It's a discussion that has come up in multiple cities across South Dakota and one that often comes with controversy: laws that ban or place restrictions on certain breeds of dogs.

Leola has one such ban and the city of Mobridge recently passed a law that toughens its dog ordinance. And debate came with both.

Having owned multiple pit bulls in his life, Jason Collins would argue animatedly that even if a breed of dog scares a lot of people, it doesn't mean that breed is bad to have around.

He adopted a seven-year-old pit bull named Cash this year.

"Would I say that Cash would be a perfect dog for anybody? No, Cash requires a certain amount of discipline in order for him to be a good dog," Collins said.

And that's something Collins says he's capable of and does. He doesn’t support any ordinance that bans or places certain restrictions on a breed of dog.

"Those things simply don't work because what you're doing is you're addressing the problem from the wrong end of the leash," Collins said.

Collins argues that most of the time dogs aren't the problem but rather owners. So if a community bans a breed or places tougher restrictions on it, bad owners will simply switch to another breed and take along their bad behavior.

In Mobridge, chief of police Mike Nehls agrees that owners are often the source of the issue when a dog is viscous.

"There's good and bad owners of any breed of dog. The problem is, though, when you have a bad owner of a pit bull breed, it doubles the trouble then," Nehls said.

Mobridge city council recently passed a law that doesn't ban pit bulls but does single them out.

Pit bull owners are required to have $250,000 liability insurance and a sign warning people they have a pit bull. They also need to keep a pit bull fenced or kenneled if it's running around outside.

"Our ordinance is trying to make pit bull owners more responsible. Because that breed is specifically bred for fighting," Nehls said.

The law was birthed in Mobridge after several in the community complained about being frightened by pit bulls running loose. And police say a pit bull bit a woman.

But the Mobridge law is tame compared with one passed by a public vote last year in Leola.

There, the law bans a handful of breeds. The city passed it after complaints of Rottweiler and German shepherds running in the streets. Concern also rose when a meter reader in a North Dakota town was a dog attack victim.

Collins is frustrated with that ban and the Mobridge law.

"It doesn't really solve the underlying problems, which is education and making sure that owners are doing what owners are supposed to be doing," Collins said.

Collins uses home video of his dog, Cash, before Collins adopted him as an example of why a dog law needs to focus on owners and not a breed.

He says the dog wasn’t properly cared for and had bad behavior. Now that Collins has worked with the dog, its behavior has improved.

Back in Mobridge, Nehls would also argue that pit bulls can be a good dog. But he can also list times he's seen the opposite.

"The dog was vicious and actually broke the catch pole that we use to apprehend dogs," Nehls said. "We eventually were able to apprehend it and take it to the pound but that's one case where the officers were definitely faced with danger from a pit bull."

Collins argues that laws punishing owners when their dog of any kind attacks someone would suffice without breed specific laws.

The new Mobridge ordinance does crack down on all breeds more than the previous one did. After one unprovoked attack, a dog has to either leave the city or be put down, Nehls said.