Pit Bull law considered in Blair

An attack on a Labrador retriever by two pit bulls is prompting Blair officials to look at enacting an ordinance aimed at dangerous dogs.




Bill and Jane Straube of Blair are to speak about the need for the ordinance at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. The Straubes’ dog, Sophie, was the victim of an attack by a pair of pit bulls on July 21 while in the family’s yard.



“It could have been disastrous,” Jane Straube said Monday. “Our 9-year-old son could have been out in the front yard. I got bit on the toe trying to pull (the pit bulls) off.”



The dog required numerous stitches but survived the attack. The pit bulls are being held at the Blair Animal Shelter.



Jane Straube said one of the pit bulls, which lived across the street, had been identified as a dangerous animal in 2007 after it chased some neighbors.



City Administrator Rod Storm said the current Blair dog ordinance gives a dog two strikes before it can be destroyed.



Jane Straube and her husband intend to ask the City Council to allow a dog to be destroyed after one unprovoked attack.



“We want them to toughen up the law, because right now two chances is one too many,” Jane Straube said. “This attack could have been much worse, and it was very traumatic for our family.”



Storm said his office is gathering information from several communities about their dog ordinances to present to the council.



“We were approached by one of the council members in the wake of the attack (upon the Straubes’ dog) and asked to come up with a stronger ordinance,” Storm said. “We’re working to give the council a complete picture so they can make their decision.”