Village eyes new rules for vicious animals

Chief proposes process for declaration, appeal

By Jason Arndt

Staff Writer

An appeals process for owners of animals deemed vicious could be added to the Village of Twin Lakes ordinance at the Village Board meeting set for Dec. 21.

The process includes a clearly established procedure for declaring dogs vicious, a provision sought by Twin Lakes Police Chief Adam Grosz.

Grosz said three separate ordinances, 7.02, 7.12.30 and 7.24 have created confusion among some Twin Lakes officers.

“They did not all match. They contradicted each other,” Grosz said. “There was an ordinance that pertained to basically all animals, another ordinance that pertained specifically to dogs.”

The modification gives the police chief discretion to determine a vicious animal, instead of the previously written ordinance, where any animal that bites a human or another animal is declared vicious.

After determination by the chief of police, the proposed procedure indicates that owners have 24 hours to comply with guidelines, which include, but are not limited to, the placement of a sign, muzzling and reviewing juvenile residency within the household.

The breed of the animal is not part of the procedure, and instead based on the exhibited behavior.

“There was not a clear process before,” Grosz said.

“One ordinance would say that if a dog is deemed vicious that it could not be in the village, and another ordinance that said if a dog were to be declared vicious, there would be certain criteria that needs to be followed,” he added.

See this week’s Westosha Report print edition for the full story

 


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