Rialto adds bite to its vicious dog ordinance

CALIFORNIA -- After several situations involving potentially dangerous or vicious dogs, Rialto officials voted Tuesday to give police more authority on first-time incidents.

The City Council unanimously approved an amendment to its potentially dangerous or vicious dog ordinance that allows officers to take action in cases involving the animals on the first incident, instead of having to wait until a second situation with the same dog.

“The ordinance was too restrictive, there had to be multiple incidents with the same dog before we could do anything,” said Rialto police Lt. Dean Hardin.

The existing ordinance required officers to wait for two incidents within a three-year period before an owner could be cited, a dog could be seized, or any other action could be taken.

Only incidents that resulted in serious bites or severe injury did not require police to wait for a second attack, a city report said.

But for anything less severe, their hands were tied, Hardin said.

“One instance was where a gentleman in a wheelchair was attacked by a dog. He wasn’t hurt by the dog but once we sent out the Animal Control Officer... based on our protocols and ordinances we had to wait for a second attack,” said Hardin. “We looked at that and said that isn’t reasonable. We felt like we needed more teeth in the ordinance.”

Councilman Shawn O’Connell said he requested the change after residents told him about four incidents within recent months involving dangerous dogs.

“The first involved a small child walking a small pup in the north end of the city. A dog jumped a fence and killed the dog in front of the child,” O’Connell said. “It never attacked the child.”

Another case left a 17-year-old who was walking a dog running for his life. Two dogs escaped from behind a neighbor’s house and chased him until he climbed onto a shed, O’Connell said.

The amendment also updated information showing that court cases and appeal cases would be heard in San Bernardino, following a countywide courts realignment.

(San Bernardino County Sun - Nov 25, 2014)