new attention after Wendy Rains’ 4-year-old Irish wolf dog was attacked by a pit bull.
“He’s had some emotional trauma since then,” she said. “It took four men to get him off. It was a horrifying event. I remember screaming. It seemed to last a lifetime.”
She said that she and the dog were on a walk when the pit bull latched onto her dog’s neck and bit him repeatedly.
It’s the latest in a series of attacks that have city leaders considering a total pit bull ban.
“Council Bluffs and Sioux City have already passed ordinances back in 2005, and as a result, dog bites have gone down dramatically,” said Des Moines City Councilwoman Christine Hensley.
Tom Colvin of the Animal Rescue League said that banning a specific breed is a bad idea.
“Does that mean that a lot of dogs that would never bite get swept up in that ban? Absolutely. That absolutely happens,” he said.
He said a breed-specific ban is hard to enforce.
“Even what sounds simple, ban it, you can’t have it, it isn’t always that simple,” he said. “It takes a lot of resources to do that type of thing.”
Resources are also a concern with Rains.
“What I would like to see is whatever regulations they do come up with, that they are enforceable. I don’t know how easy it will be to enforce a ban,” Rains said.
She said she hopes something will be done so no one else goes through what she and her dog did.
“We don’t enjoy our walks together. We always look over our shoulder,” she said. “When we see a loose dog, it makes both of us cringe.”
Des Moines police said that last year, they dealt with 380 vicious dogs. All but nine of those were pit bulls.
Council members will discuss the ban at 7:30 a.m. on Aug. 24 at City Hall and the public is invited to comment. People who already own pit bulls would be able to keep them under a grandfather clause.