The Kosciusko Board of Aldermen approved an updated animal ordinance, which allows owners to keep dog breeds considered dangerous if they meet certain requirements.
“This is just to try to protect the public,” said Mayor Tim Kyle. “We’re just trying to minimize the risk to the public. If you have a dangerous dog, you just have to meet these requirements.”
Earlier, the board had considered banning certain breeds, such as pit bulls. The ordinance that the board approved at its March 21 meeting does not ban owning any specific breed of dog. Some dog breeds are considered dangerous, and owners will have to register these dogs with the city.
Click on Title To Read Document
“All the things that people have issues with, we’ve tried to cover that in this,” said Kyle about the updated ordinance.
The new ordinance goes into effect in 30 days. The city will not enforce it, however, until May 22, giving dog owners affected by the ordinance an extra 30 days in order to comply with it.
“If the dog is picked up, the owner will have to meet certain requirements in order to get the dog back,” said Kyle
Under the ordinance, any dog that has caused a bite injury and is not considered a vicious dog is considered a dangerous dog. Certain dog breeds are also considered dangerous dogs, such as pit bulldogs, dogs belonging to the breed of dogs commonly referred to as pit bull dogs, American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Bull Terrier, Chow Chow, Doberman Pincher, Rottweiler, Shar Pei, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Wolf Hybrids, Cane Corso and any type or breed used as guard or attack dogs.
Dangerous dogs must be registered with the city annually and kept indoors or in a secure enclosure outside. These dogs must be on a leash when in public and walked by a person who is both over the age of 18 and has the physical ability to restrain the dog at all times if needed. Owners of dangerous dogs cannot keep them on a chain, rope or other type of leash outside its enclosure unless a person capable of controlling the dog is in physical control of the leash. The owner of a dangerous dog is required to present to the Department of Animal Control proof that he or she has liability insurance or a surety bond in the amount of $100,000 covering any damage or injury that may be caused by a dog.
Owners must provide Animal Control with two color photographs of the registered dog clearly showing the color and approximate size of the dog. The dogs also need to have a microchip, and the microchip information should be given to the director of Animal Control when registering the dog. Dangerous dogs should also be either spayed or neutered.
“If we have to pick up a dog, you’re going to have to register the dog and get all that done before you get your dog back,” said Kyle.
The new ordinance also prohibits dogs in public areas when organized activities are taking place, whether on a leash or not. An organized activity includes baseball games, softball games, soccer games, football games, flag football games, team practices for any such sports, family reunions, festivals, concerts, parades and all similar events.
The full ordinance is available to read online at www.starherald.net.
