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Attack prompts officials to re-examine dog ordinance
By: GEMA MARIA DUARTE
Bucks County Courier Times
July 23, 2009 02:10 AM
A weekend dog attack has Bristol officials taking action to protect borough residents.
On Saturday, Phillipe Berrocal, a landscaper, was working on a yard on Maple Street when a 5-year-old pit bull named Ransom "broke through the fence and bit" him on the left leg, leaving him with lacerations, according to a police report. Berrocal's condition wasn't known late Wednesday.
The brown-and-white dog is being kept at the borough's dog pound until it can be determined if he has an illness such as rabies. As of Wednesday, the owner had not produced documentation of the dog's shots. After 10 days, the dog can be released if it shows no sign of illness. It could also be held at the pound for a longer period of time for additional evaluation.
State Rep. John Galloway, D-140, has introduced legislation that would allow municipalities to create their own dog-control ordinances, but that bill has a way to go before it can become legislation.
Bristol officials said they can't wait.
"It could be a kid next who gets attacked," council President Ralph DiGuiseppe said Wednesday afternoon.
State law allows attacking dogs to be returned to their owners with a warning to keep the pets under control. Pennsylvania has a three-strike policy that allows the pet's return after two incidents unless a dog kills or grievously injures a person. A third incident and the dog is put to sleep.
The council members understand that Bristol can't create a law that is stricter than the state's. So instead, Bristol will amend its current dog ordinance to cover issues that the state law doesn't address, such as fence height.
Borough solicitor William Salerno said one amendment might be "if your dog is this height, then your fence needs to be this high."
Salerno will research the state law and draft the amended ordinance. DiGuiseppe hopes the council can review a draft at the Aug. 3 work session.
The recent attack is the third reported in the last year and a half.
"All these attacks have one common denominator, all are pit bulls," Officer Dominic DiRenzo said after a visit to Ransom.
In early 2008, a beagle, Luna, was attacked by a pit bull. The beagle suffered three severe injuries and had to undergo emergency surgeries.
In January, another pit bull, Reds, bit the face of an 18-year-old woman, who wound up needing plastic surgery.
Both pit bull owners were court ordered to have $50,000 liability insurances, keep the dogs muzzled and supervised, and put dog warning signs in their yards.
But they both failed to comply, police said, so they have been charged with misdemeanors for not following court rulings, DiRenzo said.
At the pound, Ransom was barking and clawing on a fence, which he tried to chew through.
DiRenzo has been on the police force or about 26 years and dog attacks have always been a problem, he said. They are even more so in recent years, he said.
PhillyBurbs.com: Attack prompts officials to re-examine dog ordinance
By: GEMA MARIA DUARTE
Bucks County Courier Times
July 23, 2009 02:10 AM
A weekend dog attack has Bristol officials taking action to protect borough residents.
On Saturday, Phillipe Berrocal, a landscaper, was working on a yard on Maple Street when a 5-year-old pit bull named Ransom "broke through the fence and bit" him on the left leg, leaving him with lacerations, according to a police report. Berrocal's condition wasn't known late Wednesday.
The brown-and-white dog is being kept at the borough's dog pound until it can be determined if he has an illness such as rabies. As of Wednesday, the owner had not produced documentation of the dog's shots. After 10 days, the dog can be released if it shows no sign of illness. It could also be held at the pound for a longer period of time for additional evaluation.
State Rep. John Galloway, D-140, has introduced legislation that would allow municipalities to create their own dog-control ordinances, but that bill has a way to go before it can become legislation.
Bristol officials said they can't wait.
"It could be a kid next who gets attacked," council President Ralph DiGuiseppe said Wednesday afternoon.
State law allows attacking dogs to be returned to their owners with a warning to keep the pets under control. Pennsylvania has a three-strike policy that allows the pet's return after two incidents unless a dog kills or grievously injures a person. A third incident and the dog is put to sleep.
The council members understand that Bristol can't create a law that is stricter than the state's. So instead, Bristol will amend its current dog ordinance to cover issues that the state law doesn't address, such as fence height.
Borough solicitor William Salerno said one amendment might be "if your dog is this height, then your fence needs to be this high."
Salerno will research the state law and draft the amended ordinance. DiGuiseppe hopes the council can review a draft at the Aug. 3 work session.
The recent attack is the third reported in the last year and a half.
"All these attacks have one common denominator, all are pit bulls," Officer Dominic DiRenzo said after a visit to Ransom.
In early 2008, a beagle, Luna, was attacked by a pit bull. The beagle suffered three severe injuries and had to undergo emergency surgeries.
In January, another pit bull, Reds, bit the face of an 18-year-old woman, who wound up needing plastic surgery.
Both pit bull owners were court ordered to have $50,000 liability insurances, keep the dogs muzzled and supervised, and put dog warning signs in their yards.
But they both failed to comply, police said, so they have been charged with misdemeanors for not following court rulings, DiRenzo said.
At the pound, Ransom was barking and clawing on a fence, which he tried to chew through.
DiRenzo has been on the police force or about 26 years and dog attacks have always been a problem, he said. They are even more so in recent years, he said.
PhillyBurbs.com: Attack prompts officials to re-examine dog ordinance