Laws perplex dog owners

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Laws perplex dog owners

Antitethering and registration rules prompt questions from residents. For animal control officials, the changes mean business as usual, with additional authority.

BY DIANE MCCARTNEY

Changes to the city's animal control code approved by the City Council last week have Wichita dog owners asking a lot of questions.

Some want to know if they have to take out $100,000 in liability insurance and pay a $100 registration fee because their dog is a rottweiler or pit bull (the answer is no).

Others want to know how much time they have to get their dog off a chain and put up a fence under the new antitether law (about three weeks).

And some want to know how they can turn in neighbors who have dangerous dogs or continuously keep their dogs on chains (call animal control, 268-8473).

The council on Tuesday voted 6-1 to approve new laws limiting the tethering of dogs and imposing stricter requirements for the owners of dogs deemed dangerous.

The laws will not be enforceable until after a second reading by the City Council on Sept. 9 and subsequent publication.

Dangerous dogs

The biggest misconception people seem to have about the laws is whether a dog is considered dangerous because it is a certain breed, said Jack Brown, the city's environmental health director.

"Some people think they have to pay a $100 registration fee if they have a rottweiler or pit bull," and that is not true, Brown said.

A dog's breed has no bearing on whether it is considered dangerous. A proposal to include rottweilers and pit bulls in the city's definition of dangerous dogs was strongly opposed and failed to gain support when presented to the city's district advisory boards.

For a dog to be declared dangerous, it would have to bite or attack someone (or their pet) --or show that it has a tendency to do so -- and that person would have to file a complaint. Then a municipal court judge would decide in an administrative hearing whether the dog is dangerous.

Only the owners of those dogs found dangerous in such a hearing would be required to acquire $100,000 in liability insurance, register the dog and pay a $100 annual fee, among other requirements.

Antitether law

The antitether law applies to all dogs, regardless of breed. The law limits the length of time a dog can be tied up or chained to three one-hour periods a day, each separated by at least three hours.

Some callers wanted to know how much time they have to put up a fence.

The ordinance does not require a fence, nor does it make it illegal to tether a dog, Brown said. It merely places conditions on tethering -- the length and weight of the tether and how long the dog can be tied up, he said.

Under the new law, people will not be able to keep their dogs on a chain for 24 hours a day. Alternatives include building a fence or pen, or keeping the animals inside.

Dog owners "do have to comply with the law," Brown said. "How they do that is not specified."

Will animal control be out to get me?

Animal control is not going to drive around the city, looking for people whose dogs are tied up, Brown said.

The city will take complaints and follow up on them, he said. Animal control receives about 30,000 calls a year -- complaints about dangerous dogs, animals running loose, animal bites and cruelty to animals, Brown said. Some of those complaints are about tethering.

"We will be continuing business as usual with this additional authority," Brown said, "and we will apply it when necessary."

People found guilty of violating the laws can face a fine of up to $500.

Alternatives to tethering

Wichitans can get more information about the laws when they receive their water bills in September. The city will include brochures on dog ownership that will explain the laws, suggest alternatives to tethering and tell people what they can do to help end animal cruelty.

For owners who choose to build an enclosure for their dog, the brochures recommend pen sizes of at least 150 square feet for a dog weighing less than 25 pounds, 200 square feet for a dog between 25 and 60 pounds, and 250 square feet for a dog weighing more than 60 pounds.

Brown said the city has been talking with local groups about possibly providing assistance to people who need help paying for fences.

"We are all sort of working together for the common good," he said.

[brianbat420]

well that is something that I like to see. Something that is not breed specific but DOG specific.

:D

[godfreyc]

I love this and want to move to Wichita :D

[LavenderRott]

This makes a lot more sense then say, banning a breed from an entire state. Maybe I should move to Kansas.