The city of Warrenton has overhauled its law for handling dogs that injure or threaten people or other animals. The revamped law introduces a new system of home confinement for aggressive dogs, but also allows for severe or repeat offenders to be euthanized.

The multi-page ordinance replaces the city’s previous rules for “vicious” animals, which consisted of just a few paragraphs. City leaders say the new law is meant to clarify how a dog can be deemed “aggressive,” provide non-lethal options for handling those animals, and provide dog owners with a means to appeal those decisions.

Warrenton aldermen introduced and passed the new aggressive dog ordinance with a 6-0 vote at their May 17 public meeting.

Here’s a summarized breakdown of how the new law works:

• Firstly, two types of incidents can lead to an aggressive dog investigation: 1) The dog bites a human or another pet. 2) The dog leaves the owner’s property off-leash and engages in menacing or attack behavior against humans or pets.
The ‘menacing while at large’ allegation won’t lead to an aggressive dog designation by itself, according to the ordinance, but it will lead to a warning and can be used as evidence against the dog in any future biting cases. If the dog does bite a person or pet, that launches the next step of review.

• During investigation of a bite, Warrenton’s animal control supervisor will first check whether the dog has any prior incidents (including for menacing). If there are none, the officer reviews whether the bite was provoked and whether it caused injury that required medical care.
Depending on the circumstances, the officer is likely to issue a warning, but could rule that the dog is aggressive in more severe cases.

• If one prior incident is listed in a dog’s record, any bite can lead to an aggressive dog designation if the animal control investigation uncovers other supporting factors. However, the animal control supervisor also has discretion to consider mitigating circumstances and only issue a warning.

• If the dog already has two prior incidents, a bite will immediately cause it to be declared aggressive and put on track for the harshest penalty.

What happens to aggressive dogs

In the most extreme cases, such as attacks with severe injury, or dogs with multiple prior incidents on their record, animal control can order an aggressive dog to be euthanized.

However, the new law also allows for an intermediate system of home confinement for the dog, including the following requirements:

• Mandatory microchipping for identification.
• A collar worn at all times that says “Aggressive Dog.”
• The dog is at all times kept in secure indoor confinement or a completely enclosed and locked outdoor pen with a roof.
• Conspicuous signs warning passersby and visitors of the aggressive dog.
• Liability insurance of $100,000 for any injuries caused by the dog.
• If the dog is taken out of confinement, it must be muzzled and kept on a 4-foot leash.

Whenever animal control declares a dog to be aggressive, the new law requires notice to be given to the dog’s owner. The owner is then granted five days from that notice to submit a request for appeal.

Upon request of appeal, Warrenton’s municipal judge will hold a hearing to receive testimony from the dog’s owner and any other people who have had, or will have, contact with the dog. The judge will then issue a ruling on whether the dog is aggressive, and what to do with that dog.

The city government will consider the municipal judge’s decision in the case to be final, with no additional appeal. However, the text of Warrenton’s new law acknowledges that some owners might seek the intervention of a higher court.

The complete text of the aggressive dog ordinance can be found at this website: https://bit.ly/3lGMOQJ