The City of Waukesha is proposing a new vicious dog ordinance that could fine dog owners up to $2,500 for a first offense and $5,000 for a repeat incident involving dog bites or dog attacks.
Watch: Dog owners react to Waukesha’s proposed dog bites fines
Dog owners react to Waukesha’s proposed dog bites fines
TMJ4 News spoke to dog owners at Waukesha’s Minooka Park dog exercise area about the potential changes, and opinions are mixed on the proposed fines.
The Common Council recently introduced the ordinance in committee to address what the city calls an enforcement “gap.” Waukesha previously relied on the county to handle dog bite cases through a humane officer, but when that position was eliminated, the city says it did not have anything to fill in that gap. So now it wants to adopt state law at the local level.
“I would be for an ordinance, yes,” said Judy McDonough, a dog owner at the park.
Under the proposed ordinance, the first time a dog bites or attacks another dog or person, the owner could face fines up to $2,500. A second offense would carry a $5,000 penalty…