Council Bluffs’ municipal elections brought a stunning change for animal advocates — and potentially, the end of one of Iowa’s longest-standing breed bans.
For more than a decade, the city of Council Bluffs has prohibited residents from owning pit bulls and similar breeds under a controversial local ordinance. The city’s outgoing mayor had long defended the ban, even testifying remotely before the Iowa Legislature in 2021 to oppose a bill that would have outlawed breed-specific bans statewide. At the time, he justified the city’s position by claiming the law “helped keep bad people out of Council Bluffs.”
That era may now be over.
New Leadership, New Direction
In Tuesday’s election, Council Member Julie Shudak defeated the incumbent mayor — and she did so while making repeal of the city’s pit bull ban a campaign issue. In a public statement posted to her campaign page on October 17, Shudak wrote:
“I believe it’s time to take another look at the pit bull ban. Breed-specific bans don’t make our community safer; they create new problems. Having a ban discourages people from registering their dogs, makes it harder for shelters to adopt out animals, and even results in some veterinarians refusing to see these dogs here in Council Bluffs.”
She added that rather than targeting breeds, “we should focus on responsible ownership and create an ordinance that addresses dangerous dogs based on behavior, not appearance.” Shudak also expressed support for Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs to address cat overpopulation, calling proactive spay-and-neuter efforts “one of the best ways to reduce overpopulation humanely.”
Council Momentum Builds
Voters also elected Cole Button to the City Council — another candidate who publicly opposed the breed ban. In his October 18 campaign post, Button wrote:
“I’m not in favor of a ban on an entire breed of dogs. We need restrictions and regulations on individual dogs with documented history of aggressive behavior, but not a blind ban on all dogs of a certain breed. I’ve met several pit bulls over the years that were some of the sweetest and gentlest dogs I’ve ever met.”
With both Shudak and Button now in leadership roles, animal advocates are optimistic that Council Bluffs could soon join the growing number of Iowa communities abandoning outdated breed-specific legislation in favor of breed-neutral, behavior-based approaches.
Advocates Celebrate
Local advocacy group Iowans Against Breed Bans, which has long tracked municipal positions on breed restrictions, highlighted the issue ahead of the election. In an October 19 post, the organization encouraged residents to “ask your city council candidates about their animal policy plans,” noting that “there is a mayoral candidate in favor of ending Council Bluffs’ long-standing breed ban.”
The election results drew attention from statewide animal advocates as well. Preston Moore, Iowa State Director for Humane World for Animals, called the outcome “the most interesting 2025 Iowa election result for animals,” noting that Council Bluffs “elected a new mayor and at least one council member who want to repeal the city’s breed ban.”
What Comes Next
With new leadership ready to revisit the city’s animal ordinances, advocates are hopeful the City Council will soon take up the issue formally. If the repeal moves forward, it would mark one of the most significant local policy reversals in Iowa animal law in years — and a major victory for both dogs and the people who love them.
