Proposals would put more emphasis on animals' owners

Dog owners, perhaps more than their canine charges, may be the focus of some changes to be made to Kalispell's ordinance on vicious dogs.

A growing frequency of incidents involving what citizens tell police are vicious dogs have resulted in officers killing three dogs and shooting another since July 2008.

It has raised a public outcry and prompted Police Chief Roger Nasset to work with other city officials on reviewing how effective the current ordinance is.

City Judge Heidi Ulbricht told Kalispell City Council members at their work session Monday night that she needs an ordinance with some teeth in it so she can hand down meaningful penalties.

City Attorney Charles Harball rolled out a couple of suggestions drawn from practices in Whitefish.

One would create a citizens panel of veterinarians, dog trainers or other experts in animal behavior to review specific situations - although police and an animal warden, if the city ever hires one to fill the current vacancy, will have authority to make on-the-spot decisions as needed when dealing with dogs.

The second proposal would require repeat-offender owners to carry insurance, tattoo the offending dog for identification, be 18 or older, fence the yard and restrain the animal.

Nasset described details of the four incidents, noting that they were pit bulls or pit-bull crosses. The ordinance is not breed-specific but he cited one expert in the field who described the breed as "a different caliber of dog."

Flathead County Animal Shelter Director Kirsten Holland said the breed has been unfairly maligned. Her interactions show - and Nasset backed up the statement - that irresponsible dog owners who do not control their animals, and in some cases actually train them to attack people in uniform, have been on the rise in the Flathead.

She called for a change in lethal action against the dogs, and more focus on the owner.

"I hate to see any dog taking responsibility for an irresponsible owner," Holland said.

Council members questioned various aspects of the proposed changes and asked for more information on training for officers in handling aggressive dogs, cooperative efforts between the city police and county animal warden, and a shift in focus away from "vicious' as the standard for taking action and instead toward dogs running at large.

The ordinance will come back to a future council work session.

Reporter Nancy Kimball may be reached at 758-4483 or by e-mail at nkimball@dailyinterlake.com