Councilwoman Sunny Simon says for most dog breeds, aggressive spay and neuter programs have greatly reduced the number of these animals. And this means far fewer of them are being put to sleep at shelters.But most pit bulls are still euthanized because their reputation for vicious, unpredictable behavior prevents them from being adopted. That’s why she’s looking into county legislation requiring pit bulls to be sterilized.

Simon concedes that pit bull advocacy groups could be right when they say that forced sterilization would further stigmatize these animals. Before writing any legislation, she plans to hold hearings on the issue this summer to determine if requiring sterilization is a good way to help protect pit bulls. Recently, Ohio threw out a legal provision labeling pit bulls as vicious. This loosened restrictions on pit bull owners.