N.Y. targeting potentially dangerous dogs

NEW YORK, April 29 (UPI) -- The New York Housing Authority says it has banned certain dog breeds deemed potentially dangerous from its apartments.

New housing regulations ban any resident of an apartment building run by the agency from owning a pit bull, Rottweiler or Doberman pinscher, the New York Daily News said Wednesday.

The new rules also prevent any apartment building resident from owning a canine that weighs more than 25 pounds.

Those residents who owned one of the newly banned animals prior to the implementation of the new regulations can keep the dogs if they register by Friday.

The new regulations have already drawn opposition from city residents and groups like the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Daily News reported.

"We are opposed to breed-specific bans," Michelle Villagomez, ASPCA senior manager of advocacy and campaigns, told the newspaper.

"And we find the weight restriction is too oppressive. So many breeds are over 25 pounds. You can get an overweight beagle that weighs more than 25 pounds."