SEVEN HILLS, Ohio -- City Council is currently considering an ordinance that, if passed, would require all dogs to either be leashed or tethered when outside on residential property that doesn’t include a fenced-in area.

“Basically, the new ordinance states if you don’t have an enclosed area, your dog will have to be on a leash or tether,” said City Council Pro Tem Stacey L. Kelly, who introduced the ordinance.

“I believe our current ordinance says that if your dog is out in the yard with a competent person watching, that’s fine, but the animal needs to be secure. Also, it currently just specifies that the owner or keeper of every dog shall at all times keep the dog either confined upon the premises or under reasonable control. It doesn’t technically specify how the dog is supposed to be kept under control," Kelly said.

"This spells it out where there’s no ambiguity. It makes it very clear,” she said of the proposed ordinance.

The one exception to the new ordinance is the use of an invisible fence.

Kelly noted that the revision isn’t targeted to, say, a child who accidentally leaves a gate open for a dog to escape. She said it’s about keeping everybody safe.

“This is for everybody’s protection,” Kelly said. “I’m sure people who have their animals love them, want to protect them and keep them safe. The same should be extended to residents walking their dog or pushing a stroller or whatever.”

City Council President Anthony D. Biasiotta said the intent of the ordinance is responsible pet ownership.

“It’s consistent with what many neighboring communities have implemented,” Biasiotta said. “I support (the ordinance) in principle, but as always I look forward to resident feedback over the next two readings.”

Kelly said the impetus behind the current ordinance is an uptick in incidents reported both on social media and with the Seven Hills Police Department. Regarding the latter, prior to going on summer recess Kelly made a public records request pertaining to dog-related incidents. She was shocked by what she received -- a 160-page report.

“I asked for records from 2017 to the present,” Kelly said. “I was alarmed at the amount of calls. In 2017, there were 157. The same as 2018, and then at the end of July (2019) we were at 153.

“These calls all involved dogs, whether it be barking, dogs at large, dog bites and dog without tags. It’s a serious problem, and it seems to be escalating. So I started looking at the dogs-at-large ordinance.”

The updated ordinance, which is a blend between how the cities of Parma and Independence handle tethered and leashed dogs, is currently being looked at by the Seven Hills Law Department.

“They wanted to make changes to the penalty,” Kelly said. “They felt it wasn’t strong enough. They’re reviewing it now. We may have an amendment on the second reading. It’s kind of up in the air.”

She added: “I’m a huge pet owner. I love animals, but animals are very instinctive and you can’t really control their behavior.”

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