Louisiana Town Considering Changes to Pit Bull Ban

Many Louisiana families have dogs as pets. In fact, according to at least one web source, almost 40% of Louisiana families keep a dog as a pet or as a working member of their household. When you compare that number to 19% for families in the state that have cats you can see just how important our dogs are to us.

While most of us think of dogs as gentle creatures there are some that can be quite vicious, especially when provoked. One of the more maligned breeds of dogs on the vicious side of the scale is the Pit Bull. If you're not aware the very name of the breed "pit bull" harkens back to when the dogs were put in pits for the purpose of fighting.

Despite the fact that society as a whole now views dog fighting as disgusting the reputation of the breed still lingers. Many people have a genuine fear of pit bulls and that has prompted many towns in Louisiana to create ordinances that govern the ownership of the animals. 

Lake Arthur, Louisiana is one of those towns. It has had a ban on the Pit Bull breed in the town limits for about 20 years. City leaders are now looking at the ban and are contemplating making changes or even repealing the ban altogether.

The reason for the change of heart has to do less with compassion for dogs and their owners and more with time and money. Police Chief of Lake Arthur Jared Thomas told KPLC Television that it's very difficult for a lawman or a layman for that matter to determine if a dog is a pure-bred pit bull. The only way to actually verify if the animal, that might look like a pit bull is actually a pit bull is to do a DNA test. Those DNA tests cost money.

Last week the town council in Lake Arthur passed a motion to consider repealing Ordinance 486 - Prohibiting Putt Bull Dogs within the Town of Lake Arthur. The council will vote on repealing that ordinance at their next scheduled meeting next month.

Should Ordinance 486 be repealed then law enforcement officers will concentrate on enforcing the leash law and the town's vicious dog ordinance when it comes to complaints about animals in town.

Lake Arthur's Chief of Police told KPLC that the majority of the complaints his office receives are about free-roaming dogs so the leash law and vicious dog ordinance should cover any actions that officers feel are necessary regarding the dogs and the public's safety.