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Vicious Animals Page 3 Under the unified ordinance, there would essentially need to be a criminal trespass (or tort) for a dog that bites someone on its owner’s property to be excepted from the general provision. There also would be an exception if the property was posted in a “manner reasonably likely to come to the attention of intruders.” Other exceptions are detailed under this section of the proposed unified ordinance on page 18 of the attachment. Three other observations are in order to assure that I have completed my review of the gaps and elements of the vicious animal component of the proposed unified ordinance. One is that the confinement requirements of the three ordinances for the County, Chapel Hill and Carrboro vary drastically. In the case of the County’s animal control ordinance, no more stringent restraint is required of the owner of a vicious animal than for any other dog owner. The second observation concerns so-called “watch dogs” in the local ordinances. Unlike other types of security dogs, these require no prior registration with animal control under the existing ordinance. Indeed, it could be virtually any dog since “it is one that barks and threatens to bite any intruder that has not been specially trained or conditioned for that purpose.” The third observation is that there is not a process of appeal in Orange County’s vicious animal ordinance. One is created by the unified ordinance just as it creates confinement requirements and eliminates “watch dogs” from the general category of security dogs. Conclusion We are seeking to create a unified animal ordinance because animal services are more unified and integrated than they have been in the past in Orange County. Effective July 1, 2013, Animal Services is expected to provide services to all of Orange County except municipal Mebane. I believe that this effort has been outstanding for a number of reasons. One is that it is collaborative and motivated by a strong sense of the need to create new forms of service that are not anchored in traditional boundaries. Another is that the effort has been guided by a deep respect for the rule of law and a strong sense of public service as well as professional duty. The gaps that are being filled, finally, are ones that have become apparent—sometimes painfully apparent—from our combined experience in trying to address and resolve the concerns of residents from all areas and walks of life in Orange County. Robert A. Marotto Animal Services Director