MIDDLESBORO - Even though the agenda was basically blank two weeks prior to the election primaries, it didn't stop the city council from going to the dogs - again.

For the second city council meeting in a row, several dog owners, most of them owners of the pit bull breed, turned out to hear the latest developments from the city council regarding what to do about the ever-going dog problem.

Things heated up at the April 18 meeting when the city council first considered an ordinance that would ban the specific pit bull breeds within the city. After facing fierce backlash from local owners, who told the council members they were being prejudice against their breed, the council has been looking at other alternatives to solve complaints they have been getting on dogs.

In fact, the business of the dogs or the second reading of the proposed ordinance wasn't included on the written agenda for last night's meeting.

Tuesday raised some interesting discussion, including some reported rumors that were circling in the community regarding the ‘irresponsible' pit bull owners and dog fighting.

The responsible owners claim the breed is getting a bad reputation from those few owners who are doing illegal activities, saying it's not the dog but the people.

Councilman Dewey Morgan said “dog fighting is not a sport, it's a gambling event and a felony”, and it should be addressed and the police should act on it.

However, one specific rumor was thrown on to the floor by some citizens who claim a few officers of the Middlesboro Police Department are involved with dog fighting themselves.

“As far as dog fighting goes, and nothing being done about it - what do you do about it when some of the officers, I don't know how many, are fighting them their own selves?” said an unidentified man at the meeting

Council member Evelyn Farmer said if anything or anyone that is on city payroll is spotted not following the law, to call her or one of the other city council members. She said she would keep callers anonymous. Other members agreed.

“If you know something is going on and it's illegal, if you don't tell any body what's going on and who's doing it, it can never be stopped,” said councilman Gary Mills.

Morgan told Mayor Ben Hickman that he was aware they can't do anything based on rumors alone but thought it was a good idea for the Mayor or council to direct the MPD chief on any issue of that nature.

As far as any action that the council may take toward the issue, it was decided that the dog owners of the entire town, not just pit bull owners, but all dog owners have a public forum to elect five members to serve on a committee.

That committee will then meet at a later date with the Middlesboro safety committee and a county committee. All three committees will meet at the same time.

"I'll admit, we made an error in picking on pit bulls but now, we are going to include all breeds and we've got to get this dog problem under control," said Councilman Ronnie Carter.

Carter felt like the city should lean toward banning dogs from public parks, gatherings, and sporting events - all breeds, all sizes. On the same line, Morgan felt some funds should be invested in a dog park.

Safety Director James Pursifull said a dog park was a good idea and Carter added Knoxville, Tenn. has just opened up their dog park this week.

Knoxville's dog park is centered on one acre of land, which is enclosed with a chain link fence and is an ‘off leash' facility, complete with fun obstacles for the animals to play on.

Council agreed to open up the council chambers for the public meeting of the city dog owners. That meeting will be held next Wednesday, May 10, at 6 p.m. at city hall.

Natasha Douglas is a staff writer for the Daily News. She can be reached via e-mail at ndouglas@middlesborodailynews.com