http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2008/02/10/news/breaking_news/doc47aefc5458b4d059367841.txt
WATERLOO --- The City Council's ordinance committee is expected to consider a new proposal to protect the public from "potentially dangerous" dogs.
The committee, which includes all of the council members, will meet before Monday's regular meeting to discuss a proposed ordinance defining what makes a dog potentially dangerous and requiring owners of such animals to pay higher animal registration fees and carry liability insurance.
A previous draft ordinance based on certain breeds --- pit bull terriers, Rottweilers, wolf hybrids, chows, Doberman pinschers and others --- was scrapped in favor of language based on an individual dog's behavior or negligence of its owner.
Under the proposed ordinance, a dog is "potentially dangerous" if it causes injury to a person or domestic animal or is found running at large if its owner has been cited by Black Hawk Animal Control three or more times within a 12-month period.
The ordinance excludes dogs used by law enforcement or incidents where the injured person was trespassing; where the victim was committing or attempting to commit a crime on the dog owner's property; where the victim was abusing, torturing or assaulting the animal without justification; or when a domestic animal that was at large entered the area where the dog was confined.
If a dog is deemed dangerous under the proposed ordinance, its owner would have to register it with the city, pay a $50 registration fee, provide proof of at least $300,000 in liability insurance to cover injuries caused by the dog and be affixed with a permanent registration number. The ordinance would also make it easier to declare a potentially dangerous dog as dangerous if it commits future offenses.
The ordinance committee meeting is open to the public, but public comments are generally not accepted during the meeting. The ordinance would eventually need to be addressed during a full council meeting before adoption.
Breeds Affected: Pit Bull, Rottweiler, Wolf hybrids, Chow-Chows, Doberman Pinschers and a weird "others" (huh?)
WATERLOO --- Blame the owner. Blame the dog. But don't blame the breed.
That's the message Waterloo City Council members heard Tuesday as they began tinkering with the "dangerous dog" ordinance following several well publicized dog-on-dog attacks in recent months.
City Attorney Jim Walsh had drafted a proposed ordinance outlining a list of potentially dangerous dog breeds --- pit bull terriers, Rottweilers, wolf hybrids, chows, Doberman pinschers and others --- which would have to be registered as such to stay in the city limits. Owners would need to detail their ability to confine their pets and prove they had insurance to cover damage or injury the dogs may cause.
Robert Brown