Omaha Dangerous Dog Ordinance Heads To City Council
Puts a Muzzle on Pit BullsOmaha, NE - Mayor Fahey has finalized the new dangerous dog ordinance and sent it to City Council for review. Council begins consideration of the dangerous dog ordinance on Tuesday, September 9th. Aspects of the ordinance include:
- Owners of "dangerous," or "potentially dangerous" dogs are required to carry $100,000 in liability coverage. No breeds are automatically designated as either. Under this policy, a pit bull is free to bite once (rip of a child's scalp), and then it will be required to carry liability insurance.
- Owners of pit bulls are required to muzzle and leash their dogs anytime the animal is outside a securely fenced yard. This aspect of the ordinance is designed to stop "off-property" bites, as in the instance of Charlotte Bevins when she was attacked on a public street.
- Owners of any dog that keep it tethered outside for more than 15-minutes at any one time will be subject to penalty. Fines would begin at $100 for the first offense, and climb to $500 for the third, and subsequent offenses.
A "dangerous" dog is defined as one that attacks, snaps at, bites, or has a history of attacking a human being or domestic animal, one or more times, without provocation. A "potentially dangerous" dog is defined as one that inflicts injury that does not require medical treatment, or an animal that chases a person or injures another animal.
Those who violate the dangerous dog provisions three times in 24 months would be required to surrender all pets.Related articles:06/28/08:
Coverage of the Omaha Pit Bull Attack - DogsBite.org
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