Othello dog ordinance adjusted

OTHELLO — Dog owners and dogs in the city of Othello will be evaluated on a rating system to determine if the dog is dangerous.

Othello City Council members approved changes to the animal control ordinance at the regular council meeting May 24 and appealed a section relating to pit bulls. The revised ordinance passed unanimously, but removing the language involving pit bulls drew an objection from council member Corey Everett, who voted against it.

Everett said the city could set requirements on ownership of specific breeds, and pit bulls should be regulated. He said the problem was not so much the dog as the owners, because in some cases, the dogs are trained to be aggressive.

Othello Police Chief Phil Schenck said breed-specific language, as was in the city’s ordinance, is no longer allowed under state law. The revised ordinance establishes five levels of dog behavior considered dangerous or potentially dangerous.

“It grades the dog on the aggressive behaviors,” Schenck said.

The revised ordinance also will give city officials more authority to take possession of dogs who have injured or killed people, he said.

The first level is a dog who lunges at a person or another animal, chases them or engages in some form of aggressive behavior. The second level is a dog at large who injures another domestic animal, a dog or cat, or livestock. The third level is a dog not at large who bites a person.

The ordinance requires people whose dogs have been designated “potentially dangerous” to post warning signs and the dog must be restrained so it can’t reach the sidewalk or street. A dog designated as level two or three must be inside a “secure enclosure” when it’s outside the owner’s residence or not on restraint.

A dog who kills other domestic animals, or “aggressively bites or causes physical injury to any person,” is considered in the fourth level. Those dogs are subject to a number of regulations.

“From that point on, it’s a dangerous dog,” Schenck said. “The level of behavior dictates what the conditions are.”

A dangerous dog must be kept in a specific type of kennel and the owner must have specific types of insurance, among other things, Schenck said.

“Once a dog has been deemed a dangerous dog and it actually goes out and bites someone, it’s actually a felony for the owner of that dog,” he said.

The highest level, a five, is a dog who has seriously injured or killed a person, and those dogs can be confiscated and euthanized.