BAKER CITY, Ore. — A Baker City committee formed after a pit bull attacked and killed a 5-year-old has drafted proposals for regulating “Dangerous &Vicious Dogs” that include an option for declaring some breeds dangerous.
The proposals come from an advisory committee being guided by Police Chief Wyn Lohner, the Baker City Herald reported.
The committee was formed after the death of Jordan Ryan on Sept. 27. A grand jury has declined to indict the owner of the pit bull that killed him, finding there was not enough evidence to support criminal charges.
Lohner wrote the draft so as to give the City Council a choice about how to declare dogs dangerous.
One option would have the ordinance focus on declaring dangerous known pit bull breeds. Another option would allow a hearing officer or court to hear and weigh evidence before declaring a dog dangerous, no matter its breed.
Pit bull owners in such cases often argue that it’s wrong to target an entire breed of dog.
The 14-page document says dogs declared dangerous or vicious wouldn’t be licensed unless the owner pays a fee set by the City Council and files a compliance certificate and an insurance policy.
A “problem pet owner” wouldn’t be given a license for a dog considered dangerous or vicious.
Restrictions proposed for dangerous dogs include keeping it indoors or, when enclosed outdoors by a fence. In public such a dog would have to be “directly controlled and supervised by an adult at least 18 years of age.” The dog would have to be on a 6-foot-long retractable leash attached to a harness and securely muzzled.
Authorities said that in September the boy’s mother took him to visit a family friend, and while the women were inside, he entered a fenced backyard area where the dog was kept. Another child found Jordan being mauled.
The newspaper says the friend had owned the dog for about six weeks. Baker City police investigated and found no evidence the dog had previously acted aggressively toward people. It was euthanized.
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