Vicki
Administrator
City tackles new dog ordinance
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Niki de Soto, Staff Writer
Salem City Council met Thursday, Dec. 17 to review the first draft of the city’s new Dog Ordinance banning dangerous dogs within city limits. The ordinance lists the following breeds as “presumed to be dangerous animalsâ€: The staffordshire bull terrier, the American staffordshire bull terrier, the American pit bull terrier, the Rottweiler, the wolf-hybrid or tundra shepherd, the bull terrier, the chow chow, the mixed breed of dogs known as pit bulls and “any dog that has the appearance and characteristics of being predominantly of the breeds of dogs listed.â€
For existing dogs within the city limits, owners will be required to confine their dogs in a locked dog run or inside; if allowed to run free within a fence they will have to be muzzled in such a way that the dog can drink but not bite; shall keep the dog leashed and muzzled at any time the dog is not confined; shall have the dog spayed or neutered; shall register the dog with the city for a $25 registration fee and a $10 renewal fee each year thereafter, and must provide the city with proof of public liability insurance in the amount of $100,000 for bodily injury or death and damage to property. The ordinance also states that tethering a dangerous dog on a rope or chain attached to a tree or any other immovable object is prohibited.
Penalties for violating the ordinance range from no less than $100 to no more than $500 for the first conviction, and no less than $100 and no more than $1,000 for each subsequent conviction and/or confined for a period of up to 6 months in the county jail. Each day an owner is in violation of the ordinance will be considered a separate offense.
Council members agreed on the majority of the ordinance with the exception of providing for police department personnel to make a discretionary determination if a dog is dangerous or not. They also looked at the part of the ordinance requiring existing dangerous dogs already within the city to be confined “in a securely enclosed and locked pen or dog run made of at least 9-gauge chain link with no more than 2″ spacing. Such pen or dog run area must have sides at least 6-feet high and be secured over the top with the same material provided for the sides of the pen.†The council members decided that a lighter gauge chain link could be used to secure the top of the enclosure.
The ordinance was passed on a first reading and will be presented for a second reading at the January City Council meeting.
http://www.areawidenews.com/story/1596997.html
More from StopBSL.com...
Second reading will take place during the January city council meeting; if it passes second reading, it will become law.
Breeds to be banned include: American Staffordshire Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier, Bull Terrier, Rottweiler, Chow Chow, wolf-hybrids or “tundra shepherds,†and any dog that appears to be one of these or a mix.
Previous alerts for Salem, AR: http://stopbsl.com/2009/09/10/salem-ar-bsl-under-consideration/
http://stopbsl.com/2009/09/22/salem...d-ban-to-be-reviewed-by-city-council-sept-24/
Contact info for Salem, AR:
City of Salem, P.O. Box 619, Salem, AR 72576
Phone: (870) 895-3478
Fax: (870) 895-4540
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Niki de Soto, Staff Writer
Salem City Council met Thursday, Dec. 17 to review the first draft of the city’s new Dog Ordinance banning dangerous dogs within city limits. The ordinance lists the following breeds as “presumed to be dangerous animalsâ€: The staffordshire bull terrier, the American staffordshire bull terrier, the American pit bull terrier, the Rottweiler, the wolf-hybrid or tundra shepherd, the bull terrier, the chow chow, the mixed breed of dogs known as pit bulls and “any dog that has the appearance and characteristics of being predominantly of the breeds of dogs listed.â€
For existing dogs within the city limits, owners will be required to confine their dogs in a locked dog run or inside; if allowed to run free within a fence they will have to be muzzled in such a way that the dog can drink but not bite; shall keep the dog leashed and muzzled at any time the dog is not confined; shall have the dog spayed or neutered; shall register the dog with the city for a $25 registration fee and a $10 renewal fee each year thereafter, and must provide the city with proof of public liability insurance in the amount of $100,000 for bodily injury or death and damage to property. The ordinance also states that tethering a dangerous dog on a rope or chain attached to a tree or any other immovable object is prohibited.
Penalties for violating the ordinance range from no less than $100 to no more than $500 for the first conviction, and no less than $100 and no more than $1,000 for each subsequent conviction and/or confined for a period of up to 6 months in the county jail. Each day an owner is in violation of the ordinance will be considered a separate offense.
Council members agreed on the majority of the ordinance with the exception of providing for police department personnel to make a discretionary determination if a dog is dangerous or not. They also looked at the part of the ordinance requiring existing dangerous dogs already within the city to be confined “in a securely enclosed and locked pen or dog run made of at least 9-gauge chain link with no more than 2″ spacing. Such pen or dog run area must have sides at least 6-feet high and be secured over the top with the same material provided for the sides of the pen.†The council members decided that a lighter gauge chain link could be used to secure the top of the enclosure.
The ordinance was passed on a first reading and will be presented for a second reading at the January City Council meeting.
http://www.areawidenews.com/story/1596997.html
More from StopBSL.com...
Second reading will take place during the January city council meeting; if it passes second reading, it will become law.
Breeds to be banned include: American Staffordshire Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier, Bull Terrier, Rottweiler, Chow Chow, wolf-hybrids or “tundra shepherds,†and any dog that appears to be one of these or a mix.
Previous alerts for Salem, AR: http://stopbsl.com/2009/09/10/salem-ar-bsl-under-consideration/
http://stopbsl.com/2009/09/22/salem...d-ban-to-be-reviewed-by-city-council-sept-24/
Contact info for Salem, AR:
City of Salem, P.O. Box 619, Salem, AR 72576
Phone: (870) 895-3478
Fax: (870) 895-4540