GROSSE POINTE SHORES, Mich. – City leaders in Grosse Pointe Shores are considering banning pit bulls after another dog lost its leg during an attack while walking with its owner in the community.
The decision is just one of the many things they’ll have to figure out if they do decide to move forward with the ban.
At the center of Tuesday (July 18) night’s council meeting in Grosse Pointe Shores was the discussion about dogs, specifically pit bulls.
“It’s not an unfortunate act, but instead, it’s a tragedy what happened to you,” said Michael Smith.
The tragedy Smith referenced was the attack two blocks away from Lynn Schneider.
“All I know is that they were walking their dog, and this dog came up between two houses and attacked the little dog,” said Schneider.
The injured dog lost a leg in the attack, which prompted the proposed pit bull ban.
“As a dog behaviorist and trainer with over 16 years of experience having worked with over a thousand dogs, a breed restriction is a knee-jerk reaction,” said a woman speaking at the podium.
Those who gave public comment were horrified by what happened and still unsure that a breed-specific ban would prevent another incident.
“Breed restriction ordinances do not stop irresponsible dog owners from being irresponsible,” said another woman.
Schnieder, who has volunteered with Grosse Pointe Animal Adoptions for more than two decades, says any dog breed has the potential to be dangerous.
“It’s just not fair,” Schneider said. “But I hope when the dust settles, and they’ll realize that the vicious dog was already in place.
Schneider mentioned the vicious dog rule that came up more than once in public comment Tuesday night.
You had people saying, ‘Hey, why don’t you refer to that which deals with dog problems instead of taking any further action.’
Local 4 did reach out to the City manager and the mayor about this, but they did not respond to our requests for interviews.