One year later...

Police, safety committee reflect on dog ordinances

Since Avon Lake has enacted dog ordinances to combat canine attacks, bites and killings in October 2015, police Chief Duane Streator reported that one dog has been tagged as a nuisance and six others have been tagged as dangerous.

Councilman David Kos, also chairman of council’s safety committee, said nearly a year has passed and it’s not a bad idea to look at the effectiveness of the ordinances.

“This summer has seen a real spike in dog bites, so much that the chief and other members of the committee have asked if there’s something in the water, because it just seems like things just went

higher than ever,” Kos said.

With the ordinances, dog owners who’ve been involved in an incident will have a higher degree of the offense and a higher fine. The dog will have restrictions based on the case and the behavior of the dog.

Dogs can be tagged as a nuisance, dangerous or vicious.

There is a “Pre-Bite” ordinance which deals with “potential nuisance dogs, and to identify dogs showing signs of aggression to prevent an attack before it happens.”

The “Post-Bite” ordinance then is responsible for nuisance, dangerous and vicious dogs.

“I’ve talked with members of the Police Department and also with the municipal prosecutor and there are some issues that have to be adjusted, especially in regards to when these issues hit the court and how they are being presented and how they are being argued by the other side and some things that need to be straightened out,” Kos said.

Overall, he said, the concept is there and the city is having the effects that it wants to see as far as the punishment and restrictions go.

The prosecutor asked that a strict liability section be added to the legislation, which will assist in prosecuting cases, Kos said.

Streator said other communities also are stuck in these dangerous dog situations and they want to make sure they have the proper legislation.

“It (legislation) is probably the first one of its kind; we knew that going into this whole thing,” he said.

The “Pre-Bite” ordinance is designed to stop dog attacks in the city, or at lease minimize it significantly, Kos has said.

The “Post Bite” ordinance highlights the details of the process that a dog owner has to go through when their pet is designated as a certain kind of animal. It also details the restrictions that are placed on that dog, Kos has said.

The safety committee is in discussions of bringing back the role of animal control officer so that more police officers can address other criminal activity in the city.

The safety committee received job description examples of animal control officers from cities of Rocky River and Westlake.

The Avon Lake Police Department and safety committee will need more time to discuss the issue, Kos said.