If a pet dog has a history of biting, does the public have a right to know?
The San Diego County grand jury considered this question and answered in the affirmative.
As part of an investigation prompted by a complaint from a dog bite victim who found the official response inadequate, the watchdog group recommended that San Diego County release the addresses of dog owners whose animals were deemed dangerous.
“Dog bites can cause physical and psychological harm and spread disease,” the grand jury said in a report delivered to the Board of Supervisors last week. “Approximately 2,500 dog bites are reported each year from San Diego County to the California Department of Public Health, although the actual number is higher because not all cities make the required reporting.”
Supervisors sent the report to the county Department of Animal Services for review.
The county has a dog bite page on its website, which provides tips on how owners can prevent their dogs from biting and how others can avoid being bitten.
The document tells people who are bitten how to report the incident and provides a link to a dog bite report. But it doesn’t provide any information about where dangerous dogs might be found.
Citing examples of dangerous dog databases maintained by the state of Virginia, Volusia County in Florida and Minneapolis, the grand jury recommended that the county “develop a plan to collect information on the location of a dog declared dangerous in the county and to publish that information so that it is readily available to the public.”
The report found several gaps in how the county and cities within the county handle dog bite incidents. Not all cities forward dog bite reports to the county, and some do not have regulations allowing animal control officers to fine owners of dangerous dogs.
The grand jury recommended that all cities that do not already have them develop regulations allowing officers to cite and fine owners who violate animal control ordinances, and that all dog bites be reported annually.
Dogs declared dangerous must be muzzled in public and the owner is required to post warning signs and carry liability insurance of at least $100,000.
But in recommending a database of dogs declared dangerous, the watchdog acknowledged that there was a barrier.
The process of designating dogs as dangerous requires the victim to testify at a court hearing. Victims interviewed by the grand jury described the testimony as “an intimidating experience” and a major reason why hearings rarely take place.
“In the San Diego Humane Society’s reports for the last three fiscal years, there were 9 to 18 dangerous dog hearings per year, with 78 to 90 percent of those hearings resulting in the dog being declared dangerous,” the report said.
While it did not recommend any changes to make the process more accessible, the grand jury commended cities that impose fines of up to $500 for multiple violations of dog ordinances to encourage responsible ownership.
