The latest Pit Bull attack on a child has a member of Calgary’s city council considering a proposal that may help people recognize aggressive dogs more easily.

Tyler LeClaire was attacked in his Cochrane home over the weekend by a dog owned by his sister's boyfriend and suffered a severe bite to his face.

It is the fourth vicious dog attack in the Calgary area in the past month and now a Calgary businessman may have a way to identify aggressive dogs.

Sebastian Yoon has patented a bylaw that identifies aggressive dogs using colour coded collars or dog tags.

The colour of the collars or tags would let others know if a dog has a history of aggression towards people or their dogs.

“There would be more signage at the off-leash parks, any park actually, a colour coded system. So it will be either joined with a collar or a tag. So the most aggressive being red. If a dog is sporting a red collar or a tag, the bylaw will state that it has to be muzzled,” said Yoon.

Yoon says the bylaw will encompass North America and is not breed specific.

“The Pit Bulls are always in the media because they’ve gotten negative press but the owners, their due diligence is lacking and now we want to make the bylaws black and white, no grey areas. Past history of biting, aggression, muzzled, red,” said Yoon.

Yoon pitched his idea to Councillor John Mar who says the idea is worth considering.

“The idea of colour coding or creating a system where people have a bit more of a measured response, understanding what the animal’s previous behaviors is, is something that has merit,” said Mar.

Mar says that banning breeds doesn’t work and that the proposed system offers an alternative.

“On balance, the idea sounds very sound. It’s quite practical and can work very well with a lot of the systems that we have in place right now,” said Mar.

Yoon is a Pitt Bull owner and is among those who do not want to see a ban on the breed.

He says his experiences at dog parks with his own dog led him to formulate the colour coded collar idea.

Yoon says when people see a Pitt Bull they often become very afraid and pick up their dogs to protect them. He says this is actually the wrong approach as the dogs then get really excited and nervous. 

“This bylaw isn’t 100 percent fool proof, it relies on the dog and the owner. If you are a responsible dog owner, you’ll have more piece of mind. If you’re not a responsible dog owner, you’re gonna get fined and there’s going to be more restrictions,” said Yoon.

Yoon’s system currently uses five colours; pink, green, yellow, amber and red. He says there will be additional colours for service dogs.

The goal of the program is to keep dogs that have a history of biting under control and on a leash.

Mar says that those dogs that have a proven track record of good behavior may be able to earn a green collar and could potentially be allowed off-leash at all times.

The city would have to work out which department would certify the dogs and Mar says he will bring the proposal to administration for consideration.