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Editorial: When Fido turns into Cujo

Tough laws must discourage ownership of dangerous dogs.

Last update: August 26, 2007 - 4:10 PM

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TO AVOID 'BAD' DOGS

• Never leave small children alone with dogs.

• Neuter male dogs to minimize aggressive behavior.

• Actively socialize dogs.

• Never bother a dog that is sleeping, eating or caring for puppies.

Sources: U. S. Postal Service workers; Centers for Disease Control

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One Twin Cities area boy is dead and another is nursing wounds after recently being attacked by vicious dogs. And since owners fail to control animals that do this kind of damage, the law must do it.

Cities should step up enforcement of current ordinances, create new laws to make it tougher to have such pets and destroy animals when they become too great a threat to public safety.

Earlier this month, his family's pit bull attacked and killed 7-year-old Zachary King Jr. in the basement of his home. The animal was kept chained in the basement because it had bitten people before. And last week, an 85-pound pit bull mix attacked 4-year-old Taylor Bailey outside the boy's Columbia Heights apartment. That animal had bitten the boy's father a week before.

In both cases, the animals had histories of being vicious and were officially dangerous dogs under the state and local legal definitions. And in the Minneapolis case, the owner was complying with city law on dangerous pets by keeping the animal indoors and on a short leash.

Clearly, there are some dogs that have demonstrated they just can't be trusted around other living beings -- especially children. And if the owners won't do it, the city should put them down.

These types of attacks often generate calls to prohibit ownership of certain types of dogs (such as pit bulls) in cities. But a breed ban is not the answer. While a healthy percentage of dogs that do damage are of certain types, aggressive biters come from every canine category.

Studies done by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that purebred and mixed-breed pit bulls and Rottweilers were responsible for about half of 238 dog-bite deaths in the United States from 1979 to 1998. But overall, more than 25 breeds of dogs were involved in those deaths.

It is hard to understand the psychology of those who want to own truly vicious dogs. But because such owners exist, the authorities must fashion more stringent responses. Minneapolis officials are forming a task force to study the issue. To strengthen current laws, the local group and state Legislature should consider regulations that make it as tough as possible for irresponsible owners to keep vicious animals.

Cities could consider higher fines for the owners of dogs whose attacks require medical attention. Repeat offenders could be banned from owning dogs at all, since they don't know how to properly train and manage pets. Authorities could require homeowners' or renters' insurance that specifically covers dog attacks. The insurance industry reports having paid nearly $320 million in claims in 2005 to compensate dog-bite victims for medical expenses, pain and suffering. Therefore, some companies do not insure certain types of dogs or charge huge premiums.

Conflicts between dogs and humans are inevitable. In fact, CDC officials estimate that by the end of this year, more than 4.7 million dog bites will have been reported nationally -- most of them accidental, non-life-threatening incidents. But because some owners insist on keeping dangerous dogs, sometimes even after they've bitten people, the law should tightly regulate them and destroy the animals if necessary.

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