LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — Community members in Little Rock are voicing their concerns after the city temporarily halted adoptions of what it terms “potentially dangerous breeds” at the Little Rock Animal Village, the city’s animal shelter.
This decision follows a Pulaski County jury’s ruling earlier this month that found the city liable for damages in an incident where a pit bull, adopted from the shelter, injured another dog.
City officials have announced plans to appeal the jury’s decision while also reviewing policies regarding the adoption of certain breeds.
Lauren Hughes, a volunteer at the Animal Village, expressed her disapproval of the adoption pause. “I have walked hundreds of dogs at the Animal Village at this point including a lot of pit bulls. All have been great,” she said.
Hughes believes around 50% of the dogs at the Little Rock Animal Village are classified as pit bulls or pit bull mixes.
Hughes argued that the decision does not enhance public safety and is unfair to the affected dogs.
“I don’t think that we should be making rules simply based on what a dog looks like,” she said. “This dog looks like this and therefore if he were at the Animal Village today, he would not be able to be adopted.”
Hughes warned of the potential consequences if the ban remains in place.
“I would imagine it is going to stay for a while and if they decide to keep that, hundreds and maybe thousands of dogs could die because of this,” she said.
Instead of the ban, Hughes suggested that the city should collaborate with individuals who work closely with the dogs and understand their behavior to develop more informed policies. “I think just working with the people who actually work with these dogs and understand dog behavior to form policies would be the best option,” she said.
According to the city, a potentially dangerous breed includes: “a pit bull, which is defined as any dog that is an American pit bull terrier, a Staffordshire terrier, or American Staffordshire terrier, and any dog of mixed breeding that has the primary characteristics of an American pit bull terrier, a Staffordshire terrier, or an American Staffordshire terrier.”
There are regulations set in place for pit bull owners in Little Rock.
Owners have to submit a picture of their dog, pay $150 for registration and are required to have a city license.
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