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Owners of dogs determined dangerous – by their individual behaviors and not their breeds – will pay more for licenses and will be liable for new fines as well.
The Terrebonne Parish Council last week passed ordinances that members say are aimed at increasing safety for the public as well as for animals.
Owners of “dangerous” dogs will pay a license fee of $150, rather than the general license fee of $10.
The owners of dogs adjudged “vicious” in accordance with parish ordinances will be required to pay a $500 fine, in addition to having their animal destroyed.
The changes were brought about after the death of a Houma child and injuries to her mother by the family’s massive pit bull, who was shot by police.
Lafourche Parish has been looking at tighter dog laws, but not yet acted.
“I believe good will come of these change,” said Parish Councilwoman Beryl Amedee. “The disappointment is that no matter what law we write things like what happened to the little girl in the apartment can’t be stopped, not by written law.”
In Terrebonne Parish a dangerous dog is defined as one which:
• Displays unprovoked behavior that requires someone to take a “defensive action” off of the owner’s property.
• Bites and injures severely anyone when unprovoked.
• Bites and severely injures or kills another animal unprovoked.
• Displays any other behavior that justifies such designation by an administrative panel, whose members are the parish manager, city police chief and risk management director.
A “dangerous” determination will require spaying or neutering, payment of fines and fees and inspection of the home or other place where the animal is kept before it is returned.
A vicious dog is one that kills or injures a person under circumstances that are unprovoked, or after already being labeled dangerous attacks any person if unprovoked.
The package of dog-related laws includes a restriction on how dogs may be tied up.
Dogs that live outside the home or business must be kept on a “running line, pulley or trolley system.” The law does not affect temporarily tying a dog for security or convenience.
Amedee said she was pleased to see that all council members contributed to the nearly unanimous lawmaking.
Breed-specific ordinances were examined but the concept did not win favor.
“We spoke with experts across the country and there was lots of speaking with law enforcement we felt it was not wise to move forward with anything breed specific,” Amedee said. “Places that had them experienced a lot of court time … they end up getting overturned because of the complexity of enforcement.”
