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Kenosha committee upholds county’s dangerous‑animal finding for Layla and authorizes humane destruction
Summary
After hearing neighbors recount at‑large incidents and two unprovoked bites, a Kenosha committee affirmed a county Public Health dangerous‑animal declaration for a dog named Layla and voted to authorize humane destruction under Kenosha General Ordinance 14.075.
A Kenosha city committee on Nov. 10 affirmed a Kenosha County Public Health Department declaration that a dog named Layla is a dangerous animal and authorized her humane destruction under Kenosha General Ordinance 14.075.
County health and police officials told the committee the declaration followed two off‑premise, unprovoked bite incidents and repeated complaints and citations for dogs at large. Mark Malicek of Kenosha County Public Health summarized the basis for the declaration, and a community service officer with the Kenosha Police Department reported “more than a dozen” calls and multiple citations tied to the household, including two documented bites.
Neighbors described a pattern of safety problems. Deanna Riggio, a resident at 5426 42nd Avenue, told the committee she was bitten on Aug. 6 and that she later learned a prior victim had required stitches after an earlier incident. "She bit my left inner thigh," Riggio said, describing a puncture wound she treated before going to an appointment. Peggy Bucko, another nearby resident, said Layla and her puppies had been at large repeatedly and once surrounded an elderly neighbor in the middle of an intersection.
The dog’s owner, Ellen Bridal of 5422 42nd Avenue, disputed some timing and sequence details, said she did not intentionally let the dogs out and described financial and housing constraints that limited her containment options. Bridal told the committee she had rehomed most of the puppies and that Layla was at the Humane Society and would be spayed there.
City legal counsel reviewed the ordinance options available to the committee: reject the county declaration; affirm the declaration and impose the ordinance’s safety restrictions (fencing, signage, insurance and other conditions); or conditionally affirm and add further restrictions or require removal from the city. The committee first voted to affirm the county’s determination that the animal was dangerous.
After discussion of enforcement challenges and public‑safety risk, the committee then voted to authorize humane destruction under Kenosha General Ordinance section 14.075(f)(3). Several members expressed difficulty with the decision. The chair said putting an animal down is “one of our hardest jobs.” The record shows the committee carried the motion by voice vote.
Layla was in custody at the Humane Society at the time of the hearing. City officials and staff discussed alternatives such as permanent removal from city limits, but noted removal would require verifiable proof and a mechanism for enforcement. Committee members said they acted based on the pattern of at‑large incidents and the potential for future harm.
The committee’s action was procedural and final as to the committee’s determination; the motion and vote were recorded in the meeting minutes. The Humane Society and animal‑control staff will follow city procedures for disposition as required by the ordinance.
