City amends ordinance on dog breeds

     The Buffalo Center City Council has made a change to the city’s “dangerous animal” ordinance, in response to recent complaints about dogs.

     The city code prohibits residents from keeping certain breeds of dogs that are deemed dangerous, including pit bull terriers, Rottweilers and Doberman Pinschers. Many dogs are not purebred, however, and the new ordinance passed by the City Council last Wednesday clarifies how the city code applies to mixed breed dogs.

     Under the new ordinance, a dog owner can refute claims that they have a prohibited breed of dog by obtaining DNA testing from a licensed veterinarian. Any dog whose breed composition includes more than 10%, in total, of any of the prohibited breeds will also be prohibited within city limits.

     Police Chief Matt Holmquist says the new ordinance will come into play if someone is being investigated for having a prohibited dog, and the owner will have to get the testing done if they don’t want to get rid of the dog.

     The council passed the first reading of the ordinance and voted to waive the second and third readings, so the ordinance will go into effect with its publication in the Tribune on June 22.