KPTM FOX 42: Omaha News, Sports and Weather; kptm.com |Potentially Dangerous Dog Fees Could be Waived

Maureen Wurtz

OMAHA (KPTM)- The city of Omaha keeps a list of possible dangerous dogs.  If you own one of them, you have to do special training and carry extra insurance.

 Owners can pay a 200-dollar fee to get your dog off the list after two years without any incident.

 The Nebraska Humane Society is trying to waive that fee. 

 One dog owner couldn't agree more.

 "I'm giving my dog the best chance to plead his case and show that he's not actually a dangerous dog," said potentially dangerous dog owner, Deb Howard.

 Howard's six-year-old white German shepherd is the reason she is so passionate. 

 "We've paid our fine. We've done our dues.  Why tack on more charges?" asked Howard.

 She's talking about the 200-dollar fee that the Nebraska Humane Society charges to have dogs removed from the "Potentially Dangerous" list.

 Howard said she used to take McGyver on walks at Standing Bear Lake.  She hasn't since he was designated potentially dangerous three years ago.

 Now, it's just a game of fetch in the backyard.  If he wants to go out, he's required to wear a muzzle. 

"When he's wearing a normal collar, he has to wear this harness," said Howard.            

 Howard said she's gone through all the hoops to make her dog safe.  Some requirements are obedience classes, liability insurance, and licensing her dog as ‘potentially dangerous.'         

 "A lot of dog owners," said Howard, "I don't think they have the money, so they say, okay, put the dog down."

That was not an option for Howard.

She said McGyver has done his time and deserves a second chance.

 "He could be a normal dog again," said Howard.

 The possibility of being able to loosen the leash has both owner and dog grinning.