County to look at dog safety options

In the wake of a pit bull attack that left a 4-year-old boy dead in northeast Harris County a couple of weeks ago, county officials have given the green light to a study of how best to prevent dog attacks in the future. The county's pit bull task force, formed after last month's attack, will look at whether local regulations, state laws or more animal control officers would help the most when it comes to public safety.

The county had considered a ban on pit bulls, but such a ban would require the OK of the state Legislature — and County Judge Robert Eckels said that could be tricky for a number of reasons, including that people might not agree on which dog breeds should be banned. "It's difficult to get legislation passed on breeds. It's politically difficult," he said. But if a ban is what the task force recommends, that's what County Commissioner El Franco Lee told the Chronicle he'll support.

There's no word on when the task force will make its recommendation.