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Residents press council over repeated dog attacks; law department to rewrite dog ordinance
Summary
A resident told council a neighbor's dog repeatedly jumps fences and attacked another dog, citing Ohio Revised Code; council members asked the law department to strengthen the city's dog ordinance and police said proposed revisions will be presented at future meetings.
At public comment Leanne Theobald asked council to intervene after documenting multiple incidents of a neighbor's dog jumping the fence and attacking another dog. Theobald cited state law, saying, "All dogs must be confined to their property or under reasonable control at all times," and described repeated incidents that she said pose a danger to neighbors and vulnerable residents.
Council members expressed sympathy and described limited civil remedies but also emphasized public-safety concerns. One member asked whether Catholic Charities would pay off-duty officers if the organization hires them for the Saint Elizabeth Center; Mayor Bradley confirmed the charity would cover the officers' cost.
Later in the meeting the council was told the law department has been working on revising the city's dog ordinance "for probably the last 2 months" to close loopholes and provide police with stronger enforcement tools. The law department and police indicated they would present proposed ordinance revisions at an upcoming meeting for council consideration.
What happens next: the law department will finalize proposed amendments to the dog ordinance and bring them to council for review; residents who spoke asked for follow-up from the appropriate departments.
