North Dakota City Deciding Whether To Kill Dog Based On Breed

There are passionate points to be made on both sides of the pitbull debate.

Cities all across the country have banned the possession of pitbull dogs within their city limits. In this North Dakota city, the penalty for having a ban-qualifying bull terrier is deadly simple, get the dog out of town in 24 hours or it will be seized and destroyed.

Since 1987 Minot North Dakota has had this frightening law on the books.

If you want to read it in its entirety click this link Municipal Code 7-34.  Here's a lengthy excerpt because I don't want it to seem like I'm paraphrasing.  This is the serious business currently facing a dog owner in the Magic City.

The owner or keeper shall remove the dog from the city within twenty-four (24) hours of the service of the citation and shall not cause the dog to be returned to the city unless there is a final court decision in his or her favor.

 

If the dog is not so removed, the police department shall seize and impound the dog, either with the consent of the owner of the property where the dog is located or by search warrant, until a final court decision. The owner or keeper of the pit bull dog will be responsible for the costs of impoundment.

 

If the dog is determined to be a pit bull, it shall be destroyed, unless the owner produces evidence deemed sufficient by the court that the pit bull is to be permanently removed from the city and the owner pays the cost of impoundment. Costs of impoundment, if not paid, shall be assessed against the real property of the owner or keeper of the pit bull.

So there is clearly the option to prove you can rehome your beloved pet before the city destroys your dog. Tyrome West, a Minot man, and pit bull owner chose to fight the law.  The good news is he narrowly won his September 6th round with the Minot City Council.  The Council voted 4-3 to eliminate the pit bull ban.  It's still a narrow margin and passage of a second reading is required to repeal the ban.

The Minot City Council will decide the dog's fate in their September 19 meeting

I mentioned there are passionate arguments on both sides and Minot is not the only city in the state to ban pit bulls within the city limits.  North Dakota cities such as Bowman, Glenburn, and Kenmare also have bans in place that also include rottweilers and Doberman pinschers.  Here's a short article about the pros/cons of banning animals based on breed.

SO IS THE PITBULL THE MOST AGGRESSIVE BREED?

Nope according to Country Living.com it's none other than...Lassie?

Yep, seems the long-haired collie is the most aggressive breed.  A breed that looks alot like my Daisy dog. Let me promise you this- you're not killing my dog. Even if her DNA test showed she has a little pit bull in there too.

Speaking of a "little pit bull" here's another cute pic.