Joined
·
960 Posts
Lancaster -- The Lancaster adopted an ordinance that provides for stiff penalties for owners of "potentially dangerous" and "vicious" dogs, particularly those believed to be favored by gang members and used for intimidation.
The ordinance also would require spaying and neutering of all varieties of pit bulls and Rottweilers, including mutts that have "predominant physical characteristics" of those breeds, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday.
"I want gangs out of Lancaster," Mayor R. Rex Parris told The Times in a recent interview. "I want to make it uncomfortable for them to be here. Anything they like, I want to take it away from them. I want to deliberately harass them."
Lancaster joins a growing list of Los Angeles County municipalities that have adopted laws aimed at curbing canine populations, but goes a step further by specifically trying to identify dogs that are "potentially dangerous" or "vicious," according to The Times.
California law allows local authorities to target specific breeds for spaying and neutering, but specific breeds cannot officially be branded vicious. Under the Lancaster ordinance, however, a hearing officer could deem an individual dog to be potentially dangerous or vicious.
If an impounded dog was cleared for release, its owner would have to pay for the animal to be licensed, fitted with a microchip and vaccinated.
A fine of up to $500 would be leveled for each offense committed by a potentially dangerous dog and up to $1,000 per offense for a vicious dog. Additionally, the owner of a vicious dog could be prohibited from possessing any dog for up to three years.
The ordinance also would require spaying and neutering of all varieties of pit bulls and Rottweilers, including mutts that have "predominant physical characteristics" of those breeds, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday.
"I want gangs out of Lancaster," Mayor R. Rex Parris told The Times in a recent interview. "I want to make it uncomfortable for them to be here. Anything they like, I want to take it away from them. I want to deliberately harass them."
Lancaster joins a growing list of Los Angeles County municipalities that have adopted laws aimed at curbing canine populations, but goes a step further by specifically trying to identify dogs that are "potentially dangerous" or "vicious," according to The Times.
California law allows local authorities to target specific breeds for spaying and neutering, but specific breeds cannot officially be branded vicious. Under the Lancaster ordinance, however, a hearing officer could deem an individual dog to be potentially dangerous or vicious.
If an impounded dog was cleared for release, its owner would have to pay for the animal to be licensed, fitted with a microchip and vaccinated.
A fine of up to $500 would be leveled for each offense committed by a potentially dangerous dog and up to $1,000 per offense for a vicious dog. Additionally, the owner of a vicious dog could be prohibited from possessing any dog for up to three years.
