By Michelle Costa

As they say, a dog's a man's best friend. For some dog owners in American Falls, their beloved four-legged amigo may be more regulated. New rules on pit bulls are under decision by the City Council, in hopes of cutting down on the number of vicious attacks.

Eleven-month-old Stomper's the family pet. He's also an award-winning show dog and a pit bull.

"He's an inside dog. I take him out on a leash so he can go relieve himself. I take him for a walk. I have a treadmill when he needs exercise," said Adam Raburn, Pit bull owner.

Raburn is among twenty other pit bull owners living in the City and believes singling out these dogs is discrimination.

"We're asking them to enforce responsible ownership, not breed specific legislation," said Raburn.

These dogs are often considered vicious and in this quiet town, they're getting a bad reputation.

"Over the last year, year and a half, we've had reports of pit bulls getting loose and attacking other animals and killing them," said Chief Brandon Wilkinson, American Falls Police Department.

The police and community members are asking for new rules, including restrictions on sheltering and paying an additional $100,000 for homeowner's insurance, all to better serve the community.

"First and foremost, for the public safety, we want to make sure there is restrictions on keeping them confined to their own yard and won't attack or injur anyone in the community," said Chief Wilkinson.

Imagine being told your family pet needs to be on a cement floor kennel and whenever you want to take it out for a walk, you'll need a leash and muzzle.

"I think the muzzling issue, that's just showing everyone they're vicious animals. If they keep banning breeds, they're going to go extinct," said Raburn.

Raburn is voicing his concerns at Wednesday evening's City Council meeting, hoping they'll make some changes to the proposed ordinance.

"I think if they get this law to pass, I'll move out of Idaho. I won't have them tell me what type of dog I can own," said Raburn.

But, even that might not be enough.

The City Council meeting will be at 7 pm Wednesday. This possible pit bull ordinance is one of the issues on their agenda. The City looked at recommendations throughout the country on this. They've been considering this ordinance since last November.

If you would like to join the pit bull owners against this ordinance, you can contact Adam Raburn at (208) 242-6387.