Cleveland Heights Vicious Dog Ordinances Too Lenient: City Council

In 2015, there were 25 dog attacks reported to the police in Cleveland Heights, a significant increase over the previous year’s 14 attacks, according to Police Chief Annette Mechlenburg.

As Cleveland.com reported, because of this finding, the council is considering updating the city’s ordinances regarding vicious dogs to deter further attacks.

Several intense attacks have attracted attention. A Cleveland Heights police officer recently shot and killed a dog who was attacking a woman, according to a report from Fox News 8. Despite the police officer’s intervention, the woman still suffered several bites.

The dog had been placed under a quarantine order because of a previous attack on a human. According to Fox News 8, the owner of the dog was cited keeping a vicious dog while lacking liability insurance.

Council members believe that stricter punishments for owners of dangerous dogs could reduce the number of attacks.

One 2015 attack even proved fatal when a large dog attacked a 71-year-old woman who was picking up her granddaughters. Police were called to the scene and the woman was brought to the hospital, but she did not survive. Officers shot and killed the dog on the scene.

Under current city law, a dog is considered ‘viscious’ if it meets any one of three criteria.

First, a dog is considered vicious if it has “propensity, tendency, or disposition to attack, to cause injury or to otherwise endanger the safety of other human beings or other domestic animals.”

Second, any dog that attacks a human or another domesticated animal unprompted is also considered vicious under the law.

And as Councilwoman Roe pointed out, the current city ordinances also singles out pit bulls, as well as any dog that is part pit bull, as vicious by default. But Roe pointed out that this is out of step with state law, which does not have any breed specific language. Many believe it is better to classify simply categorize ‘vicious’ dogs by their behavior rather than by breed.

If you have ‘vicious’ dog, you must register your dog as such with the city. You also are required to keep the dog confined when at home; when the dog is outside, it must be kept in enclosed pen with a top. On walks, the dog must be muzzled, on a leash no longer than three feet with no less than 300 pounds of tensile strength.

Failing to comply with these regulations means the dog could be taken away, and the owner could be fined up to $750 and jailed for as many as 90 days for a first offense.

Some of the reform proposals under consideration could steeply raise theses fines. Mayor Cheryl Stephens pointed to a Cincinnati law that had fines as high at $15,000 for not following the law regarding vicious dogs.

"They've basically made it cost-prohibitive to be negligent," Stephens said.

Photo Credit: Michael L. Dorn via Flickr