 Barked: Fri Mar 31, '06 1:30pm PST |
 | |  | | Auburn resident Alexis Scholz was on her daily walk with her 44-pound German shepherd mix, Chiya, near her Lea Hill house Jan. 4.
She noticed another dog a ways off playing with kids on bicycles.
Moments later, she said, it happened.
“It was like a freight train,” Scholz said. “That dog just took my dog down. It was really horrible.”
Fifteen-year-old Chiya, who Scholz raised since she was a puppy, died later at a veterinarian’s office.
Since then, Scholz said she’s heard of several more dog attacks in the Puget Sound area.
“That tells me there is some kind of problem,” she said. “I’m waiting to hear if the city is going to take any action.”
Scholz still waits for justice for Chiya, but she might see Auburn take another kind of action.
A City Council committee Tuesday night will consider an ordinance automatically branding pit bulls and several other breeds as potentially dangerous dogs.
Owners of those breeds would be required to register with the city.
Council member Gene Cerino said he’s pushing the law because the current ordinance, adopted a few years ago, isn’t working.
“These dogs have attacked and we can’t do anything about it,” Cerino said.
That’s because dogs aren’t branded as potentially dangerous until they’ve bitten once. Only if they attack a second time are they declared dangerous and put under strict physical controls.
“What you’re giving them is the first bite free,” Cerino said. “If you allow a first bite, it’s a fatal situation.”
Auburn first considered tightening its rules after a pit bull killed a poodle-terrier named Fritz two years ago. The City Council proposed targeting pit bulls, and then all dogs of more than 30 pounds.
Breeders and dog owners howled. The council relented, passing less-restrictive measures.
But the dog attacks – usually by pit bulls – persisted.
Just this month, police shot a pit bull that menaced a neighbor and attempted to bite the officer. They also shot and killed the pit bull that killed Scholz’s dog last month.
Auburn police have shot at attacking pit bulls five times since May, including the two shootings so far this year, said Sgt. Jamie Sidell.
Public Safety Chief Jim Kelly said he’s been surprised by the number of times police have needed to use lethal force to defend themselves against dogs.
He said the proposed changes – especially requiring owners to register pit bulls – could help. Police could inform residents when their neighbors have potentially dangerous dogs, Kelly said. And officers would know about those pets before going out on calls to those areas.
A few cities, such as Buckley, ban all pit bulls – including American pit bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers and Staffordshire bull terriers. Other cities regulate them as dangerous dogs.
And others, such as Tacoma, control dangerous dogs without naming a breed.
Cerino said the breeds he’s proposing to target as potentially dangerous – from the American Kennel Club – were originally bred to fight and kill.
The City Council could vote on the proposed tougher restrictions Tuesday night if two council committees approve the revisions.
“It’s going to take some willingness to take flak to pass this ordinance,” Cerino said. “We know we’re going to get beat up by dog owners.”
The pit bull lobby has proved to be a strong force. Algona dropped its ban on pit bulls after 180 people signed petitions objecting to the law.
Renee Teichmer, who raises pit bulls, fought Auburn’s initial breed-specific proposal two years ago. She still opposes any such regulation.
Dangerous dogs are the result of owners who raise their dogs irresponsibly, she said.
“Any breed can be dangerous,” said Teichmer, who lives in the Maple Valley area. “If an irresponsible owner allowed a springer spaniel to run free, that dog could become dangerous.”
She and Cerino agree on this much: Owners should be held responsible for their dogs. And the Auburn councilman says that’s really what this ordinance would require.
“We’re not targeting the breeds,” Cerino said. “We’re targeting the owners of the breeds.”
‘Potentially dangerous’ breeds proposed in Auburn
• Akita
• American pit bull terrier
• American Staffordshire terrier
• Bull terrier
• Cane Corso
• Dogo Argentino
• Dogue de Bordeaux
• Kuvasz
• Pit bull terrier
• Presa canario
• Tosa Inu
• Staffordshire bull terrier
Any dog with an element of those breeds or appearing to look like those breeds also would be classified as potentially dangerous. More details about the plan
WHAT:
Auburn City Council members will consider Tuesday branding several breeds as “potentially dangerous” dogs.
WHEN AND WHERE: The council’s Municipal Services Committee will consider the proposal at 5 p.m. Tuesday in Conference Room No. 3 in City Hall, 25 W. Main St. The City Council will meet at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the City Hall Council Chambers.
HOW IT WOULD WORK: Owners would have to register all animals belonging to specific breeds. After their dogs attack once, the city could crack down on owners. Their dogs then would be declared “dangerous” and owners would have to:
• Confine the dog to an enclosure with a warning sign.
• Muzzle and leash the dog when outside the enclosure.
• Have at least $250,000 in insurance or $250,000 in a bond payable to anyone injured by the dog.
• Pay $100 per year to register the animal.
• Have a microchip implanted by a veterinarian for identification.
WHAT IF SOMEONE VIOLATES THESE TERMS?: They could be fined up to $5,000 and sentenced to a year in jail. King County Animal Control has the prerogative to put the dog down. |  |  | |  |
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The Dog Show: Who's Your Mama?
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