La Vista has joined Omaha and Gretna by adopting a dangerous dog ordinance. The city council voted unanimously to approve the measure at a meeting on Tuesday night.

The ordinance mirrors Omaha's in many ways except Omaha has a breed specific aspect where Pit Bulls have to be muzzled. La Vista does not do that.

When a neighbor dog got loose from the backyard and mauled one of Dan Rawson's two puppies in August, he started to push for stricter rules for dogs. "It wasn't just the attack on the dogs that got me concerned. There was a lot kids around when this was going on."

"We've had a couple of situations in the past two years where animals have been hurt and people have been hurt," said La Vista police chief Bob Lausten, "And by looking at what other communities have done, we can put preventative measures in place."

Omaha's ordinance which was adopted in 2008.

"The dangerous dog ordinance basically lets us identify those dogs that could pose a danger in the future," said Mark Langan with the Nebraska Humane Society, "put restrictions on the dogs, make the owner responsible for that, and if the owner decides not to do that -- they fall into the reckless owner category which means they forfeit their animals and they can't own animals for four years."