Julie Hong
OMAHA (KPTM)- A compromise to a compromise. More changes proposed to Omaha's dangerous dog ordinance. The city council is looking at several amendments after a packed public hearing on the potential new law last week. But it could still be at least another week before they vote on it.
The city council is not expected to talk about the dangerous dog ordinance in Tuesday's council meeting because two council members are out of town on business. In the meantime there are several proposed amendments the council will talk about when they do meet next week.
In all six proposed amendments, the latest revisions to the city's dangerous dog ordinance. The proposed changes include upping a pit bull owner's age from 19 to 21 and requiring pit bulls to be harnessed instead of just leashed. "I think what the public hearing produced provided an additional balance for this particular ordinance," says councilman Garry Gernandt.
Gernandt says at least one of the proposed changes might address one of the more controversial elements of the proposal on mandatory pit bull muzzling. "It's a program that has about 10 different steps as I'm told."
A program through the Nebraska Humane Society called the Pit Bull Breed Ambassador Program. It gives pit bull owners the option to take a course to "opt" out of the muzzling requirement. The class tests obedience and social skills in public for both the dog and the owner. "The animal gets a brightly colored vest to wear to show its passed the class," explains Gernandt.
Jim Suttle is proposing dropping mandatory pit bull muzzling. "Just try the ordinance for 12 months let's do an evaluation and see if this is really working or not." Gernandt says the mayor will not support a measure without muzzling. And while Suttle says the ambassador program may be a compromise to muzzling pit bulls, he says it still doesn't address the real problem. "You've got about 5-6 hoops that a good dog owners with a good dog has to jump through in order to not wear the muzzle that's not our problem. Our problem isn't with good dog owners and good dogs it's with bad owners and bad dogs, maybe we should muzzle bad owners, maybe that's where our muzzling should be," says Suttle.
Both councilmen do agree, whatever passes needs to be tested and then tweaked. Gernandt says it does nothing to have the tool but not put it in the toolbox, so to speak. He says animal control officers and law enforcement need to test the law in the field with animals and then make more changes.
The mayor's office is looking at the changes. Gernandt says he hopes the mayor will consider the Ambassador program as long as dogs deemed reckless, dangerous and potentially dangerous must be muzzled.
