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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 02191985 - IO.2 � vZ TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Contra FROM: Internal Operations Committee sta DATE: February 11 , 1985 County SUBJECT: Proposed Regulation of Dogs (including Pit Bulls) and Other Animals Determined to be Dangerous to Public Safety SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONS: 1 . Authorize the Animal Services Director to convene a professional task force of veterinarian, medical , legal , and other appropriate individuals, to advise the Animal Services Director. The short-range goal of the task force should be to review the literature and survey appropriate agencies to determine what data already exists on the frequency and severity of bites by pit bulls and similar breeds of dogs which have a perceived reputation for inflicting more and more severe bites on people, or other animals. This data should be reported to the Animal Services Director to be used in a public education campaign designed to inform individuals who own such dogs that there may be an increased need to identify, train, and control such animals in order to keep them from hurting people and other animals. The long-range goal of the task force should be to research the status of legal efforts in various jurisdictions to control or outlaw particular breeds of animals because of their dangerous propensities, and to make recommendations to the Animal Services Director on any additional regulations which should be considered in order to provide additional protection to the public from any breeds of dogs for which scientific data shows a tendency to bitemore often or to inflict more severe damage when they do bite than other breeds of dogs. Accomplishment of this longer range goal may involve the need to amend current data-gathering and reporting procedures in order to begin to gather data on the severity of bites by various breeds .of dogs. 2. Request that appropriate county departments, including the Health Services Department, District Attorney, and County Counsel cooperate fully with the Animal Services Director in this effort. 3. Direct the Animal Services Director to report to the Board on any actions the Board needs to take to implement any recommendations she has relating to this matter. 4. Remove this item as a referral to the Internal Operations Committee. BACKGROUND: The issue of pit bulls has been on referral to our Committee for some time. The recent incident involving the severe biting of a child in Antioch has sparked renewed interest in the subject and has brought forth again calls to ban, or more tightly. regulate, pit bulls and other breeds of dogs which are perceived as being more dangerous, or more likely to bite, or whose bites cause more damage than other breeds of dogs. Our Committee met with the Animal Services Director, Diane Iwasa, on February 11 in an effort to determine what actions can. be taken to ban pit bulls in this County. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: X YES SIGNATURE: RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR X RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE X APPROVE THEOTom RSIGNATURE(S) Tom Torlakson Powers ACTION OF BOARD ON February 19. 985 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED X OTHER X APPROVED recamendations; also DIRECTED the inclusion of a member of the U. S. Postal Service and a representative of the cities on the Task Force. The Task Force is to submit a status report to the Board on or by March 19, 1985, and another in two months. VOTE OF SUPERVISORS XX UNANIMOUS (ABSENT IV ) i HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE AYES: NOES: AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN ABSENT: ABSTAIN: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD County Administrator OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. Animal Services Director CC: Health Services Director ATTESTED February 19, 1985 District Attorney PHIL BATCHELOR, CLERK OF THE BOARD OF County Counsel SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR All cities in the County I� M382/7-83 BY DEPUTY -2- Ms. Iwasa noted that to her knowl edge,..no,-absol ute ban on one:.breed;of dog _has successfully withstood the inevitable cour,- ,ch.al,leng.es._. . I;.t;:is ,possib.le that while . th pit bulls may not bite more often than other breeds, eir bites may cause more severe damage. Solid data to support,,thi-s possibil,i,ty— does,,not-:appear. ; o exist and' probably should be gathered. Ms. Iwasa suggested that what is needed is a more intensive public education campaign so that people are aware when they have a pit bull since some owners are not aware that their pet is a pit bull . In addition, owners need to be educated to the need to train and control their dogs,: so they do not endanger people and other animals. Our Committee is gravely concerned about the most recent incident of a pit bull attack. Suggestions made for dealing with the problem included increased liability for negligence by owners of pit bulls, an outright ban on ownership of pit bulls, and efforts to more precisely identify which dogs are pit bulls and regulate them or track their location more closely. Based on the recommendation of the Animal Services Director that she would like to form a professional task force to provide her research, advice, and a forum for discussion of these various alternatives, we have made the above recommendations. I