Dog owners in Sherwood, Arkansas, are urged to take action in support of provisions in a proposed ordinance that would lift restrictions on ownership of “pit bull” dogs in the city. The proposal is currently tabled, and could be considered again at the next city council meeting on July 22, 2024. When available, the meeting agenda can be viewed here.
Click here to view a recent news report that displays both the current animal control ordinance and the proposed ordinance.
What you can do: Contact Sherwood City Council members and respectfully ask them to support breed-neutral animal control policies. Click here for contact information.
Additional information: Sherwood’s current animal control ordinance defines prohibited breeds as:
- The Pit Bull Terrier breed of dog
- Staffordshire Bull Terrier breed of dog
- The American Pit Bull Terrier breed of dog
- The American Staffordshire Terrier breed of dog
- The American Bull Dog breed of dog
- Mixed breed dogs with similar appearance and characteristics that display aggression towards people or other dogs; these characteristics are seen in Pit Bull type dogs that have a linage from dogs bred and trained for dog fighting or for guarding illegal activities.
Resources and talking points: The American Kennel Club (AKC) supports reasonable, enforceable, non-discriminatory laws to govern the ownership of dogs. AKC believes that dog owners should be responsible for their dogs and supports laws that: Establish a fair process by which specific dogs are identified as “dangerous” based on stated, measurable actions; impose appropriate penalties on irresponsible owners; and establish a well-defined method for dealing with dogs proven to be dangerous.
Click here for additional resources, analyses, and talking points on Breed Specific/Dangerous Dog Laws.
For more information, please contact AKC Government Relations at doglaw@akc.org.