Wednesday, June 26, 2002
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Wednesday, June 26, 2002 |
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PTC dog ordinance has teeth but may be underutilized
By JOHN MUNFORD
There's enough teeth in Peachtree City's animal ordinances to nip potentially dangerous dogs in the bud. But there is some concern that not enough is being done in the city's municipal court to enforce the laws currently on the books. Concerns about a growing number of dangerous dogs in the city were voiced at a workshop of the Peachtree City Council last week. Bill Newman of the Fayette County Animal Shelter, which also operates an animal control program, said there have been several instances in which municipal court judge A. Mitchell Powell has declined to declare a dog "vicious" when petitioned to do so by animal control officers worried about the public's safety near the animal. Once a dog is declared "vicious" by the judge, the owner must keep the pet outside in a pen that has a top, sides and bottom (so the dog can't dig its way out), Newman said. The city ordinance allows a dog to be found vicious even if a bite or injury does not take place. A dog can be cited as vicious if it attacks humans, other animals or foul, the ordinance states. Mayor Steve Brown said he would meet with Judge Powell and city solicitor Rick Lindsey, who is charged with prosecuting cases in municipal court. Brown said his concern was making sure safety precautions are taken with vicious dogs before they attack someone. "It seems like the important thing to do is to get the dogs declared vicious," Brown said. Another growing problem with dangerous dogs is that some Peachtree City residents leave them tied up outside for extended periods of time, Newman added. Peachtree City's ordinances allow dogs to be "tethered" but there was some sentiment to ban tethering altogether. "You see an awful lot of dogs in Peachtree City that are tethered all day long," Newman said. The possibility of requiring fencing for dogs in special cases was also discussed, but it was pointed out that people who rent homes in the city wouldn't be allowed to keep their dog because they couldn't build the fence. The cheapest option would likely be to build a vinyl coated chain link fence in the backyard, it was said. Jim Williams, the city's director of developmental services, said city ordinances allow fences as high as 10 feet in backyards as long as the fence is located between the home and the rear setback for the property. The use of tethering to keep dogs outside is "very prevalent in Wynnmeade" according to city officials. Wayne Roberts of the Wynnmeade Homeowners Association said some residents there use sticks to strike pit bulls and other aggressive dogs that are kept outdoors.
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