City looks to toughen dog laws - Durango, CO

City looks to toughen dog laws
Rangers to ride electronic carts looking for offenders

http://www.durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&article_path=/news/06/news060510_3.htm

May 10, 2006
By Shane Benjamin | Herald Staff Writer

Some pet owners caution bystanders to "beware of dog."

Well, the Durango City Council has a message for dog owners: Beware of city ordinances.

In a study session Tuesday, councilors discussed ways to crack down on pet owners who allow dogs to run loose, bark for hours, show aggression and defecate in public without cleaning up.

Councilors are considering raising fines, tweaking existing ordinances, hiring more Animal Control officers and starting a public-education campaign to remind residents of the rules.

"We're going to use all the enforcement that we have to nip this stuff in the bud right now and make sure people understand that the city is going to be very serious about it," City Manager Bob Ledger said .

The Durango Police Department already has started issuing more tickets for dog violations. Parking meter readers also are writing tickets for dog violations in the Central Business District. And on Saturdays, a city code-enforcement officer will monitor the Animas River Trail.

The city also is in the process of hiring two park rangers to police trails, parks and special events on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Rangers will have shirts or vests identifying them, Ledger said, and they will ride around in electric carts suitable for the river trail.

In addition to dealing with pet violations, the rangers will keep a lookout for other violations like fighting, parking on the grass and shooting archery in the park, Ledger said.

"They're going to be in power to issue citations, and they'll be equipped with a radio and cell phone," Ledger said. "If they run into situations where they have to call the police, they'll call the police."

And in coming months, the city will consider updating ordinances as they relate to vicious dogs, fines for violations and spaying and neutering. Any changes will receive a public hearing, where the public can comment.

Councilors were spurred into action after a Durango woman was bitten by a heeler mix last month while walking in west Durango.

The woman, Karen Carver, received 35 stitches and underwent a skin graft. The dog was unrestrained in a front yard when, unprovoked, it ran out and bit her.

The dog was put to sleep at the owner's request.

But in addition to the recent attack, city councilors said some dog owners simply don't follow the rules.

"Over the years, as the dog population and, of course, the human population increased in Durango, the regulations and enforcing agencies did not grow with that," Councilor Tom Howley said . "More people on the trails, more dogs on the trail. More dogs in town, more dogs in trucks. It's basically the owners not complying with the regulations in good sense that created a situation that would erupt, which it did with the attack on Karen Carver."

There is no desire to punish pet owners with the new regulations, Howley added, rather the focus is on protecting the public.

Councilor Renee Parsons said Durango's animal ordinances are "woefully outdated," and she'd like to see one aspect changed to require dogs in front yards be tied or fenced in. If a dog sees a bicyclist go past, some are so stimulated by the motion that they chase, Parsons said. And voice control doesn't always work.

"They're evolutionary decedents of the wolf," Parsons said.

"Our first priority is the public health and safety. It is loose dogs that are the problem."