Ald. Fioretti Suggests Licensing Owners Instead Of Dogs

By Samantha Abernethy in News on Jan 18, 2012 11:35PM



virtualphotographers

Ald. Bob Fioretti (2nd) introduced a resolution at today's City Council meeting calling for a series of hearings to overhaul of the city's pet policies, making "recommendations for legislation to reduce the number of animal attacks.” In particular, Fioretti wants to move the city toward licensing owners instead of licensing the dogs. The Sun-Times writes:

“Any further regulation should continue to be not breed-specific, but owner/handler specific, such as licensing the owner rather than the animal,” the resolution states.

That's good to hear because just two weeks ago Fioretti had hinted at breed-specific legislation as an option for decreasing dog attacks, saying he's heard nothing but bad news about them. Of course this is all coming up again because two pit bulls attacked a jogger at Rainbow Beach on New Year's Day, causing the man to lose his left foot. Anecdotal evidence from the victim and a witness both imply the dogs were fighters. The victim said they "knew what they were doing," and the witness said, "It was like they were bred exactly for fighting." NBC Chicago writes:

"There may be any number of triggers that cause animals to attack," the proposal reads. "A pack of dogs may act differently from how they normally act individually. Animal behaviorists believe fatal dog attacks are caused by a myriad of factors such as the personality of the dog."

Fioretti also suggested mandatory spay and neutering. Cherie Travis, executive director of the city’s Commission on Animal Care and Control, told the Sun-Times, “In Minneapolis, there’s an ordinance that, if your dog has bitten someone, you can’t get another dog for five years. I’m certainly open to discussing best practices.”