There's still work to be done on dog law
After all the Elgin City Council's debate about dangerous dogs, the mayor's ironic run-in with two untethered pit bulls Thursday night is a high-profile test of a new law in the city.
Mayor Ed Schock fought off two dogs that attacked him while he was walking Rako, his 2-year-old German shepherd. The attack, which was over quickly and did not cause any injuries, occurred just a few weeks after a heavily debated dangerous dog law took effect.
At the heart of that debate was whether to restrict behavior or focus on a breed. Initially, city leaders wrote the restrictions specifically for pit bulls and declared them "dangerous dogs." After hundreds of people showed up at city hall to protest, city council members wisely reworked the ordinance. The new law fairly puts the restrictions on owners and governs behavior. It comes closer to the mantra, "there are no bad dogs, only bad owners." We're not sure if that saying is true, but we support this effort that addresses bad behavior by both owners and dogs.
The law requires owners of dogs deemed dangerous or vicious to buy a license and $100,000 worth of liability insurance. There are rules governing where they can walk, the height of the yard's fence and muzzle use. Irresponsible owners are a threat to neighborhoods and to the dogs they claim to love. These are tough laws that make sense.
Councilman John Prigge vowed to bring back the pit bull language if there was another attack. In addition to Thursday night's incident involving the mayor, police shot two aggressive, unleashed pit bulls May 28 in Festival Park after one bit the hand of a 9-year-old boy. The dogs were euthanized.
While we share concerns that the law is more reactive than preventive - dogs are not deemed dangerous until a complaint has been lodged - we like Mayor Schock's reasoned statement following the attack.
"I think we have to let the ordinance work," he told staff writer Lenore Adkins. "It could have been any breed of dog."
He's right. Dogs other than pit bulls can be dangerous. The law shouldn't focus on one breed. But there's room for improvement.
Amending the law to require owners to register dogs with the city also could provide officers with up-to-date valuable information. Before responding to any call, whether it's related to animals or people, police would know whether they're going to face a pit bull or a poodle.
The effectiveness of any law, of course, is enforcement. With only one animal control officer and limited information about the city's dogs, this could be a challenge.
Some have suggested requiring and charging for licenses could raise money for another animal control position. That's a change worth exploring. But, even without the fee, registration and licensing of pets is good public safety policy. We encourage Elgin and other communities that do not issue dog licenses to consider them.