The Milwaukee Common Council on July 14 unanimously passed an ordinance that ends restrictions aimed specifically at pit bulls and Rottweilers.
Under the measure sponsored by Alderman Bob Bauman, an animal cannot be labeled “dangerous” based only on its breed. Instead, the designation has to be based on documented behavior.
The change comes as the number of dog bites is rising in Milwaukee and around the country.
Here’s what new about the ordinance.
How many dog bites has Milwaukee recorded this year?
The city has recorded 193 animal bites so far this year, Lorie Gallup, code enforcement manager for the city’s animal ordinance, told the Public Safety and Health Committee on July 2.
Fourteen involved cats. The rest were dogs.
“The bites have gone up,” Gallup said.
Karen Sparapani, executive director of the Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission, or MADACC, said dog bites are increasing around the country too.
Nationally, fatal dog bites have nearly doubled over the past decade, rising from an average of around 40 deaths a year to nearly 100 more recently, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Researchers have pointed to a mix of factors, including a pandemic-era pet adoption boom that left many dogs without proper early socialization.
What were Milwaukee’s previous rules for pit bulls and Rottweilers?
Until now, city code singled out dogs that were at least half pit bull or Rottweiler.
Owners of those dogs had to follow special rules regardless of the dog’s history. That included keeping the dog leashed by someone at least 16 years old, having a fenced yard or kennel area with a concrete floor, and attending at least one dog training or behavior class.
The pit bull category covered American Staffordshire terriers, Staffordshire terriers, American pit bull terriers, miniature bull terriers and Staffordshire bull terriers.
Why did the city remove the breed-specific rules?
Sparapani said the Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission advocated for the change.
“Breed-specific rules are an illusion of safety,” she said. “All dogs can bite.”
Enforcement will now be based on how an animal acts rather than what breed it is, Michael Mazmanian, deputy commissioner for the Department of Neighborhood Services, told the committee on July 2.
“It just makes it more uniform to how an animal behaves as opposed to the specifics about what the breed is,” Mazmanian said.
The change does not weaken the city’s enforcement tools, he added.
What counts as a “dangerous” animal in Milwaukee now?
For the most part, the city’s definition of a “dangerous animal” does not change. Biting a person or another animal without provocation still counts, as does lunging or charging at someone aggressively, even without biting.
What did change is the requirement of proof.
The old definition included any animal with a “known propensity, tendency or disposition” to attack, which did not require a documented record.
Now, animals must have at least one documented incident to be designated as dangerous.
What do owners of dangerous animals in Milwaukee have to do?
Within 30 days of a designation, owners must submit a behavioral management plan to the Department of Neighborhood Services. The plan can cover confinement, supervision, transportation, training and veterinary care, and owners must show ongoing compliance when the department asks.
Owners have 72 hours to file a written objection, which triggers a hearing before a three-person panel made up of an environmental health professional, a humane officer and a veterinarian.
For the first time, owners can also ask the department to remove the designation after one year of documented compliance with no new incidents.
The new ordinance also requires owners to bring their pets to the Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission to be microchipped.
Why does microchipping a dangerous animal matter?
Sparapani said the microchipping requirement has real practical value, especially when it comes to identifying dogs that have been deemed especially dangerous.
A dog can be ordered out of Milwaukee, typically for causing serious harm or breaking the rules that come with being designated as dangerous.
Owners then have 30 days to remove or surrender the dog, but it can sometimes be hard to verify if they have done so. A new dog that looks just like the old one can be hard to tell apart.
A microchip makes it harder to swap one for the other, Sparapani said.
Quinn Clark is a Public Investigator reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She can be reached at QClark@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee ends breed-specific dog restrictions for pit bulls, Rottweilers
Reporting by Quinn Clark, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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By Quinn Clark, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
