Councilors try to leash ‘vicious’ animal owners
Stacy Barnes
Mustang City Council attempted to put a leash on owners of "vicious animals" at Tuesday's meeting with the passage of two new ordinances.
One of the new laws deals with defining exactly what constitutes a vicious animal. Some members of Council had expressed concern in earlier meetings over who would make the determination as to the temperament of the animal in question.
Police Chief Monte James drafted the ordinance which allows for the municipal judge to decide whether or not an animal is vicious, to order a vicious animal destroyed or taken outside the city never to return, or to allow the animal to remain in the city under certain conditions.
Mustang currently defines a vicious animal as one that is "of such a vicious and fierce disposition that it will attack human beings without provocation." Additionally it says that if a dog has bitten a person two or more times without provocation, that is sufficient evidence that it is vicious.
New requirements of owners of vicious animals were also approved and are as follows:
Owners of vicious animals must muzzle and leash the animals when they are outside their pen or kennel.
Must confine said animal inside or in a locked pen that has at least 150 square feet of space per animal over six months of age.
The structure must have secure sides and a secure, locked top. It must also have a secure bottom or floor attached to the sides of the pen or have sides that are embedded into the ground at least two feet.
The structure must also provide adequate light, ventilation and be kept clean and sanitary.
Owners must post several warning signs on their premises, including one using the words "Beware of Vicious Animal", and another one on the animal's kennel or pen, plus a sign with a warning symbol to inform children of the presence of a dangerous animal.
Obtain liability insurance in a single incident amount of $50,000 for bodily injury to or death of any person or persons or for damage to property.
Pay a $10 annual fee to register the animal with the city.
Violators of the new law will pay stiffer fines according to James, who told Council there are some repeat offenders in the area with noisy and "at large" animals and also with residents keeping a vicious animal.
James said he removed harboring a vicious animal from the minimum fine schedule because he thought charging a mere $90 for the offense was not enough in some cases to get owner's attention.
With the changes in place, now every citation of that offense will go before the judge and the fine can be as high as $750.
Chief James also introduced a new tiered fine schedule for animals running at large and animal trespass.
First-time offenders having animals at large will pay a $70 fine, second time offenders, $120, and on the third offense, violators will be required to go before the judge.
A similar tier will be used for noisy animals, with slightly lower fines of $50 for the first offense and $100 for the second, he said.
Stacy Barnes
Mustang City Council attempted to put a leash on owners of "vicious animals" at Tuesday's meeting with the passage of two new ordinances.
One of the new laws deals with defining exactly what constitutes a vicious animal. Some members of Council had expressed concern in earlier meetings over who would make the determination as to the temperament of the animal in question.
Police Chief Monte James drafted the ordinance which allows for the municipal judge to decide whether or not an animal is vicious, to order a vicious animal destroyed or taken outside the city never to return, or to allow the animal to remain in the city under certain conditions.
Mustang currently defines a vicious animal as one that is "of such a vicious and fierce disposition that it will attack human beings without provocation." Additionally it says that if a dog has bitten a person two or more times without provocation, that is sufficient evidence that it is vicious.
New requirements of owners of vicious animals were also approved and are as follows:
Owners of vicious animals must muzzle and leash the animals when they are outside their pen or kennel.
Must confine said animal inside or in a locked pen that has at least 150 square feet of space per animal over six months of age.
The structure must have secure sides and a secure, locked top. It must also have a secure bottom or floor attached to the sides of the pen or have sides that are embedded into the ground at least two feet.
The structure must also provide adequate light, ventilation and be kept clean and sanitary.
Owners must post several warning signs on their premises, including one using the words "Beware of Vicious Animal", and another one on the animal's kennel or pen, plus a sign with a warning symbol to inform children of the presence of a dangerous animal.
Obtain liability insurance in a single incident amount of $50,000 for bodily injury to or death of any person or persons or for damage to property.
Pay a $10 annual fee to register the animal with the city.
Violators of the new law will pay stiffer fines according to James, who told Council there are some repeat offenders in the area with noisy and "at large" animals and also with residents keeping a vicious animal.
James said he removed harboring a vicious animal from the minimum fine schedule because he thought charging a mere $90 for the offense was not enough in some cases to get owner's attention.
With the changes in place, now every citation of that offense will go before the judge and the fine can be as high as $750.
Chief James also introduced a new tiered fine schedule for animals running at large and animal trespass.
First-time offenders having animals at large will pay a $70 fine, second time offenders, $120, and on the third offense, violators will be required to go before the judge.
A similar tier will be used for noisy animals, with slightly lower fines of $50 for the first offense and $100 for the second, he said.
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