The city of Douglasville west of Atlanta has delayed a vote on a possible ban on pit bulls. The city council met Monday night to take public comment and consider the measure, which would be one of the first such ordinances in the state if passed.

The city’s been considering such an ordinance for months, but it picked up steam over the summer when a Douglasville woman was seriously hurt when bitten by three pit bulls.

Douglasville City Manager Bill Osborne says officials have taken calls in recent weeks suggesting the ordinance not single out pit bills, but simply ban vicious dogs.

“We’re not saying the owners aren’t a big part of the problem...we’re not saying there might be other breeds that might need to be focused on. But as a starting point, considering what’s happened here in recent weeks, that’s the reason we’re focusing at this time on pit bulls.”

But Miguel Abi-hassan with the Atlanta Humane Society says Douglasville is focusing on the wrong problem:

“As we know in the realm of behavior and welfare and animal sheltering, we know that it’s a lot more about the training that the animal endures, or the type of responsibility the owner has over that animal.”

For owners of pit bulls currently in the city, if the ordinance is eventually passed, they would be allowed to keep the dogs, but under strict conditions.

Tags: Atlanta, Douglasville, pit bulls, Atlanta Humane Society, city ordinance