Columbus Nebraska is re-vamping their dangerous dog laws. The City Attorney requested the changes after a Platt County judge recently ruled that owners of dogs that are deemed dangerous do not receive proper due process under the current law.
As a response to this, officials are adding an appeals process that would give the owner 48 hours to file after the declaration that the dog is dangerous. The appeal would be heard by a panel of 3 city council members.
Most of the discussion has been very positive, centering around making the law more constitutional and holding owners responsible for the actions of their dogs. However, one Councilman has mentioned singling out certain breeds.
“Instead of a harsher sentence for owners, City Council President Ron Schilling wants exemptions from the ordinance for family pets and smaller dogs. Schilling said he would like to see breed-specific wording in the ordinance since larger dogs can inflict a more serious injury.” Full article
The proposal is now available on the cities website and we are happy to say that there is no breed discriminatory language in the changes at all. Instead the proposal focuses on the intent of the review, creating better due process for those whose dogs are deemed dangerous or potentially dangerous.
Fred M. Kray
krisdiaz9
Stop BSL 