(Spirit Lake)– The Spirit Lake city council Tuesday stopped short of holding the first reading of a revised ordinance pertaining to vicious animals.
The proposal the council reviewed Tuesday is breed-specific and addresses control.
Even though he’s expressed opposition to a breed-specific ordinance in the past, councilman Clyde Ihrke said the new proposed ordinance is a compromise, since it includes control measures. Without the breed-specific language, Ihrke says he’s worried about someone coming into town and opening up a pit bull breeding operation.
Fellow councilman Steve Balm said he wants a provision included that would allow owners of dangerous dogs to build enclosed areas in their backyards where they could be exercised. Language to that effect will be drafted into a revised ordinance that will come back to the council at their next meeting for a possible first reading.
Meanwhile, concern was expressed over another portion of the proposed ordinance that would ban other dangerous or wild animals from the city, such as snakes and reptiles such as Gila Monsters. Josh Carlson of Spirit Lake owns several snakes that are locked in protective cases. He urged the council to reconsider that part of the ordinance, saying owners of such animals should be able to keep them as long as certain precautions are taken.
The council took no action regarding that part of the ordinance. However, there was some indication they may be willing to look at that separately.
