MISSOURI -- A local man has pleaded guilty to multiple municipal animal violations after his two pit bulls attacked two other dogs, killing one.
Brian D. Dunham, 43, of Kirksville pleaded guilty on Thursday to two charges of failure to register animals, two charges of animals running at large and a miscellaneous violation, according Judge Phoebe Powell Sutton. Dunham will be sentenced Thursday.
According to the probable cause statement, Kirksville Police responded to a report of two pit bulls attacking two other dogs, resulting in the death of one of the dogs in the 1000 block of N. Franklin Street Monday afternoon.
The surviving dog was said to have suffered serious injuries, according to the Kirksville Police Department. The two pit bulls were seized and placed under quarantine at the Adair County Humane Society.
According to Kirksville’s restricted animals ordinance, a pit bull may only be kept by Kirksville residents if they meet several requirements, which includes registering the animal with the city, having the correct leash size, liability insurance, staying up-to-date on vaccination shots and having an American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen certification.
“There are some things that they (owner) can do to where they can legally have a pit bull in town, so long as you go through the major requirements for the registration,” Kirksville Police Lt. Mark Wellman said.
Police said Dunham did not meet any of the requirements listed within the ordinance. Dunham told police that he has had the two dogs since they were puppies and they did not have their rabies shots nor were they registered with the city, the probable cause statement said.
Wellman said the most common result from an incident like this is the dogs would be removed from town. Another alternative would be to euthanize them.
He also said the owner of the dogs that were attacked does have the opportunity to go to civil court and get restitution for the costs to treat their dogs.
(Kirksville Daily Express - Aug. 21, 2015)
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