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Sunday, Dec. 02, 2007

Council could add bite to pet rules

Changes could mean bundled fines, arrests for repeat offenders

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Two proposed revisions to Modesto's animal control ordinances could give pet owners a new reason to say "bad dog."

The changes would put more teeth into penalties that police can levy against animal owners whose pets run loose, show vicious behavior or don't have licenses. They're headed to a City Council committee meeting Monday.

One change would declare some animal code violations a misdemeanor instead of an infraction, enabling officers to arrest reckless pet owners for repeated offenses. It also would give officers more authority to seize dangerous dogs.

The other change would restore a former police practice the city attorney scuttled this year. It would allow officers to bundle fines for multiple animal code infractions on a single ticket.

That practice ran afoul of the city code, which allows only one $100 fine per ticket. Some pet owners received fines of as much as $2,100 on tickets over the past year, according to documents The Bee obtained through a California Public Records Act request.

Assistant Police Chief Mike Harden said it was appropriate to aggregate the fines, likening them to state vehicle code violations.

But City Council members were skeptical of the department's use of those tickets last month when they learned of expensive tickets pet owners received for minor infractions.

Do penalties fit the crime?

One woman, for example, got a $600 ticket when her small show dog trespassed on a neighbor's lawn. Code violations on her ticket included owning one more dog than the city allows, keeping a dog without a leash, and having three unlicensed canines.

Other expensive tickets re-flected more aggressive behavior, such as the $2,100 fine for two large dogs that intimidated and charged residents on March 11.

Councilman Will O'Bryant, who leads the committee that will see the proposals, was concerned that the penalties didn't fit the crimes.

"We're going to have a long talk about that" Monday, he said.

The pet-related revisions join five other proposals that would adjust Modesto's municipal code. The proposals are to:

Stiffen penalties for drinking alcohol in public parks.

Ban Dumpster diving.

Make it easier for police to go after people who possess drugs, as well as those who use or sell them.

Require hotel guests to identify themselves honestly when they register for a room.

Give police new powers to seize dangerous and abandoned vehicles on private property.

"They're all timely," Harden said. "They speak to a number of quality of life issues."

The council's Safety and Communities Committee will meet at 5:30 p.m. Monday in Room 2005 of Tenth Street Place, 1010 10th St.

Bee staff writer Adam Ashton can be reached at aashton@modbee.com or 578-2366.