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Vicious Animal ordinance mentioning pit bulls angers some in Hastings

Posted at 8:47 PM, Dec 19, 2017
and last updated 2017-12-19 20:51:21-05

HASTINGS, Mich. — City officials are rethinking and rewriting their Vicious Animal ordinance after some backlash from residents. Residents have filled recent city hall meetings and voiced their concern that the ordinance unfairly targets pit bulls.

"It spells out their breed of dog," said Mayor Pro-tem Bill Redman about the ordinance. "It doesn’t spell out any other breed."

According to Redman, the ordinance actually outlines four different types of pit bulls. Breed advocates want it eliminated.

"It doesn't spell out Schnauzers like I've got," Redman told FOX 17. "It doesn’t spell out weiner dogs. [It] Don’t spell out huskies. It don’t spell out German Shepherds, Dobermans."

He said the ordinance deals with the owners' accountability when it comes to "dangerous dogs," which could be any dog that attacks or injures someone. This isn't the first time it's been brought to their attention.

"A couple years ago this flared up," he said. "It was sent to the chief of police and the city attorney and they went over it to try to come up with something."

The council never pushed for it so it was never finalized, said Redman. The police chief and city attorney are drafting a new one which is expected to be done by Tuesday, Dec. 26, when they'll meet to discuss its language.

"Will something happen? I don’t know," said Redman who's one the nine people voting on this. "When the ordinance comes back I’m assuming that we’ll have sometime to look at it, read it over an study it and then make a decision."

Once they review it, he said they'll have two more meetings in January to determine whether they want to adopt the ordinance or make further changes.

"We want to be as fair as we can to everybody," he said.