Banning certain kinds of dog breeds has been a hot topic in the state of Iowa over the past few months. Over the summer there were 10 families, from Keystone, Iowa, who were told to get rid of their dogs that were either Pitt Bulls or looked like Pit Bulls.

That County ordinance was deemed vague by many people, as there was no requirement to prove or not prove their dog was a Pit Bull. One woman in Dubuque, Iowa, has found a creative way to fight against breed bans in the state.

Stephanie Sanders is the owner of Pupper Mom Apparel and not only is she fighting against breed bans, but she's also giving back to her local area rescues and shelters at the same time. According to KCRG, over 60 cities in Iowa have breed-specific legislations and are in favor of banning certain dog breeds they have deemed "dangerous." It doesn't take a genius to figure out Pitt Bulls are a high priority.

I've always personally felt that dogs are a reflection of their owners. I've run into more problems in my life with small "ankle-biter" dogs than I've ever had with bigger ones. I'm at the point where I think if you want to own a dog, you should have to pass a dog training class of some sort. 

Bad owners are a much bigger problem than any kind of bad dog breed, in my opinion. Sanders and Pupper Mom Apparel want to "focus on behavior over breed", according to KCRG. Sanders and Pupper Mom Apparel are selling Iowans Against Breed Bans t-shirts and bandanas as a way to unite Iowans and raise money for local shelters. She told KCRG

Really the goal here is just to reach as many people as possible and kind of unite all the people around that state that believe in this. There’s a lot of people that I’ve kind of bumped into like coworkers and things and they have no idea that breed bans even exist in the state of Iowa so I just want to get the word out to everybody

 

Portions of the sales go to help rescues and shelters every day. They recently just gave their first check to the Cedar Valley Pit Bull Rescue, which was over $1,000.

Donna Penne is the founder of the Cedar Valley Pit Bull Rescue, in Waterloo, Iowa, and she couldn't be more thankful to receive the $1,086.51 check, as it helps a lot when it comes to vet bills. She told KCRG

It was just awesome and it couldn’t come at a better time because with the economy the way it is you know the vet bills are going up and to get a $1,000 check it just really helps with those vet bills that we have.

If you plan on owning a dog in your life, you should know ahead of time that it is a LOT of work. A dog isn't some toy you play with for a few weeks and then push aside. They should be treated like a member of the family.

Owning a dog takes time, patience, consistency, love, and care. This might come as a shock to some people but if you're a bad dog owner and you have a "bad dog," that's on you. Maybe we should start banning bad owners instead.

Pupper Mom Apparel will be sending a portion of their September sales to PAW Fort Madison.

Weird Names Iowans Have Given to Their Pets

Iowans submitted strange and weird names they have given their real pets and these are some of the strangest. *The animals in these photos are not the owners real pets*

Have You Seen All of these License Plates in Iowa?

Here are 25 different license plates you can see throughout Iowa.

More From AM 950 KOEL