For those of you who do not know, the City of Lakewood adopted a ‘dangerous and vicious animal’ law on July 21, 2008. A summary of the law, quoted directly from Chapter 506 of Lakewood law, has been included below so that each resident may take an educated stance on the topic at hand.

506.03 Pit Bull Dogs or Canary Dogs
All pit bull dogs and canary dogs (Perro de PresaCanario) are deemed to be dangerous animals even in the absence of a hearing by the Director of Public Safety or his or her designee.

As used in this section, “pit bull dog” means any Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier or American Staffordshire Terrier breed of dog; any dog of mixed breed which has the appearance and characteristics of being predominantly of such breeds; any dog commonly known as a pit bull, pit bull dog or pit bull terrier; or a combination of any of these breeds.

As used in this section “canary dogs” or “Perro de PresaCanario Dogs” also include any dog of mixed breed which has the appearance and characteristics of being predominantly of such breed.

In the event of a dispute as to whether or not a dog is a pit bull dog, a canary dog, or some other breed, the Director of Public Safety or his or her designee shall make the determination with or without a hearing, and the burden of proof that such dog is not a pit bull dog or canary dog shall be upon the owner or custodian.

506.10 Evidence
The Director of Public Safety or his or her designee may hear and consider relevant evidence offered by any person desiring to provide such evidence at a hearing to determine whether or not an impounded or confined animal is a dangerous animal or a vicious animal.

In making a determination as to whether or not such animal is a dangerous animal or a vicious animal, the following evidence may be considered:

• Any previous history of the animal attacking, biting or causing injury to human beings or domestic animals
• The nature and extent of all injuries inflicted and the number of victims involved
• The place where the bite, attack or injury occurred
• The presence of absence of any provocation for the bite, attack or injury
• The extent to which clothing or other property was damaged or destroyed
• Whether or not the animal exhibits any characteristic of aggressive or unpredictable temperament or behavior in the presence of human beings or domestic animals
• The manner in which the animal has been trained, handled and maintained by its owner or custodian
• Any other relevant evidence concerning the animal
• Any other relevant evidence regarding the ability of the owner or custodian or the City to protect the public safety if the animal is permitted to remain in the City

506.04 Exception, Registration and Fee
Any owner of a dangerous animal as defined in Section 506.03 on the effective date of the ordinance who intends to keep such dangerous animal within the City of Lakewood shall have 90 days, from the effective date of this ordinance, to register such dangerous animal with the Director of Public Safety or his or her designee. The fee for such registration shall be $50.00. Registration shall take place annually thereafter. Registration shall include providing the name and contact information of the owner of the dangerous animal, the location where the dangerous animal shall be kept, and any other information deemed necessary to ensure the safety of the public by the Director of Public Safety or his or her designee. Registration shall be rejected and the dangerous animal shall be removed from the City of Lakewood if the owner fails to show proof annually of compliance with the following conditions:
**Summarized**

• The dangerous animal must be implanted with a microchip, and the information contained on the microchip, must be maintained in a database by the Division of Animal Control along with a photograph of the animal
• The animal must be spayed or neutered
• The owner must obtain liability insurance for at least $100,000 for the entire period of registration
• The animal, while on the premises of the owner or custodian, shall be confined indoors or in a securely enclosed pen or “dog run” with sides six feet high, imbedded at least one foot underground, and with a secured top
• The animal, while off premises of its owner or custodian, shall be securely muzzled, leashed with a chain not longer than three feet (having tensile strength of not less than 300 pounds), under the control of a person eighteen years of age or older
• Any government or utility company employee, and anyone else who comes on the property, shall be immediately informed of the animal’s dangerousness. The owner of the animal shall immediately notify the Director of Safety of any change made to the information on the registration

506.12 Disposition of Vicious Animals
Any animal designated by the Director of Public Safety or his or her designee, after a hearing, to be a vicious animal, if not already impounded by the City, shall be immediately surrendered to the Director of Public Safety or his or her designee, Animal Control Officer or a police officer.

Any animal declared by the Director of Public Safety or his or her designee, after a hearing, to be a vicious animal shall be humanely destroyed.

The Director of Public Safety or his or her designee shall issue an order authorizing the destruction of the vicious animal to take place not earlier than five days following the written decision by the Director of Public Safety or his or her designee designating the animal to be a vicious animal. If the owner or custodian of the vicious animal, within such period, files a notice of appeal of the Director of Public Safety or his or her designee’s decision with a court of competent jurisdiction, serves the Director of Public Safety or his or her designee with a copy of the notice of appeal and removes the animal from the City pending such appeal, the City shall stay the order of destruction, pending the appeal.

So, as you can imagine, there are many residents of the City that are in opposition of such ordinance. Not only does this affect Lakewood residents, but also guests they may have, owners of breeds that may soon be adopted into this ordinance, owners of mixed breed dogs, and our beloved dog park.

Should you be interested in obtaining additional information about the law, or if you are interested in signing a petition to have this law placed on an election ballot so that the City of Lakewood Residents have an opportunity to vote on whether this law should be overturned, you may contact the following:

The Dog House, 1384 Bonnieview
Inn the Dog House. 10237 Berea Road #H
The Mission Boutique, 14625 Madison

Or

BADDOGLAW@GMAIL.COM