Ankeny City Council to Consider New Vicious Dog Ordinance at Tonight's Meeting

The Ankeny City Council is considering amending its existing vicious dog ordinance and shifting the appeal process away from the council and to an appointed three-person committee.

The first reading of the new ordinance is scheduled for tonight’s , which starts at 5:30 p.m. at . Two more readings are required before the amendment is made official.

Ankeny city attorney Amy Beattie said the city has been looking at alternatives to its current process for awhile, but the need for change has become more urgent in recent months.

The council has ruled on appeal hearings in at least four dog bite cases since April, according to this article by the Des Moines Register. Two more appeals are pending, Chief Gary Mikulec told the council in a planning session last week. In each case, dog owners have requested the council allow them to keep their animals rather than put them down or remove them from the city limits.

“We have one case looming and a second that just joined it, and that dog had no rabies (vaccination),” Mikulec told council members. “That dog bit three people, including the responding officer...and they are appealing.”

Beattie said it is not required that appeal cases go before the council. After looking into how communities across the state handle similar cases, it was recommended the council go with the creation of a three-person panel comprised of community members appointed by Mikulec.

Mikulec said he would like to see the panel consist of residents who deal with dogs and other animals on a daily basis. This could include veterinarians and other community members.

The panel would be guided by the city ordinance, which uses a variety of criteria to determine whether a dog would be deemed “dangerous” or “vicious.”

A dog would be declared dangerous if:

• It bit a person or pet unprovoked while on private property.
• Chased a person in a threatening manner without provocation.
• Had the propensity to attack to cause injury or threaten safety of humans or pets.
• It is not in conformity with the city’s rabies ordinance/licensing.

If a dog is deemed dangerous, owners have to abide by several rules in order to keep the dog. If the dog breaks these rules, it would be declared vicious.

In addition, a dog would be declared vicious if:

• It caused an injury resulting in broken bones or the need for sutures without provocation on private or public property.
• Kills a domestic pet or animal without provocation while off owner’s property.
• It previously was found to be dangerous yet continued to bite, attack or endanger another human or pet.

Owners are not allowed to appeal either designation under the amended ordinance. Those whose dogs are deemed vicious will be required to abide by rules including the use of a muzzle of the dog whenever it is outdoors. Owners also will have to display a sign in the window of their home declaring it the residence of a vicious dog as well as carry a $150,000 insurance policy, among others.

Should a dog violate any of the rules for keeping a vicious dog, owners would be allowed to file an appeal with the three-person committee.

“The goal is to set a standard,” Mikulec said. “This is a fairly clean process, and I think this will drop it down to one to two cases per year. A case would have to be pretty pronounced if it makes its way to the hearing process.”