MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Pit bulls and rottweilers will no longer be singled out as dangerous dog breeds in the city of Milwaukee.

On Tuesday, July 14, the Milwaukee Common Council unanimously voted to amend the city's animal code to say an animal's behavior determines if it's dangerous, not its breed.

The ordinance chance was suggested by the city's Department of Neighborhood Services and sponsored by Alderman Bob Bauman.

At a July 2 Public Safety and Health Committee meeting, DNS Deputy Commissioner Michael Mazmanian said the change would create an "exotic animal" definition and remove breed-specific language from the ordinance.

Enforcement will now be based on "behavioral characteristics of an animal, as opposed to being biased about a specific breed," Mazmanian said.

Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission (MADACC) and the Humane Society of Milwaukee both supported the change.

Lorie Gallup is the code enforcement chair at DNS. She said, "I can tell you there is some concern. Bites have gone up just in this past year."

"We did have 193 bites, just year-to-date," Gallup said July 2. 14 were cats, the remaining 179 were dogs.

Previously, city ordinance 78-22 held specific rules for pit-bull and rottweiler dogs. They included someone older than 16 holding them when leashed, having a yard or kennel the commissioner deems sufficient, and having owners attend a minimum of one dog behavior or training class.