Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Laws on pit bulls may soon come to Gurdon

Due to an increase in the population of pit bulls in the city, Gurdon animal control officer Ty Oppelt spoke with the Gurdon City Council Monday, April 21, about passing new ordinances.

Oppelt said that since cities like Arkadelphia and Little Rock have put into effect stiff rules and fines for pit bull owners in February, many owners in that city have simply abandoned or dumped off their dogs. This has led to pit bull owners dumping their dogs elsewhere in the county.

Some of the ordinances passed in Arkadelphia include:

-Having the dog spayed or neutered,

-Having a minimum of $100,000 worth of home insurance

-Keeping the dog fenced in. A fence must be two foot below ground in dirt, or the fence wire must be two inches below concrete

-After vaccinating the dog, it must be registered at the city hall

-Installing a microchip under its skin

-In order to walk a pit bull, one must be 21 years old or older and the dog must have a muzzle and a sturdy leash

The migration of pit bulls into the city of Gurdon has kept Oppelt busy with calls regarding this certain breed of dogs.

Ive been dealing with them left and right, he said.

Oppelt said he responded to a pit bull call Sunday, April 20, in which two pit bulls attacked a pit bull puppy. The attacked pup had to be euthanized, and the owner said the dogs were from Arkadelphia.

In another recent call, Oppelt said a pit bull had chased two separate people into their homes.

We have way too many of them, he said, and theyre causing a lot of problems.

To curb the influx of pit bulls, Oppelt asked the council if the city could pass ordinances on the dogs.

The current law does not specify any particular breed of dog; but it gives Oppelt the authority to decide what dogs are vicious and what dogs are not.

He said he does not want to impose laws as strict as Arkadelphia, but wants to look into laws from other towns in the area and find out what works best for the city of Gurdon.

Gurdon Mayor Clayton Franklin said he will look into other ordinances, and appoint council members to assist in the matter.

Imposing laws on a specific breed of dog can be a hard decision to make, according to council member Stacey Blackard.

I think that the best way to make an educated decision on it is to get input from the local townspeople, Blackard said.

The next council meeting is scheduled for May 19 at 7 p.m.