At our council meeting on Monday night, we revised our animal keeping ordinance such that it is now a misdemeanor to keep a “dangerous dog”, as defined in the code based on the dog’s behavior and biting incidents, in the City of Renton. This is a substantial change from our previous ordinance, which allowed the keeping of a dangerous dog consistent with state law, with a secure fence, warning signs, and a large liability insurance policy.

I’m paraphrasing, but essentially under our ordinances, dogs can be determined to be “dangerous” if they cause substantial harm or death to a human or they cause substantial harm or death to a domestic animal while they are off of the owners property. They can also be considered “dangerous” if they are first deemed “potentially dangerous” and then they cause another minor injury or menace residents or animals (repeat offender). They can be considered “potentially dangerous” if they cause an injury (not severe) to a human, or an injury to a domestic animal while off of the owners property.

It’s important to note that this ordinance does not single out any specific breeds of dogs. Instead, if focuses on the dog’s behavior. This is consistent with recommendations from the Center for Disease Control, which provides this fact sheet and these recommendations relative to protecting a community from dog bites.

We implemented the new law because the city council felt that dangerous dogs are simply too much of a hazard to other residents and to other domestic animals in our city. While we’ve had countless dog bites in our city (there are five million per year in the United States), I can think of a few cases that immediately come to mind when it comes to dog attacks.

One of them was an incredibly heartbreaking case in 1994 (my first year on council), when a 5 year old Renton girl on Monterey Place (near I-405 Exit 7) was late for coming home from the school bus. Her grandfather went to look for her and found her mauled to death by rottweilers in a neighbor’s backyard. You can read more about this case here

Another case was a quarter-mile from my own home, on Devil’s Elbow road in NE Renton, the tree-canopied road closed in the late 80’s which now serves as a bike-path between Renton and Newcastle. Two Pit Bulls attacked one of our police dogs, and had to be put down by gunshots on the spot. I cringe to think of what would have happened if a resident had been walking their family pet on that road. Here is the story of this incident.

A year ago, a couple and their dog was attacked by a pit bull while strolling on Union Ave. Here is the story.

Lately, we’ve had concerns about new dangerous dogs coming into our community, and we wanted to prevent this. We also want to make sure that people take dog bites extremely seriously. With the new law, if an animal is judged to be “potentially dangerous”, (such as one that has bitten someone but not caused a serious injury) the owners must take every step to prevent another bite, or else face the prospect that they will have to remove the animal from the city if it bites or menaces again.

This not only protects neighbors and other citizens, but also protects the dog owners themselves from some serious risks. Under state law, if a dog (whether or not previously found dangerous) escapes its owners custody and seriously harms someone, the owner of the dog can be found guilty of a Class C felony and imprisoned up to five years. This happened earlier this year in Federal Way. You can read more here . Even if the owner is not found criminally liable, dog owners can expect to pay financially for dog bites. And serious ones leave people maimed, and sometimes unable to work, for years. Here is a story about the long term impacts from dog bite victims featuring the woman who was harmed in Federal Way.

Here is the state law that also covers the keeping of dogs; note that Renton will not allow dangerous dogs to live in the city, even though section (1) of state law does not ban them from the state.

All in all, council felt that banning dangerous dogs in our city was a proper step to take to protect the public safety. As a dog owner myself, I can understand the heartache that might come from owning a dog that bites someone, and then facing the prospect of losing it. This is why owners should chose their pets very carefully, and work with their veterinarian, professional dog trainers (obedience classes), hobbyist groups, Renton Animal Control (license and advice), and other resources to ensure that they get maximum safe enjoyment from their dogs.