Carter Lake council passes pit bull ban

Council Bluffs, IA -- While Council Bluffs' pit bull ban came in with a roar, Carter Lake passed a similar ordinance at last night's City Council meeting with nary a whimper.

Council member Marcy Hawkins said the ordinance passed unanimously on its third and final reading without opposition.

"No one spoke against it," she said.

Hawkins said while Carter Lake has not experienced as many pit bull attacks as Council Bluffs, the city has not been without incidents.

In June, Gina Malloy, a Council Bluffs School Board member and Carter Lake resident, was bit by a pit bull on the foot when she attempted to rescue her dog from an attack.

Another dog owner complained about a pit bull attacking her animal.

Hawkins said the Carter Lake ordinance is patterned after the one passed in Council Bluffs earlier this month.

The Council Bluffs ordinance met with stiff opposition from pit bulls owners. Hawkins said that has not been the case in Carter Lake.

The Carter Lake ordinance allows current owners to keep their pit bulls as long as they abide by certain regulations. Among those are having $100,000 in liability insurance, having the animal spayed or neutered and keeping the animal secured. Once the animal dies, owners would be prohibited from getting a new one.

The Council Bluffs ordinance may be challenged in court. The American Canine Association indicated it will soon file for an injunction against the pit bull ban.

Hawkins said she has not heard if Carter Lake would be included in the request for an injunction.

"What I have heard is that owners are having trouble getting liability insurance because the pit bulls are considered dangerous," she said.

Carter Lake City Clerk Doreen Mowery said the ordinance takes effect 10 days after it is posted.

"I am going to try and get it posted today, but it will be done for sure by the end of the week," she said.