The above quote refers to the animal control department that covers the beach where Mariko Bereday let her Rottweiler run loose, allowing it to severely maul a 2-year-old boy and, just six days later, nearly kill a 4-year-old girl. The department cannot identify the city’s dangerous dogs because citizens do not make the necessary reports.
The city is considering passing an ordinance that would require medical workers to report dog bites to the police, who would have a better chance of identifying the local “demon dogs.” To read the article about the city’s debate over this new law, click here.
Mandatory reporting of dog attacks is a very good idea. It will help keep our streets safe, and our beaches too. Furthermore, it will give us more information so that we can make informed decisions about things like breed specific laws.
The debate about pit bulls, for example, will never come to an end until we have accurate information about the dogs that bite, their owners, and the circumstances that were involved.