Oxford Officials Approve Vicious Dog Ordinance

Owners of dogs legally deemed “vicious” by a Municipal Court judge in Oxford are now required to carry $100,000 in insurance, have a physical fence and adhere to other requirements.

The Oxford Board of Aldermen voted unanimously Tuesday to approve an amendment in the city’s ordinance that adds special mandates for dogs known to attack other animals or people.

The city has had a leash law requiring all dogs to be on a leash while in public places for many years, but it had no law on the books regarding “vicious” dogs.

The ordinance defines a vicious dog as:

• Any dog with a known propensity, tendency or disposition to attack without provocation, to cause injury to, or to otherwise threaten or endanger the safety of human beings, pets, or domesticated animals; or
• Any dog that bites, inflicts injury, assaults, or otherwise attacks a human being, pet or domesticated animal without provocation;
• Any dog that has been trained to fight with another animal

Exceptions include any dog trained for use by law enforcement personnel and actually engaged in service to a particular law enforcement agency, or under the physical control of an active duty law enforcement officer; any dog who attacks a person over the age of 14 who willfully trespasses or commits some other tort upon the real property of the owner of the dog, or who otherwise teases, torments or abuses said dogs.

Determining whether a dog should be labeled as a “vicious dog” will be done by a Municipal Court judge after a complaint is filed with the Oxford Police Department. If the court deems the dog to be “vicious,” the owner must adhere to the proposed requirements for such dogs. The owner can appeal the court’s decision.

All vicious dogs, while on the owner’s property, shall be securely confined indoors or confined outdoors in a secure enclosure from which the dog cannot escape, and into which children or unauthorized persons cannot enter. Underground electric fences are not an approved method of confining dogs deemed to be vicious.

Vicious dogs must be restrained when off their property by a person at least 18 years old and must wear a muzzle. No vicious dogs may be kept on a porch or patio.

All owners, keepers or harborers of vicious dogs must place signs that warn others to beware of a vicious dog on the property. No vicious dog will be allowed to be kept within 100 yards of a school, daycare facility or other facility designed primarily to provide services to children.

The owner or keeper of a vicious dog shall immediately notify the Oxford Police Department and the Animal Control Officer if their dog is loose, unconfined, or is otherwise missing or if such dog has attacked another animal or human.

Owners of vicious dogs will also be required to obtain and maintain general liability insurance covering property damage and bodily injury caused by the vicious dog, with a combined single limit of $100,000 per occurrence, and may be required to show proof of such insurance within 30 days after the court has made its determination.

If an owner of a dog deemed by the court to be a “vicious dog” fails to adhere to the new requirements, they could face being charged with a misdemeanor crime which carries a fine of no less than $500 and no more than $1,000 and possible imprisonment of up to 90 days.

If the court finds that the owner of a vicious dog is unable or unfit to provide the necessary safeguards to prevent the animal from causing further harm to a person, pet or other domesticated animals the court may order that the animal be permanently forfeited and released to the city animal shelter.