Coeur D'Alene Won't Suggest Breed Ban

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — Coeur d'Alene workers are asking city council members not to ban any breeds of dogs when retooling the city's dangerous dog ordinance this fall.

City officials began considering 22 possible changes to the dangerous dog rules after a number of incidents arose this year, including one in which police shot one of two pit bulls that forced a man into a tree.

Included in the list was a ban on so-called "uninsurable" dogs - including pit bulls, Rottweilers, presa canarios, akitas, Alaskan malamutes, chow chows, Doberman pinschers, German shepherds, Siberian huskies, Staffordshire bull terriers and wolf hybrids. Such a ban would simply be too difficult to enforce, officials said.

"When you're looking at a dog, how do you know what you're looking at?" said city administrator Wendy Gabrial, the Coeur d'Alene Press reported. "The answer is to focus on owners who are irresponsible."

Warren Wilson, deputy city civil attorney, said the ban won't be completely off the table until the council committee working on the ordinance talks about the issue later this month. Still, he said, "it's safe to say our recommendation is going to be we don't pursue it."

The news pleased dog lovers and animal advocates who spoke out against the suggested ban, including Kootenai Human Society Executive Director Phil Morgan and Michaelle Sande, president of the Coeur d'Alene Dog Fanciers.

"I'm very proud to live in a community where the municipality sees the importance of their citizens' best friends," Morgan said.