Proposal to control dangerous dogs introduced

In the Indianapolis Eye Witness News

Proposal to control dangerous dogs introduced
June 20, 2006 05:14 AM EDT

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Dangerous dog ordinance introduced

The proposed ordinance on dangerous dogs will be reworked.
Mary Milz /Eyewitness News

Indianapolis - An ordinance meant to tighten the leash on dangerous dogs is a good start, councilors say, but it needs work.

"(It's) very vague. Any dog can maul or hurt people," said Councilor Patrice Abdullah.

The ordinance introduced by Sherron Franklin limits the number of dangerous dogs owned and raises penalties for owners who fail to control them.

Councilman Phil Borst told Eyewitness News it's a step in the right direction.

"The ordinance is good because it does say you have to have a fence, they can't go over it or under it. You have to keep it in the house, that type of thing."

Council member Joanne Sanders wants a little more in terms of penalties. She said "$50 doesn't seem like much to me. And I'm also toying with the idea of should it be made commensurate with medical expenses."

The ordinance comes on the heels of several pit bull attacks, including the mauling of 2 year-old Amaya Hess, with Mayor Bart Peterson also calling for action. "I favor looking at breed specific legislation, though I know some people are opposed to that," he said.

Several councilors too are okay with the idea of targeting pit bulls or any other breed.

"(It) comes down to the matter of irresponsible pet owners," said Borst.

Stacy Coleman, head of the Indy Pit Crew, an organization of pit bull owners, agrees that the city should go after the people who breed and train pit bulls for fighting, not the dogs.

Coleman said "My hope in all of this is that Indianapolis comes away with a tough enough dangerous dog law to keep the public safe, to stop the suffering of the dogs, and, at the same time, focus on the issue of dog fighting, because it really is at the heart of the pit bull overpopulation problem."