After the fatal mauling of a 2-year-old boy by a pack of pit bulls, a Southern California county agency is set this week to vote on whether to require owners to spay and neuter their dogs in an effort to curb attacks.
The Riverside County Board of Supervisors is expected to vote on the plan at a meeting on Tuesday.
The plan would require owners to sterilize pit bulls older than 4 months.
County officials say the breed accounts for a disproportionately high number of unwanted dogs in the region.
Some pit bull owners say the breed has been unfairly targeted.
But officials are concerned about the issue and point to two fatal maulings by pit bulls in the area this year.
A 91-year-old woman died in February after being attacked and a toddler died in September after he was mauled while at his grandmother's house in Colton. The boy's uncle was charged with animal cruelty in the case.
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In August, a woman was attacked by two pit bulls in Riverside while walking her own dog.
The plan, if approved, would require owners to sterilize either full breed or mix breed Staffordshire bull terriers, American pit bull terriers, and American Stafford terriers.
Exemptions would be put in place for registered breeders, law enforcement and assistance dogs.
Pit bull owners who violate the law could face misdemeanor charges.
How the plan would be enforced for unlicensed pit bull owners is not clear.
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