Tougher crackdown over dangerous dogs?
CITY HALL | Alderman proposes lifetime ban for scofflaw owners
Owners of dogs designated as dangerous could be forever prohibited from owning dogs in Chicago if they thumb their noses at city safeguards, under a crackdown proposed by an influential alderman.
Ald. Eugene Schulter (47th), chairman of the City Council's License Committee, wants to yank the regulatory leash tighter than it has ever been yanked before in response to a recent incident in his Northwest Side ward that endangered area residents.
(Rich Hein/Al Podgorski/Sun-Times)
A man whose two Pit Bulls had been declared dangerous after attacking three people got them back after one year of behavior modification training -- on the condition that he abide by rigid safety requirements and only take them off his fenced-in property to go to the veterinarian.
Instead, one of the Pit Bulls escaped through the back gate and made its way 150 feet down the alley behind a street that's home to three dozen kids under the age of 10.
Although the wandering dog has since been taken away, the owner told Schulter and his constituents at a neighborhood hearing last week that he intended to get four more dogs and "feed them ragdolls."
"He is not a rehabilitated owner. He has paid money to modify his property and train his dogs. But, he hasn't learned anything. He just doesn't get it," said Steve Bensinger, who lives three doors away.
"Just replace the words, 'dangerous dog' with 'loaded gun.' I have three kids under the age of 7. I'm afraid his irresponsible actions will lead to some tragedy that is avoidable."
Over the years, vicious and sometimes fatal attacks by dangerous dogs have prompted repeated attempts to target Pit Bulls and Rottweilers.
The Daley administration and Schulter have steadfastly opposed breed-specific bans.
Instead, the City Council approved a dangerous dog ordinance that requires owners to: purchase liability insurance and indoor and outdoor pens; put up fences and signs; walk their dogs only if the animals are muzzled and on short leashes and in some cases, confine repeat offenders to their property.
Schulter's ordinance would get infinitely tougher.
It would impose a five-year ban on dog ownership in Chicago against any owner found guilty of ignoring the dangerous dog requirements.
And those with multiple violations over a five-year period would be barred forever from owning a dog within the city limits. Violators would face up to six months in jail. Their dogs would be seized.
As harsh as it sounds, Schulter believes the dog lover equivalent of the death penalty is justified.
"We're trying to send a signal out that, if you have dangerous dogs, you had better abide by the regulations imposed on you," Schulter said.
"It's not the animals that are the problem. ... It's the individual. This is an attempt to do something in those rare circumstances where the owners do not care."
Schulter's proposal was not the only dog-related ordinance introduced at Wednesday's City Council meeting.
Ald. Richard Mell (33rd) wants to impose a $300 fine against owners whose dogs create a nuisance by barking excessively, even after a warning.
"Some of these dogs bark all night long. A lot of people let their dogs sit outside all night. These dogs keep people up. There's nothing more irritating than a barking dog," Mell said.