The death of a 7-year-old boy killed by his family's pit bull in their north Minneapolis home has recharged an aggressive push to ban so-called dangerous dog breeds.

Neighborhood activists say they'll distribute fliers in that part of the city with a phone number residents can call anonymously if they know where dangerous dogs are and where dog fighting is occurring. And a state senator plans to introduce his dog-ban legislation during the upcoming special session.

The North Side is overrun with pit bulls, said Minneapolis City Council Member Don Samuels, who wants to challenge the state law that prevents cities from banning specific breeds. Minnesota is one of a dozen states with such a law.

Speculation continued to swirl Friday about why the male pit bull, named Face, lunged for Zachary King Jr.'s throat in his parent's basement in the 3500 block of Humboldt Avenue N. on Thursday.

Face had been on a 3-foot leash; the family also had a female pit bull and five puppies that were allowed to wander freely in the house. Zachary may have gone to the basement to play with the puppies, family members said.

Zachary's cousin, Craig Dyar, said the King family is closing ranks now that so many outsiders are weighing in. For the big extended family, Zachary's death is a horrific tragedy, he said.

But for Samuels and others, the family's tragedy is a community issue, too.

"This debate isn't about docile pets nuzzling their owners," Samuels said. "It's about dangerous dogs maiming and killing people. That's where we are at, once more."

Dog-attack deaths are extremely rare. Keith Streff, director of investigations for the Animal Humane Society of Golden Valley, said he hadn't heard of one in the state in 20 years.

The dog that killed Zachary had bitten two other people and any further incidents could have led to it being declared dangerous, animal control officials have said. That would have required the family to muzzle it in public and have proper fencing or kennels.

Anger and calls to action

Zachary's death infuriated Roberta Englund, executive director of the Folwell Neighborhood Association in north Minneapolis, who said it's time to hold dog owners accountable.

"We're not going to take this," she said. "Sometimes it feels like there are more pit bulls than guns around here, and we're sick of it."

She said her group is joining city animal control officials in urging residents to call 612-521-2100 anonymously to report dangerous dogs or dog fights. The group will distribute fliers to that effect in the neighborhood.

Even before the attack, debate on the issue was intense. State Rep. John Lesch, who in June proposed banning certain dog breeds, said Friday he's received a lot of support from the public and other legislators in the wake of Zachary's death.

"The reason I brought this forward was not because I anticipated a tragedy this summer," Lesch said.

Minneapolis Police Lt. Amelia Huffman said the case will be forwarded to the county attorney's office, which will consider whether Zachary's father was criminally culpable. Police, who removed the adult female pit bull and five puppies from King's home, don't know whether he intended to sell them. There is no indication he was involved in dog fighting, Huffman said. In fighting, pit bulls are commonly used.

Tom Deegan, manager of Animal Care & Control for Minneapolis, said the agency has no immediate plans to change the monitoring of the owners of potentially dangerous dogs. But no animal control employee would have supported keeping a dog tied in the basement.