Louisville, Kentucky
| Thursday, December 6, 2007 |
|
Panel OKs dog-law amendments
Unaltered no longer listed as dangerous
By Dan Klepal
dklepal@courier-
The Courier-Journal
A bipartisan group of Louisville Metro Council members unanimously approved modifications to the city's dangerous-dog ordinance yesterday, including one that would drop unaltered dogs from the definition of those that could be considered dangerous.
The subcommittee also modified how Metro Animal Services would deal with unlicensed animals.
The changes come almost a year after the full council debated the ordinance until 4 a.m. on Dec. 19, approving it over the objections of most Republican members.
Since then, a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the ordinance has been filed on behalf of kennel clubs, sportsmen and veterinarians.
Attorney Jon Fleischaker, who represents the groups, said they will wait for the final version to go before the full council before deciding what to do next.
"This goes a long way in an effort to deal with some of the issues in the lawsuit, but I don't think it will resolve all of them," he said.
The subcommittee has been discussing the changes and taking testimony from animal behavior experts since July.
Dr. Giles Meloche, director of Metro Animal Services, praised the effort and the changes to the law.
"Without a doubt, this is an improvement,
He said it also will help increase the number of licensed animals in Jefferson County, where he said only about 80,000 of an estimated 400,000 dogs and cats are properly licensed.
One of the most controversial aspects of the law linked unaltered dogs with aggressive behavior.
The law says a dog is "at risk" of being dangerous if it menaces, chases, displays threatening or aggressive behavior to people; causes physical injury to domestic pets or livestock; is found unrestrained; or is unaltered.
The subcommittee's revision strikes unaltered from that definition.
Even before the changes, Animal Services officers could only declare a dog dangerous after an investigation concluded it had engaged in an unprovoked attack on a person; maimed or killed pets or livestock; was used in the commission of a crime; or was owned primarily for the purpose of fighting or harming other animals.
Another major change comes in the way Animal Services officers would deal with unlicensed pets. Under current law, officers can issue citations or impound unlicensed animals.
The subcommittee discussed that subject for about 45 minutes yesterday before deciding that officers should first warn owners of unlicensed pets, allowing 15 days to get the animal licensed.
If they don't comply, the owners can then be cited and will have to pay a $30 fine plus the cost of a license, which is $9 for an altered animal and $35 for an unaltered animal.
Animal Services would be allowed to impound the animal if the owner fails to license it 30 days after receiving the citation.
Kelly Downard, R-16th District, said another important change involved the requirement that owners of unaltered animals get a permit instead of a license for an altered animal.
Now they simply must be licensed, regardless of their sexual status.
"A permit is what you get for something you don't own," Downard said. "It a nuance, but it's something that is very important in the dog community."
Asked if she were surprised at how well the subcommittee worked together, Tina Ward-Pugh, D-9th District, joked: "It's the season of miracles."
Ward-Pugh, who supported linking unaltered dogs with dangerous behavior, said dropping them from the definition is a compromise that makes sense.
But she defended charging owners of unaltered animals more for licensing because tax dollars spent on impounding, housing and euthanizing stray animals could be reduced if more were spayed or neutered.
She said the five months of work by the subcommittee produced a better ordinance and helped bring council members who strongly disagreed on the subject closer together.
"It has mended some wounds on both sides," Ward-Pugh said.
Reporter Dan Klepal can be reached at (502) 582-4475.
Mayor Jerry Abramson
Mayor's Office
Metro Hall / 4th Floor
527 W. Jefferson St.
Louisville, KY 40202
mayor@louisvilleky.gov
or call
502-574-2003
Council Members