Chicago: A Model City for Our Nation's Pets
Tuesday, July 25, 2006 | 11:41 AM
AP
Just recently, Dog Fancy magazine named Chicago as the "Dog Friendliest City" in our nation. It's a title that the many dog owners, and dog professionals were thrilled to capture. Now, Chicago is taking that title and running with it, by introducing a group of ordinances to City Council that are designed to make Chicago friendly to dogs as well the people who come in contact with them. Chicago has over half a million dogs and Alderman Gene Schulter believes the city's ordinances can be improved upon in order for all those dogs to live in harmony with three million plus humans who share the streets. Alderman Shulter's proposed ordinances cover a wide range of canine issues founded on accepted behavioral research and seek to be proactive. Many people are hoping that Chicago will become the model for other cities to follow.
Sadly, many cities would have been out of the running for such an illustrious title, as they have mandated what is known as Breed Specific Legislation (BSL). BSL describes a law that bans particular breeds, usually pit bulls (a type of dog, not a breed) and sometimes Rottweilers, German Shepherds, Akitas, Dobermans, Chow Chows, and a few others. These laws are usually passed after several attacks by a particular breed so that city councils can assure citizens they are "doing something" about a voter concern.
But Breed Bans Don't Work The overall problem with BSL is that it targets all dogs of a breed without regard for the individual dog's conduct ensnaring the innocent as well as the guilty. In addition, such laws are difficult to enforce; and do not end the use of guardian dogs by criminals. If pit bulls in their various incarnations are banned, drug dealers and other felons switch to another breed or mix. In the meantime, the ill-tempered terrier mix that bites the hand that feeds it and the poorly-bred purebred that attacks the neighborhood children pose a far greater danger to people than the obedience-trained American Staffordshire Terrier that is a registered therapy dog but cannot step foot inside a city with BSL on the books.
Far better than breed-specific bans are strict laws to control aggressive dogs of any breed or mix. Known as generic vicious dog laws, they put restrictions on the ownership of dogs that pose a danger to people based on their prior conduct, restrictions such as confinement in locked, escape-proof kennels while outdoors on the owner's property; muzzles when the dog is off the property; and purchase of a liability insurance policy.
Official Positions
Steve Dale points out "There isn't a dog organization that I know of that supports BSL. Included on that list are The American Kennel Club (AKC), The Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association, The Humane Society of the United States, as well as The Center for Disease Control."
The AKC's position is described on its website as follows, "The American Kennel Club supports reasonable, enforceable, non-discriminatory laws to govern the ownership of dogs. The AKC believes that dog owners should be responsible for their dogs. We support laws that: establish a fair process by which specific dogs are identified as "dangerous" based on stated, measurable actions; impose appropriate penalties on irresponsible owners; and establish a well-defined method for dealing with dogs proven to be dangerous. We believe that, if necessary, dogs proven to be "dangerous" may need to be humanely destroyed. The American Kennel Club strongly opposes any legislation that determines a dog to be "dangerous" based on specific breeds or phenotypic classes of dogs."
A Two-Fold Plan
A couple of years back, Alderman Gene Shulter of the 47th ward was made aware of a kenneling operation on the city's north side whose kennel operator left the dogs in his care without food, water or even basic supervision for several days. This outraged Ald. Shulter and compelled him to put together a task force to come up with new and better ways of regulating kennel owners to ensure the safety of the dogs in their care. As Shulter was creating this task force, concerns of BSL began surfacing in Chicago.
Ald. Schulter assembled a group of animal experts headed up by Tribune Media Services syndicated newspaper columnist Steve Dale and local activist Cynthia Bathurst. This task force included representatives of The Illinois State and Chicago Veterinary Medical Associations, City of Chicago Commission of Animal Care and Control, The Anti-Cruelty Society, PAWS Chicago, representatives of CAPTA (Chicago Area Pet Trainers Association), CASA (Chicago Area Shelter Alliance) and other local and national animal advocacy groups. They came together to craft and develop a list of guidelines and rules to better the lives of not only our pet dogs, but improve public safety. The ordinances proposed by the task force are not only a way to create the best quality of life for our pet dogs, but also are a way to create proactive alternatives to BSL.
And after years of research, dedication and consulting with the best in practices, a series of ordinances was created. The four ordinances range from increased fees to owners whose dogs are repeatedly impounded to mandatory microchipping for all dogs.
On Monday, July 24, 2006 Alderman Shulter's Committee on Licensure and Consumer Protection heard testimony on each of the ordinances which will be going to vote this coming Wednesday. Following a press conference at 10:00 AM, the hearings began and lasted for close to three hours.
Supportive testimony for every aspect of the proposed ordinances was given by some of Chicago's, and the world's, brightest animal advocates, including State Treasurer Judy Baar-Topinka, President of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Dr. Roger Mahr, WGN's Steve Dale, PAWS Founder Paula Fasseas, and legendary Animal Behaviorists, Drs. Ian Dunbar, and Patricia McConnell.
Anti-Tethering
The proposed Anti Tethering law simply states that dogs cannot be left outside unattended on a tie out mechanism for any period over three hours in a twenty-four hour period. It doesn't stop there either. The law also outlines several humane conditions for tie outs, including:
# Only one dog per tie out,
# The tether must be attached to a properly fitting collar or harness with enough room for two adult fingers properly fitting and no choke or prong-style collars are to be used;
# The dog must have access to suitable and sufficient food, clean water and dry ground and appropriate shelter;
# The tie out must keep the dog safely within the owners property
It is a well-documented fact that dogs are more prone to aggressive events and displays if and when they have been subjected to tethering.
Fiscal Responsibility for Irresponsible Owners
As part of Alderman Shulter's proposal, he has included increased redemption fees for owners whose dogs chronically roam. The fee for a first time impoundment for a licensed animal is thirty dollars and the fee progressively increases in increments of thirty dollars for both unlicensed and repeat offenses. In the case of a third time offense, that owner must attend an animal care education program. The ordinance also states that any animal impounded four or more times in a twelve month period is subject to a hearing.
Proponents are thrilled with the education initiative within the ordinance.
Additional amendments to the ordinance include supporting and rewarding pet owners who make the decision to spay and neuter their pets by offering a reduced pet license fee.
Mandatory Microchipping
In following the Katrina disaster, we were inundated with images of lost and now homeless pets. As a result of pets in the Gulf Region being without proper identification, many of the area's animals landed in shelters around the country, with little hope for a reunion with their owners.
Pet owners, advocates and professionals agree that proper identification is the best method to ensure safe return of pets in the event of disaster, emergency or, even the backyard gate being left open accidentally. To that end, Shulter's committee is also introducing an ordinance requiring mandatory microchipping for all dogs six months or older.
The microchip is a tiny transponder the size of a grain of uncooked rice implanted under the dog's skin and read by a chip scanner or wand. Implantation is done with an injector that places the chip under the loose skin over the dog's shoulder. The chip identification number is stored in a tiny transponder that can be read through the dog's skin by a scanner. Shelters, Veterinary offices and kennel facilities will be required to have a scanner on site, although most well run organizations already do.
The advantages are obvious -- the process is quick and no more painful than a vaccination, the chip can't get lost, the number is unique, the dog doesn't have to be wrestled to the ground and shaved to see if it's there, and the owner's name and address are available on regional or national data bases so a dog can be returned quickly and safely.
Dale says "Microchipping also has an impact on public safety. Dogs can be positively identified in court if a dog is accused of attack or is involved with a person of ill will."
Kennel Requirements
This ordinance was designed to create to allow for safer and more humane conditions in our city's many kennel and pet care operations.
Chicago already has several mandates on the books requiring kennel operators to follow specific guidelines, and the new ones presented on Monday are designed to improve quality of care and generate additional revenue for animal control purposes. Examples included in the ordinance are as follows:
# All facilities operating as a kennel need to be licensed as such;
# All licensed premises need to kept under sanitary conditions all of the time;
# All animals should have updated health and vaccination records;
# All animals should have clean water and adequate nutrition
There are a variety of rules and regulations dependant on the type of facility. For example, it is written that all grooming shops are to sanitize all grooming equipment after each animal has been groomed.
The only component of the ordinance that met controversy was a reduction in the number of dogs allowed to participate in playgroups to no more than twelve. Some day care operators are lobbying against this aspect of the legislation contending that it would be financially devastating to their businesses. A position that was met with sympathy, as owners of day care businesses ostensibly designed them to improve a dog's life. However, most animal behavior experts, including Veterinarians, Applied Animal Behaviorists and reputable dog trainers, agree that mandating playgroup size is necessary for the reduction of stress on the dogs and therefore a reduction of the amount of aggression they may exhibit after leaving the daycare. At the conclusion of Monday's hearings, Alderman Shulter and the task force invited the day care operators to voice their experience and opinions in the coming months to help create a solution that maintains business viability, as well as dog safety.
City Council will be voting on these ordinances on Wednesday. To learn more about the outcome of proposed ordinances, or to get more information contact Alderman's Schulter's office at 773-348-8400 or by email to ward47@cityofchicago.org.
Written and Submitted by: Jamie Damato, CPDT
AnimalSense Canine Training and Behavior, Inc.
www.animalsense.com
773-ASK-DOGS