Fri Feb 03 2012
by Ellin Walsh
Reporter
Silver Lake --Several residents have asked Village Council to put more bite into the village's dog law. The request comes on the heels of a Dec. 29 incident involving a Husky that police say they believe has attacked other dogs on more than one occasion.
Police Chief Gary DeMoss says the village's current ordinance addresses dangerous animals and livestock "but is very limited and breed specific when it describes dogs and lacks a lot of details needed."
Village Solicitor Robert Heydorn has drafted a more stringent ordinance for Council to consider, modeled primarily on the law Cuyahoga Falls has in place. The proposal provides for the creation of a board to determine whether a dog is to be classified as 'dangerous' or 'vicious.'" Once a dog is classified as such, its owner wouldn't be able to take it out without a short lease and a muzzle, or it would have to be kept inside or in a pen which has certain building requirements. The penalties that would be imposed range from misdemeanors of the fourth- to first- degree; a first-degree misdemeanor carries with it "a significant fine and jail time," according to Heydorn. The proposal also would give police the ability to impound a dog and then, subsequent to a court hearing, allow a court to order the dog's destruction if the court feels that's necessary.
Council will continue to discuss the proposal Feb. 1.
E-mail: ewalsh@recordpub.com
Phone: 330-686-3908
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