Pit bull ban?

MARINETTE - Should people be allowed to own pit bulls? Marinette is considering an ordinance that would keep all pit bulls out of the city.

At least 25 pit bulls and their owners made their way over the interstate bridge, hoping to send a message to the city of Marinette.

"I think most bully breeds are just misunderstood and it's not the dog, it can be the owner," said Angela VandeHei.

According to the Marinette public safety and code enforcement committee chair, Marinette's mayor asked the city attorney to draft an ordinance banning residents from owning pit bulls.

Police say a Marinette woman was bit by her neighbor's pit bull last month.

"She went to separate the dogs and at that time the pit bull turned on her and grabbed her by her forearm area and pulled her to the ground," explained Officer Scott Reis of the Marinette Police Department.

The woman was going to speak at the meeting, but police say she decided not to on advice from her attorney. FOX 11 tried to speak with her at home, but no one answered.

"For me it's like saying you're going to ban an ethnic group because you were influenced by one bad issue," said Amanda Berg, owner of the dog that bit the woman. The dog was euthanized.

Ten people spoke up at the committee meeting, all against an ordinance banning pit bulls.

"If you're going to ban pit bulls for biting, then you might as well ban all breeds," said one Marinette man.

"It's not the breed. Any dog can bite," another resident told the committee.

"Pass legislation that makes dog owners significantly more responsible for their animals, prevent this sort of thing from happening, and you will reduce the amount of dangerous attacks and bites in the neighborhood," said Phil Hayes.

The committee unanimously voted to put the idea on hold and look into more research, before making a recommendation to the full city council.

Under the proposed ordinance, current pit bull owners would be allowed to keep their dogs, but new ones would not be allowed.