3MTA3
10-15-2009, 12:18 PM
‘Dangerous dog’ laws kept on a leash for now
October 13, 2009
By JENNIFER JOHNSON jjohnson@pioneerlocal.com
The Park Ridge City Council held off on moving forward with new laws pertaining to “dangerous dogs” this week in order for suggestions from the Park Ridge Recreation and Park District, and possibly some residents, to be incorporated into the ordinance.
As it stands now the ordinance before the council defines a dangerous domestic animal as one that has bitten or attacked a person while unprovoked, or has a “known propensity, tendency or disposition to attack without provocation.” The police chief, with input from the city’s health department, can also declare a particular animal dangerous based on behavior.
Owners of dangerous animals must comply with a number of new requirements not included in the city’s prior ordinance on animals. For example, a dangerous dog must be confined within a building or a secured outdoor enclosure; the animal must be muzzled and leashed in public and controlled by someone at least 16 years old; a “beware of dog” or “dangerous dog” sign must be displayed on all entrances to the owner’s property; the owner must maintain an insurance policy not less than $100,000; the animal must be spayed or neutered and have a microchip implanted; the animal must receive obedience training; and a dangerous animal may not live within 1,500 feet of a school, park, playground or daycare facility unless the animal lived there before the ordinance was approved.
The proposed ordinance does not ban or set regulations for specific dog breeds, and also prohibits residents from keeping dogs for the purpose of dog fighting.
Removed from the ordinance was a definition that declared an animal dangerous if the unprovoked animal approached any person “in a vicious or terrorizing manner” or “in an apparent attitude of attack.”
Some residents expressed concerns at Monday night’s council meeting about what actually constitutes a dangerous dog and what a “known propensity” really means.
“If you haven’t trained a dog and you don’t understand dogs, how do you recognize a dangerous dog?” asked Maryann Gobbo, a dog trainer since 1962. She asked that a “qualified person or committee” be required to help the police chief decide whether a dog is dangerous.
Gobbo pointed out that some owners negatively impact how their pets act and essentially “ruin” them.
“We should have something in here for irresponsible dog owners,” added resident and dog owner Pat Livensparger.
Resident George Kirkland said dog owners should be given an opportunity to correct their pet’s behavior before it receives dangerous-dog designation. He suggested adding an “at-risk” category for animals.
The City Council is expected to resume discussion of the dangerous-animals ordinance at a Committee of the Whole meeting scheduled for Nov. 9, 2009.
http://www.pioneerlocal.com/parkridge/news/1822183,park-ridge-doglaws-101509-s1.article
October 13, 2009
By JENNIFER JOHNSON jjohnson@pioneerlocal.com
The Park Ridge City Council held off on moving forward with new laws pertaining to “dangerous dogs” this week in order for suggestions from the Park Ridge Recreation and Park District, and possibly some residents, to be incorporated into the ordinance.
As it stands now the ordinance before the council defines a dangerous domestic animal as one that has bitten or attacked a person while unprovoked, or has a “known propensity, tendency or disposition to attack without provocation.” The police chief, with input from the city’s health department, can also declare a particular animal dangerous based on behavior.
Owners of dangerous animals must comply with a number of new requirements not included in the city’s prior ordinance on animals. For example, a dangerous dog must be confined within a building or a secured outdoor enclosure; the animal must be muzzled and leashed in public and controlled by someone at least 16 years old; a “beware of dog” or “dangerous dog” sign must be displayed on all entrances to the owner’s property; the owner must maintain an insurance policy not less than $100,000; the animal must be spayed or neutered and have a microchip implanted; the animal must receive obedience training; and a dangerous animal may not live within 1,500 feet of a school, park, playground or daycare facility unless the animal lived there before the ordinance was approved.
The proposed ordinance does not ban or set regulations for specific dog breeds, and also prohibits residents from keeping dogs for the purpose of dog fighting.
Removed from the ordinance was a definition that declared an animal dangerous if the unprovoked animal approached any person “in a vicious or terrorizing manner” or “in an apparent attitude of attack.”
Some residents expressed concerns at Monday night’s council meeting about what actually constitutes a dangerous dog and what a “known propensity” really means.
“If you haven’t trained a dog and you don’t understand dogs, how do you recognize a dangerous dog?” asked Maryann Gobbo, a dog trainer since 1962. She asked that a “qualified person or committee” be required to help the police chief decide whether a dog is dangerous.
Gobbo pointed out that some owners negatively impact how their pets act and essentially “ruin” them.
“We should have something in here for irresponsible dog owners,” added resident and dog owner Pat Livensparger.
Resident George Kirkland said dog owners should be given an opportunity to correct their pet’s behavior before it receives dangerous-dog designation. He suggested adding an “at-risk” category for animals.
The City Council is expected to resume discussion of the dangerous-animals ordinance at a Committee of the Whole meeting scheduled for Nov. 9, 2009.
http://www.pioneerlocal.com/parkridge/news/1822183,park-ridge-doglaws-101509-s1.article