If a pet dog has a history of biting, does the public have a right to know?
The San Diego County grand jury considered this question and answered affirmatively.
In an investigation prompted by a complaint from a dog bite victim who found the official response inadequate, the watchdog group recommended that San Diego County publish the addresses of dog owners whose pets have been determined to be dangerous.
“Dog bites can cause physical and psychological harm and spread disease,” the grand jury said in a report submitted to the Board of Supervisors last week. “San Diego County reports about 2,500 dog bites annually to the California Department of Public Health, although the actual number is higher because not all cities make the required report.”
Supervisors forwarded the report to the county Department of Animal Services for review.
The county has a dog bite page on its website that provides tips on how owners can prevent their dogs from biting and how others can avoid being bitten.
It tells people who have been bitten how to report the incident and provides a link to a dog bite report, but it does not provide information on where dangerous dogs can be found.
Citing examples of dangerous dog databases maintained by the state of Virginia, Volusia County in Florida and Minneapolis, the grand jury recommended that the county “develop a plan to collect information regarding the location of a declared dangerous dog within the county and publish this information so that it is readily available to the public.”
The report found several shortcomings in the way the county and cities in the county handle dog bite incidents. Not all cities forward dog bite reports to the county, and some lack regulations that allow animal control officers to fine owners of dogs that are dangerous.
The grand jury recommended that all cities that do not already have them develop regulations allowing officers to cite and fine property owners for violating animal control ordinances, and that all dog bites be reported annually.
Dogs declared dangerous must be muzzled in public, and the owner must post warning signs and maintain liability insurance of at least $100,000.
But in recommending a database of dogs that have been declared dangerous, the watchdog group acknowledged there is a hurdle.
The procedure for classifying dogs as dangerous requires the victim to testify at a court hearing. Victims interviewed by the grand jury described the testimony as “an overwhelming experience” and one of the main reasons hearings are rarely held.
“In San Diego SPCA reports for the past three fiscal years, between nine and 18 dangerous dog hearings were held per year, and between 78% and 90% of those hearings resulted in a finding that the dog was dangerous,” the report states.
While it did not recommend any changes to make the process more accessible, the grand jury praised cities that impose fines of up to $500 for multiple violations of dog ordinances as a way to encourage responsible ownership.
