<< Previous   of   Next >>

ADVERTISEMENT

CONTACT THE ENTERPRISE Jocelyn Robinson, Copy editor jrobinson@heraldnet.com

Terrace seeks to sharpen dog ordinance's teeth

By Oscar Halpert
Enterprise reporter

The city of Mountlake Terrace is considering beefing up its dog rules in an effort to better control dangerous and potentially dangerous canines.
“In the past three years, we’ve had to shoot three dogs,” Sgt. Steve Sheets told the City Council during a work session July 3.
Under existing law, dog and cat owners are required to register their pets annually by paying a $15 fee if they’ve been spayed or neutered and $27.50 if they have not.
But the city does not fine or penalize owners of dogs that have been deemed “dangerous” or “potentially” dangerous.
Under state law, a dangerous dog is defined as any dog that severely bites a person or animal and has been found to be potentially dangerous — meaning that it exhibited aggression toward people or animals in the past.
Since 2006, there have been 65 reported dog bites in the city, with 27 of them involving pit bull terriers. Police officials say there’s no provision in city law that specifies penalties for people who don’t comply with nuisance abatement provisions. They’d like to change the existing law, so that owners of dogs labeled dangerous or potentially dangerous would be required to buy special, renewable permits. A new law also would likely include some provision for penalizing owners of such dogs if they don’t follow through on quarantine or other requirements.
“We want to make it a clear process where, if a dog chases after somebody, it can be declared potentially dangerous,” said assistant police chief Mark Connor.
He said city attorney Greg Schrag will review state and local laws to see what specific rules should be implemented.
Officers have dealt with a few serious cases of dog aggression since 2006. Most recently, an officer shot a pit bull terrier April 12 at a residence in the 24000 block of 57th Avenue West. The officer responded to reports of two pit bulls running loose. When he entered the backyard of the house, a female pit bull attacked him, so he shot it in the head and killed it.
The officer cited the residents for having a potentially dangerous dog and impounded the second dog.
In a 2007 case, police shot and killed a pit bull terrier after the owner, whom they sought for previous charges, allowed his dog to charge police who were converging on his residence.
And, in a 2006 case, police shot and injured a pit bull terrier that had severely mauled a 61-year-old Spanaway woman at the Maple Glen Apartments. The woman survived and the dog was later put to sleep.
Connor said police occasionally impound problem dogs and Edmonds animal control officer Debbie Dawson, who is contracted to work in Mountlake Terrace 20 hours a week, has taken dogs to local kennels. But there’s no provision in city law to prevent the owner from retrieving that dog the same day, Connor said.
Council members had asked the police department to look into whether it might be worth banning certain dog breeds, such as pit bull terriers. The cities of Enumclaw and Yakima have banned pit bulls.
But Connor and Sgt. Steve Sheets, who looked into the issue, told the council banning dog breeds could present a host of problems for the city, including claims from dog groups that it’s discriminatory and the manpower needed to enforce the ban.
“I think it’s the owners responsibility with behavior,” said Councilman Richard Ryan.