Liability Insurance for Dangerous Dogs Not a Bad Idea Said San Francisco City Official
By Michelle Logsdon - November 2, 2001Requiring owners of dangerous dogs to buy liability insurance may not be a bad idea according to Tom Ammiano, president of San Francisco’s board of supervisors. Ammiano was responding to the news that Chicago’s City Council unanimously passed an ordinance Oct. 31 requiring owners of dangerous dogs to purchase $100,000 in liability insurance, spay and neuter the animals, and place a microchip inside the dogs to identify them.
“I would not be adverse to bringing up similar legislation,” Ammiano told adjustercom.com. “It’s at least worth doing some community forums and seeing what people’s opinions are.”
Chicago officials introduced the new law in response to the deaths of two children who were attacked by dogs and the mauling of a third child.
Controlling dangerous dogs has been an issue of concern for the city of San Francisco since Jan. 26 when 33-year-old Diane Whipple was mauled to death by two dogs in the hallway of her apartment building there.
Whipple’s death put San Francisco on the offensive in trying to deal with dangerous dogs. Ammiano said city officials have discussed various solutions including even banning certain breeds but the right idea has not come along yet. He said the Chicago ordinance is worth looking into. “We have a terrific community of dog owners here [in San Francisco] but lately everything about dogs is very controversial. Because of the horrible Whipple case, obviously people are looking for solutions.”
Although it is not a law, the San Francisco chapter of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) already has a microchip program in place. “[Microchips provide] a wonderful opportunity, if an animal gets lost, to bring the animal and the owner back together again,” said SPCA Public Relations Officer Judy Nemzoff.
The SPCA partners closely with the city’s department of Animal Care and Control to promote responsible pet ownership and adoption. “Both organizations do not release any animals back into the public without spaying and neutering them,” said Nemzoff. “We also microchip our animals. “The microchip is the size of a rice kernel and is painlessly implanted into the scruff of the animal’s neck.”
San Francisco officials hold dangerous dog hearings every Thursday according to Animal Care and Control Community Affairs Coordinator Melissa Flowers. Sergeant Bill Herndon of the San Francisco Police Department runs the hearings. He reviews details of each case and considers numerous factors such as the dog’s history, if the dog was provoked, and the type of injury sustained by the victim, before deeming a dog dangerous. Any dog given that label is microchipped.
“We just need that connection to the owners’ identification,” said Flowers. If a microchipped dog is involved in an attack, officials can track the dog back to its owner and the city or the victim can then sue the owner. Each city in the state decides for itself how to deal with dangerous dogs.
The Chicago ordinance requires the owners of dogs deemed dangerous to pay a mandatory $300 fine if their dog is caught running loose. If the dog injures someone while loose, the owner could face fines up to $10,000 and six months in jail.
In March 2001, the owners of the dogs that killed Whipple were indicted by a grand jury on charges of murder and manslaughter.
Updated November 6, 2001
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