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IA-Marshalltown- Vicious dogs: Three strikes and you’re out?
Vicious dogs: Three strikes and you’re out?
By Tammy R. Lawson, TIMES-REPUBLICAN
August 18, 2009
It’s one thing if your dog accidentally gets out of the house – it’s quite another when it is allowed to roam freely amid the neighborhood on a regular basis.
And if the animal has a propensity to bite, it could be a danger to the unsuspecting.
Therefore, city officials in Marshalltown are currently in the process of revamping an ordinance to safeguard the community against vicious dogs.
“One concern under the present ordinance is a dog would have to bite or attack before it was declared vicious,†said Police Chief Jack McAllister. “This means animals at large could attack or kill a child first.â€
Changes would result in the animal being deemed a menace on the spot if serious injury has occurred.
According to Missy Sharer, office manager at the Animal Rescue League, the vast majority of dog bites occur off of the owner’s property – many times in the middle of a street – and nine times out of ten, rabies and distemper shots are far from current.
“If we’re notified that a dog bite has occurred, we then follow up to find out if the dog has up-to-date vaccinations,†Sharer said. “If it happened off of the owner’s property, it is their responsibility to quarantine the animal either at their home or a veterinarian’s office.â€
Immediately categorized as vicious, an owner would face a first-offense fine of $25.
The second offense would impose a $100 fine with mandatory spaying or neutering of the dog at the owner’s expense. The animal will also have to be micro-chipped and its owner would have to acquire necessary insurance.
A third offense would subsequently result in forfeiture of the animal – without return – to the ARL and after a yet-to-be-determined grace period, the dog would be euthanized.
In other words, three strikes and you’re out.
The animal owner would also have the right to appeal such decisions.
“We currently have six active dog bite cases we’re working on right now,†Sharer said. “And it’s a big problem because they aren’t dogs that escape accidentally. These are big dogs that repeat offenders allow to just run at large.â€
The final ordinance change would apply to vicious dogs, dogs at large, police dogs, and dogs causing injury to death to humans or domestic animals.
“All of [this] would become irrelevant if people are responsible,†Mayor Gene Beach said.
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http://www.timesrepublican.com/page/content.detail/id/518833.html?nav=5005
Vicious dogs: Three strikes and you’re out?
By Tammy R. Lawson, TIMES-REPUBLICAN
August 18, 2009
It’s one thing if your dog accidentally gets out of the house – it’s quite another when it is allowed to roam freely amid the neighborhood on a regular basis.
And if the animal has a propensity to bite, it could be a danger to the unsuspecting.
Therefore, city officials in Marshalltown are currently in the process of revamping an ordinance to safeguard the community against vicious dogs.
“One concern under the present ordinance is a dog would have to bite or attack before it was declared vicious,†said Police Chief Jack McAllister. “This means animals at large could attack or kill a child first.â€
Changes would result in the animal being deemed a menace on the spot if serious injury has occurred.
According to Missy Sharer, office manager at the Animal Rescue League, the vast majority of dog bites occur off of the owner’s property – many times in the middle of a street – and nine times out of ten, rabies and distemper shots are far from current.
“If we’re notified that a dog bite has occurred, we then follow up to find out if the dog has up-to-date vaccinations,†Sharer said. “If it happened off of the owner’s property, it is their responsibility to quarantine the animal either at their home or a veterinarian’s office.â€
Immediately categorized as vicious, an owner would face a first-offense fine of $25.
The second offense would impose a $100 fine with mandatory spaying or neutering of the dog at the owner’s expense. The animal will also have to be micro-chipped and its owner would have to acquire necessary insurance.
A third offense would subsequently result in forfeiture of the animal – without return – to the ARL and after a yet-to-be-determined grace period, the dog would be euthanized.
In other words, three strikes and you’re out.
The animal owner would also have the right to appeal such decisions.
“We currently have six active dog bite cases we’re working on right now,†Sharer said. “And it’s a big problem because they aren’t dogs that escape accidentally. These are big dogs that repeat offenders allow to just run at large.â€
The final ordinance change would apply to vicious dogs, dogs at large, police dogs, and dogs causing injury to death to humans or domestic animals.
“All of [this] would become irrelevant if people are responsible,†Mayor Gene Beach said.
—
http://www.timesrepublican.com/page/content.detail/id/518833.html?nav=5005