The Nation - News from Sept. 24, 1989

A judge has barred New York City from enforcing its strict regulations of pit bull dogs, including a ban on all new pit bulls after Oct. 1. State Supreme Court Justice Leland DeGrasse ruled that the Board of Health regulations were irrational and vague and said the agency had not shown pit bull terriers were more dangerous than other breeds. The city had argued that while pit bulls were 2% of the city’s dog population, they inflicted 14% of the bites over a 10-month period. The board called the pit bull “a unique public health problem” and cited the dog’s “unusual savagery.” The American Kennel Club sued to challenge the rules, which required the dogs to be neutered, tattooed with a registration number and leashed and muzzled or confined at all times.