GLIDDEN - The Glidden City Council is considering stiffening a vicious-animal ordinance to include a breed-specific provision regulating pit bulls.
Whether the dogs would be outright banned or handled in another manner has not been determined. Elected officials and staff are reviewing ordinances from other cities and expect to deal with the matter at the next council meeting.
City Administrator Loren Lodge said he brought the matter to the attention of the Glidden City Council Monday night after receiving a report from a family who was concerned about a pit bull that frightened a small girl. She was not hurt.
"We haven't had any incidents of biting," Lodge said.
Lodge said he fields calls on reported pit bulls with some frequency.
"I'll probably get a call on average once every nine or 10 months saying, 'Hey, did you know there's a pit bull here,'" Lodge said.
Several years ago, a previous Glidden council opted against singling out pit bulls in city regulations.
The basic thinking then, Lodge said, was that it would be unfair to a family to go into their home and remove a pet that had done nothing wrong.
He's not sure what the current council will want to do with the pit bulls.
"I don't know if they're going to do anything at all," Lodge said.
Lodge said Glidden is considering copying the Carroll approach to pit bulls.
According to Carroll Police Chief Jeff Cayler, residents of the city can own pit bulls but they are highly regulated.
Owners need to obtain $50,000 in liability insurance for a pit bull and house them in pens with tops and firmly planted sides. When they are out of the structure the pit bulls must be muzzled and controlled by someone 18 or older.
Cayler said he doesn't believe there is anyone in Carroll now with a pit bull permit.
"We rarely have people apply for them," Cayler said. "It's difficult to get insurance."
Cayler said police have had to remove dozens of pit bulls from Carroll over the last two decades.
"Generally it's not your responsible pet owners who are buying pit bulls - not to say it doesn't happen," Cayler said.
