Cindy Holliday meticulously researched local dog ordinances about five years ago when she prepared to move to the Des Moines area.

Holliday wanted to make sure she moved to a place with regulations she felt were fair to her as a dog owner, and an important member of her family: her pit bull terrier, Bo.

She wanted to live in Des Moines, but a 22-year-old ordinance that defines pit bulls as “vicious” by breed prompted Holliday to move to West Des Moines instead.

Holliday said she believes breed-specific ordinances often punish responsible dog owners and do little to address safety concerns.

Now she helps lead a volunteer group – All Dogs All People Together for Des Moines, or “ADAPT4DSM” – that is encouraging Des Moines leaders to consider changes to regulations that focus more on owner responsibility and individual dog behavior than breed-specific issues.

Their push to change Des Moines regulations on pit bulls come as City Council members today are set to discuss possible changes to ordinances that govern “vicious” and “dangerous” animals. A ban on pit bulls will not be pushed, but the changes could include tougher fines and education requirements for owners of dog breeds deemed vicious or dangerous, city officials said.

“I’m willing to give that a chance, but I’ll want to have it monitored very closely,” Councilwoman Christine Hensley said. “If there continue to be issues, obviously I will request that we revisit the issue because it’s about safety.”

A string of recent incidents involving pit bulls prompted city leaders to scrutinize whether regulations should be changed.

“Our goal is to make Des Moines a model city for dog ownership,” Holliday said. “We can be the example for turning around problems.”

“Responsible ownership and safe containment stop dog bites,” Fedman said.

Fedman and Holliday said they hope breed-specific language will eventually be removed from the Des Moines city code. A spot check of city codes in other metro-area communities showed that most ban vicious animals but do not ban specific breeds. Altoona is the exception. Its city regulations ban specific breeds of dogs.

Pit bulls are not for everyone, Holliday said, and she does not mind holding herself to a higher standard.

She put a 6-foot-tall wooden fence in her backyard when she moved to the Valley Junction area. There are double locks on each gate. Bo is never unsupervised in the yard, and he is not allowed outside the fence without a leash.

“I’m not going to put him in that position,” Holliday said. “It all boils down to responsible ownership.”

Breed-specific ordinances are as common as they are controversial across the country. Humane organizations and opponents of such regulations say rules that focus on American pit bull terriers, Staffordshire terriers and pit bull mixes unfairly stereotype the dogs.

Mayor Frank Cownie said the issue warrants a review to see whether there are ways to better protect citizens from dangerous animals. Cownie said he does not favor singling out particular dogs.

“We’ve all discovered over time that we have to watch owners as closely as we do breeds, and make sure they’re training and containing their dogs properly,” he said.

Vicious dogs must be licensed in Des Moines, and owners must show proof of at least $100,000 in liability insurance. City officials can remove a pit bull if it is not licensed by Jan. 1 of each year.

There are about 200 licensed pit bulls in Des Moines this year, but more than 400 pit-bull-type dogs have been identified at one time or another within the city limits, according to the city clerk’s office.

Licenses cost the same for all breeds – $35 a year for a dog not spayed or neutered, $15 if the dog is fixed. There are nearly 22,000 licensed dogs and cats in the city.

It is fairly common for dog owners to violate requirements for licensing, containment and liability insurance for breeds defined as vicious in the city code, said Sgt. Scott Raudabaugh, the city’s chief humane officer.

Holliday and Fedman plan to take their message to neighborhood groups to increase opportunities to expand local education programs for dog owners of all stripes.

“We will train the trainers so everybody is consistent,” Holliday said. “It’s a big undertaking, but I know we can get there over time. A lot of people have stepped forward to further this effort.”