Bill to save dangerous dogs tabled by House

The House tabled a bill by Del. Michael Webert that supporters said could have saved dogs ruled dangerous by a court.

Webert, a Republican who represents parts of Culpeper, Fauquier, Rappahannock and Warren counties, introduced bill HB 1894. The bill would have directed a court, after it had ruled a dog to be dangerous, to be given to another owner or sent to another state.

The bill would have put more responsibility on the owner rather than the dog. Elliott Harding, attorney for Stone, Dinkin & Amirshahi, PLC, had been working on a specific case involving a dog named Niko.

Niko killed a cat almost four years ago and was ruled as dangerous by a court. His owner, Audrey Wells, failed to pay fines and comply with the court, Harding said. No one saw Niko kill the cat. The cat was found dead in the yard while Niko was there too, Harding said. Adding, that the court ordered Niko to be put down.

Harding had been representing Wells for over two years, he said.

“In my practice I’ve represented a lot of owners in the dangerous dog proceedings,” Harding said.

Under the current law, owners have 30 days to comply with the court or the dog can be disposed of.

“This shouldn’t be the default rule,” Harding said. In many cases dogs are in the hands of unfit owners and it is easier to dispose of them, rather than to find another solution.

“Even if it’s not just Niko’s case, there are hundreds of dogs in the commonwealth this bill could benefit,” Harding said.

Webert was putting the bill forward so the court could recognize that it is the owner’s fault, not the dogs for the aggressive behavior, Harding said.

When asked how many dogs are killed under the dangerous dog statue, Elaine Lidholm, media contact director of Office of Communications, at the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, said none.

“Dangerous dogs are not ordered to be euthanized, so the answer would be none,” Lidholm said. “There are many restrictions on the dogs and owners, but the dog lives. Dogs that are deemed vicious by a judge must be euthanized.

“A vicious designation means the dog severely injured or killed a human. The local Animal Control Office houses the dog until its court date and then it is euthanized right away. We do not know how many dogs have been deemed vicious so we don’t know how many have been euthanized.”

Harding thought there was a good chance the bill would pass, but a House subcommitee voted 4-3 to table it.