Update: June 8th, 2011, 2:50 p.m.
Previously, some city council members wanted to include ten different dog breeds in this ordinance. Do you think these new requirements are less restraining, or do you think the rules are too vague? Leave us your comments.
Saginaw city council members have voted to approve a new dangerous dog ordinance. The ordinance does not ban any certain breed however it requires the owners of the most statistically dangerous dogs register their pets with the city for a one time fee of $20 bucks. It also limits each house-hold to three adult dogs and restricts tethering.
City council leaders say the goal is to crack down on irresponsible dog owners. Those for the ordinance say it's needed to prevent dog fights and bites. Council still needs to vote on the ordinance one more time at a meeting later this month.
The ordinance defines “Dangerous Dogs” as:
(A) Any dog with a propensity, tendency, or disposition to attack, to cause injury or to otherwise endanger the safety of human beings or other domestic animals; or
(B) Any dog that attacks, attempts to attack or that, by its actions, gives indication that it is liable to attack a human being or other domestic animal one or more times without provocation; or
(C) Any dog of a breed that appears consistently in the top five (5) of the breeds on credible, analytical listings of “Most Dangerous Dogs” as verified and supplemented by local data and records for Saginaw County. The “list” shall include any dog that by physical appearance could be believed by any reasonable person to have sufficient physical or temperamental characteristics or behaviors to be a “mix” of any of the breeds listed or a “mix” with a non-listed dog where the mixture exhibits the dominant physical appearance of a dog on the list, and any other dog that has the substantial physical characteristics and appearance of those breeds on the list. Such list shall be updated annually and available on the City’s website and in the City Clerk’s Office.
You can view complete details of the ordinance on the Saginaw government website.
