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The Pocatello Kennel Club, Inc., a member club of the American Kennel Club, is a group of knowledgeable and experienced dog enthusiasts in the Pocatello area that offers education to dog owners through our training classes and Responsible Dog Owner Day (RDOD) held in the fall each year. As a club we have decades of experience with dogs of all breeds, temperaments and attitudes. The PKC would like to offer its input to the City of Pocatello relative to their attempt to clarify the city’s animal ordinance in regard to problem, dangerous, aggressive, and nuisance dogs.
To begin, a set of working definitions may be helpful:
Dangerous dog: a dog that has (a) engaged in or has been trained to engage in exhibitions of fighting; (b) attacked a person or domestic animal without justification causing serious bodily injury or death; (c) behaved on two or more occasions, in a manner that a reasonable person would believe posed an unjustified threat of serious injury or death to a person or domestic animal; (d) committed a nuisance three or more times.
Nuisance: a dog that (a) damages, soils, or defecates on private property other than private property owned or occupied by the dog’s owner, or on public walks and recreation areas unless such waste is immediately removed and properly disposed of by the owner; causes unsanitary, dangerous or offensive conditions; (b) causes a disturbance by excessive barking or other noisemaking; or (c) chases vehicles, or molests, threatens, attacks or interferes with persons or other domestic animals while the latter are on public property, irrespective of whether the dog is on private or public property.
If a dog is a dangerous dog as defined above, and has been cited for such there should be a hearing for the purpose of determining whether or not the dog in question should be declared vicious. This determination should be made by a person(s) knowledgeable in dog behavior, body language and training.
Whenever a dog has been declared vicious, the courts may make any order it deems appropriate, including, but not limited to, the removal of the animal from the area, impoundment or the destruction of the dog.
If it is determined that a dog found to be vicious shall not be destroyed, the court shall impose upon the owner the conditions and penalties stated herein.
- The dog shall be properly licensed, micro-chipped, spayed or neutered and vaccinated at the owner’s expense, prior to release.
- The dog, while on the owner’s property, shall, at all times, be kept indoors, or in a securely fenced yard or enclosure from which the dog cannot escape, and into which children cannot trespass. It may be required that the dog be kept in an enclosure which is enclosed on all sides. The yard or enclosure must be inspected and approved in writing by the animal control authority prior to release of the dog.
- The dog may be off the owner’s premises only if it is (a) muzzled and (b) restrained by a substantial leash, not exceeding six feet in length and controlled by an adult capable of restraining and controlling the dog.
- The dog must complete an obedience course at the owner’s expense within 60 days after its release. The course shall be approved by the animal control authority. The trainer will notify the animal control authority of the dog’s attendance in the course and completion as well as a written report of the dog’s progress.
- The owner of the dog shall be required to maintain general liability insurance covering property damage and bodily injury caused by the dog, with a combined single limit of $300,00.00 per occurrence, and may be required to show proof of such insurance within 30 days after the courts has made its determination.
- The owner of the dog shall immediately notify the animal control authority in the event the dog (a) is at large, (b) has committed an attack on any person or animal, (c) has been sold or otherwise disposed of, or (d) has died.
Because of lack of training and socialization many dogs that are not aggressive, may be perceived to be by the way they act and react to situations in their environment. The vast majority of dogs are severely under-challenged in their day to day life. They are not socialized as a puppy prior to 4 months. A puppy actively involved in experiencing new situations will be more stable as an adult and less likely to bite someone. They will also have bounce-back and recover quickly from new situations.
Some dogs get so excited when they see another dog or stranger, that they work themselves into a frenzy. Arousal levels spiral up until they’re not only out of the owner’s control, but the dogs are out of their own control and unable to become calm and balanced again.
High levels of emotional arousal combined with frustration, is a common factor that motivates dog to bark and lunge. Frustration can fuel aggression. The more times a dog gets to rehearse an undesired behavior such as running the fence or lunging and barking at stimuli, the easier it is for his brain and body to allow the behaviors. These behaviors are controlled by the hindbrain, where no thinking takes place. It is all instinctual and the neural pathways become comparable to four lane highways.
Dogs are hard-wired as social predators. Behaviors pertaining to food acquisition are deeply imbedded. There is a strong tendency to form social bonds. Most dogs usually give plenty of warning before they attack. They will stare, growl, snarl and snap a few times before they will actually initiate an attack. Dogs have a huge spectrum of threat levels and means of solving disputes. Dogs that do not regularly play with other dogs or meet different people have poor social skills. These dogs are more likely to be reactive in new situations. That does not mean they are aggressive.
The repertoire of dog body language is uniform throughout all members of the canine family. Their facial gestures and body postures are indicative of their intentions and emotional state. Bared teeth do not always indicate a threat. One must look at the entire mouth. Ears and tails must also be observed.
Being able to read all of these visual cues will help a reasonable person determine how the dog is likely to react in the particular situation. Compare this to humans observing a crime and knowing nothing about gender, color, size or race to identify a suspect.
Six Dog Bite Levels:
- Growl or snap, no contact
- Single bite, bruise or scrape
- Single bite to back of head or neck, less than ˝ inch canine deep
- Multiple bites or single deeper than ˝ inch canine deep or dog bites abdomen, legs or feet.
- Multiple bites, maims or mutilates
- Kills
The officers and board members of the Pocatello Kennel Club hope this has been some useful information for you.
President - Keith Weber
Vice President – Jane Guidinger
Secretary – Sandra Law
Treasurer – Joyce Hughes
Corrs. Secretary – Teri Steed
Board members:
Fred Hughes
Christine Nelson
Tracey Marks
Teri Ritter
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