Patch Blog: New Barking Law--Will It Work or Hurt Dogs?

Los Angeles City has raised the fine for an excessively barking dog, to $250 then progressively $500 and $1000 for subsequent violations. Excessive means continual for 10 minutes or more, or intermittently for 30 minutes or more within a three-hour period. Get out your kitchen timers. This is certainly a gesture towards suffering neighbors. If you have an unhappy neglected dog in your neighborhood, you know how intractable the problem can be.

LA County has clear and strict animal laws, including barking, and hefty penalties for abusive behavior, from fines to felonies, and jail time. Enforcement, however, is the catch. LA County Animal Laws and Ordinance

Someone who cares about their dog, and who is simply unaware of problem barking, is likely to figure out how to find a remedy once they know about it. Often it is a frustrated lonely dog without enough exercise. Dog guardians willing to address the problem can usually find fellow dog lovers in their neighborhood happy to help with extra walks or other neighborly help.

However, dog guardians unconcerned with the suffering of their dog, will be equally unconcerned with the distress it causes their neighbors. Dog Court is all we have had. There is little follow up, as the problem is sure to recur, and there are few consequences.

The idea of the new Ordinance was that an increase in the fine would create an incentive to alter this dreadful behavior. However animal lovers in Los Angeles are concerned it might instead incentivize further cruelty and abuse in order to avoid the fine.

With this question in mind, I checked with West Hollywood. They have found no correlation between penalties for barking dogs, and an increase in animal abuse. This is a very pet friendly city. Businesses welcome pets, there are 80 waste disposal sites within their tiny boundaries. West Hollywood has already banned the unspeakably cruel practice of toe and tendon amputation in cats. They came close to being able to ban tail docking and ear pinning. They have banned all sales of cats and dogs in pet stores, undercutting the commercial power of the puppy mills. They are close to banning all sales of fur. They have a branch of the Amanda Foundation there, the successful rescue organization which also sponsors a spay and neuter-mobile. Unsurprisingly this city has active and engaged groups of animal activists. This is the best way to get results from+ any city government

In LA City the laws are on the books, but enforcement is weak, there are not enough spay and neuter clinics in Northeast LA, and not enough education. I know Highland Park is filled with pet-lovers, is there no way to band together, follow the lead of West Hollywood, and help Los Angeles become more human by becoming more humane?

Note to the cognoscenti: Trish is finally back in town.