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3. The designation of a dog as"vicious" is really serious. In essence it terminates any <br /> freedom the dog previously enjoyed. He must be kept inside the owner's house. <br /> When kept outside, it must be in a specially constructed pen built to Animal Control's <br /> specifications and inspected annually for which the owner must pay an inspection <br /> fee. When off the owner's property, the dog has to be on leash and wear a muzzle. <br /> When outside on its owner's property, it must be on a leash. It is crucial that the <br /> owner be provided an opportunity to appeal the designation to a quasi-judicial body <br /> that is independent of Animal Control. The current Advisory Board certainly has the <br /> expertise to serve as an appeal board but it is so intimately concerned with the inner <br /> workings of Animal Control and its Director (and other personnel) that it simply <br /> cannot qualify as an independent judicial body. <br /> END. <br /> Bonnie Hauser said it is hard to have an ordinance that satisfies both rural and urban <br /> areas. She said direction is needed to get this on sound footing. She said this is not the time <br /> to introduce changes or to increase the authority of Animal Services. She said this ordinance <br /> does not accurately reflect the public's concerns. She discussed several examples of this. <br /> She asked for a unified ordinance without changes and with assurance to the public <br /> that there would be a transparent public process to change any ordinance. She said an <br /> independent appeal process needs to be a priority. She said once an appeal process is in <br /> place, then the other issues can be discussed. <br /> Michelle Walker is the Vice Chair of the ASAB and is an attorney. She wanted to <br /> address the appeals' process. She said this is a critical due process need that is supported by <br /> state statutes for dangerous dogs. She said it is good to have the ASAB as the appeals' <br /> board, because it is made up of Orange County residents from different backgrounds. She <br /> said the board does not issue citations, so the people reviewing the decisions are not the <br /> same people who made the original charge. She said there is an established process that it is <br /> working. <br /> She said changes are sometimes necessary for operations and due process purposes. <br /> She said the background behind the watchdog and trespass involved consideration of a lot of <br /> scenarios. She said another way of describing this watchdog issue is to say that it creates an <br /> exception that swallows the rule, as it means any dog that bites anyone on its property could <br /> be considered a watchdog. She said the goal is to identify dogs that have bitten people <br /> without provocation. <br /> Don O'Leary said dogs have different personalities. He said micro-chipping of dogs <br /> has statistically been shown to cause cancer, and he encouraged people to try to avoid <br /> chipping of animals. <br /> Chair Jacobs said Don O'Leary brought this up last time and he asked him to send his <br /> citations to the county. <br /> Kris Bergstrand noted that the health services director oversees quarantine of animals, <br /> and not animal services. <br /> Chair Jacobs referred to page 3 and noted that unless all of the Board approves this <br /> ordinance, it will come back at the next meeting. He said it is not necessary to resolve all of <br /> the issues tonight. <br /> Commissioner Dorosin asked John Roberts for clarification on the approval process for <br /> this ordinance <br /> John Roberts said any ordinance that does not require a public hearing, is required to <br /> have a unanimous vote to pass on the first meeting. Otherwise, it must come back to the <br /> Board. <br />