OMAHA, Neb. -- Council Bluffs City Attorney Don Bauermeister said his city has seen a drop in pit bull attacks since it passed an ordinance banning the dogs.

The Council Bluffs pit bull ordinance went into effect in January 2005.

Bauermeister said there were 29 pit bull attacks on people in 2004, 12 in 2005, six in 2006, two in 2007 and none so far this year.

Omaha police responded to two pit bull attacks on Wednesday evening. An Omaha toddler underwent surgery Wednesday night to reattach her scalp after a pit bull attacked her and three other people. A few hours later, police said another pit bull attacked a 12-year-old boy, biting him on the arm.

The ordinance passed by the City Council stated that residents not be allowed to buy or breed pit bulls within the city limits, but current owners could keep their pets if they meet certain safety and insurance guidelines. A $100,000 liability policy is needed. The owner must post signs warning visitors about the dog, and the dog must be microchipped.

On Wednesday, 80 pit bulls were registered with the city.

Galen Barrett, the city's chief animal control officer, said that most of the bites recorded before the ban were minor but he remembers at least one vicious incident.

"One of the worst was a female bit in the forearm. She had to have the piece of the dog's tooth that busted out in the arm removed," Barrett said.

Barrett said he thinks some pit bull owners moved out of Council Bluffs to keep their dogs.

"Some have gone over to Omaha," he said.

Discuss