Grosse Pointe Shores Repeals Pit Bull Ban After Public Outcry

GROSSE POINTE SHORES, MI — The Grosse Pointe Shores City Council on Tuesday night repealed a controversial ordinance that banned pit bulls in the city.

The 4-3 vote to do away with the measure came after the mayor held up a stack of emails sent on the issue.

"We said we were going to do something, we were going to toughen up, tighten the existing ordinance," Mayor Ted Kedzierski said at the meeting. "That was our goal here."

The ordinance specifically banning pit bulls was originally in a 4-3 September vote, months after a pit bull attacked a small dog back in June in Grosse Pointe Shores. The small dog had to have its leg amputated.

The original ordinance said owners must meet a list of requirements that includes maintaining a 6-foot fence, keeping pit bulls on a leash and a possessing a $100,000 liability insurance policy in case the dog causes any damage or injuries.

Pit bull is not an actual dog breed, but a term generally used to describe a group of different dog breeds that share similar physical characteristics. The breeds typically used to describe a pit bull include the American Bully, the American Pit Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier and the American Bulldog.

The decision to ban the dogs led to a public outcry that saw more than 300 people sign a petition deeming the controversial ordinance discrimination.

"I'm a licensed vet tech, I've been in the field for over 10 years and I have been faced with many vicious animals in my years and majority have not been pit bulls," one woman said during the September meeting.