An update of Minneapolis' interactive database of serious — and four-legged — offenders shows that nearly 40 dogs around the city are officially classified as "dangerous."
The city maintains a map of canines that have run into trouble by biting people or other animals, or ran afoul of the city's regulations for dangerous animals. It provides the home address and rap sheet of each dog, along with a photo.
The dogs on the list reside in a variety of neighborhoods and vary in breed. Current "dangerous dogs" include Sephy, a beagle from Longfellow who bit a person; Briggs, a Lab mix from near Lake Nokomis who killed a cat; and Bernadette, an American Staffordshire terrier in Loring Park who bit an animal.
Minneapolis has long maintained lists of dangerous pets but in recent years began to include that information on a map.
Dogs are sometimes listed as "potentially dangerous" before they join the "dangerous" list. Connie Bourque Horita, an administrative analyst with the city's Animal Care and Control department, said dogs can end up with the lower classification for more minor bites or acting aggressively. Owners are then required to follow specific rules, like keeping a muzzle on the dog and using a 3-foot leash.
A "dangerous" declaration comes with even more requirements: Dogs must be sterilized, owners must carry a $300,000 insurance bond to cover potential injuries inflicted by the animal and a sign must be posted in front of the dog's home.
But it's not necessarily a lifetime sentence. If dogs avoid causing trouble and owners pass inspection — sometimes after receiving specific training from an animal behaviorist — the city will review the case after several months or a year.
