AJ Koehler of 10758 Northwest Lawton Road addressed the commission during public input on Jan. 14, 2025 and urged city leaders to consider replacing Pittsburg’s breed‑specific pitbull ban with a ‘‘violent dog’’ ordinance focused on behavior rather than breed.

Koehler said research shows ‘‘pit bull’’ is a colloquial umbrella covering multiple breeds and that stigma arises from dog fighting and bite incidents. He told commissioners he spoke with the local animal control officer, Jason Denny, about enforcement and said enforcement relies heavily on citizen reporting, which can lead to inconsistent or retaliatory complaints. Koehler said the city sometimes removes dogs and takes them to a vet; when a dog shows even partial pit‑bull lineage it may be barred from returning, which he described as a ‘‘modern one‑drop rule.’’

Koehler cited data and experience from the Southeast Kansas Humane Society, which he said houses a large proportion of pit‑bull or pit‑bull‑mix dogs with longer stays, and argued lifting the ban would free shelter resources and improve adoption chances. He said nearby municipalities—Parsons, Frontenac and Fort Scott—moved from breed bans to violent‑dog ordinances and did not see an increase in bites tied to those changes.

Koehler’s recommendation to the commission was that city staff work with the Humane Society to draft a behavior‑based violent dog ordinance and consider revised enforcement protocols.

Ending: The commission heard Koehler’s comments during the public input period; no regulatory action was taken at the Jan. 14 meeting.