City in Iowa requires pit bull owners to get rid of dogs during holiday weekend

KEYSTONE, Iowa (KGAN) — A city in Iowa has required pit bull owners to get rid of dogs during the holiday weekend.

Keystone, along with the Benton County Sheriff's Office, sent a notice to residents on Friday afternoon, noting that their pit bulls have to leave.

Keystone gave residents three days' notice to remove their dogs.

In the notice, the sheriff stated that residents can file a request to discuss the pit bull ban with the Keystone City Council, however, that request has to be filed within two days of receiving the notice.

The last day to submit a request to meet with the city council is Sunday, but city offices will be closed until Tuesday due to Labor Day weekend.

It is also stated in the notice that if the pit bulls aren't removed by the three-day time limit, city officials will remove the dogs and owners would be subject to a fine.

The fines cannot exceed $750 for a first offense or $1,000 for a second offense.

"The purpose of this ordinance is to protect human beings, livestock and domesticated animals from the perils of dangerous and vicious animals within the confines of Benton County, Iowa and to protect animals from the dangers of abuse, cruelty and neglect," a city ordinance notes.

The ordinance notes that it applies to “any dog which has the appearances and characteristics of being of the breed of Staffordshire Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, any breed commonly known as pit bulls, pit bull dogs or pit bull terriers, or a combination of any of these breeds.”

Other animals cited in the ordinance include the following:

• Lions
• Tigers
• Jaguars
• Leopards
• Cougars
• Lynx
• Bobcats
• Wolves
• Wolf-dog hybrids
• Coyotes
• Coyote-dog hybrids
• Foxes
• Jackals
• Badgers
• Wolverines
• Weasels
• Skunks
• Mink
• Raccoons
• Bears
• Monkeys
• Chimpanzees
• Bats
• Alligators
• Crocodiles
• Scorpions
• Venomous snakes
• Constrictors
• Gila monsters

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The National Desk contributed to this report.