MA Haverhill clamps down on owners of vicious dogs

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Haverhill clamps down on owners of vicious dogs
By Mike LaBella
Staff Writer

HAVERHILL — The city recently increased its pressure on dog owners who break the leash/muzzle law. That pressure includes the animal control officer fining more dog owners and increasing the manpower to go after wayward dog owners.

City Councilor David Hall, chairman of the Public Safety Committee, said the word on the street is that city officials are on the right track with the changes they made.

"Ninety percent or better of dog owners in the city are law-abiding, to the point where they license their dog and do the proper vaccinations," he said. "What's good about our newly revised law is that the animal control officer now has the ability to conduct proper enforcement."

Stepped up enforcement of city dog laws, along with changes in rules, closely followed several serious dog attacks on children and other residents in recent months. The most serious attack resulted in two surgeries and 200 stitches to an 11-year-old boy. Robert Stickney Jr., a fifth-grader at Silver Hill Elementary School, was attacked April 24 by a mixed breed mastiff/pit bull while visiting friends of his family in the High Street neighborhood.

Sarie Joffre of Haverhill, the legal guardian for Robert Stickney, said the city is doing the best it can to protect its citizens.

"I have no problem with adding more staff, especially in a city this size," she said.

One thing Joffre would like to see is better communication between health providers and the city when it comes to treating dog bites.

"It's all well and good to see dogs running loose and giving out tickets, but shouldn't there be some responsibility on the part of doctors who treat those who've been bitten?" Joffre said.

Councilors said Animal Control Officer Michelle Hamel is overwhelmed with as many as 50 calls a day. The City Council recently gave her the power to fine people with unregistered dogs, as well as owners who don't have their dogs on a leash or who don't clean up after them.

"As we do our more strict enforcement, more people are going to be abiding by the law," Hall said.

Several weeks ago, Mayor James Fiorentini ordered stepped-up enforcement of the city's dog laws. Those efforts included the animal control officer handing out more than 50 tickets carrying fines of $50 each to those whose dogs were not on a leash as city laws require.

Fiorentini said he expects the number of citations being issued to dwindle.

"More and more people are telling me that they see the dog officer around and know that she is around and going to be around," Fiorentini said. "We anticipate that this had a deterrent effect, at least we hope so. It is similar to parking enforcement when on the first day of enforcement the most tickets are given out, and they drop dramatically after that. We are hoping for the same effect with this ordinance."

City Solicitor William Cox crafted the new rules based on suggestions from city councilors and dozens of residents who attended a hearing on dangerous dogs last month.

Changes in the city's dog laws include the establishment of two categories of dogs — dangerous and potentially dangerous, and the creation of an Animal Control Review Commission that will compile statistical data on dog bites, analyze the enforcement of laws in the city and make recommendations to the mayor and the City Council on these issues.

You can review the city's new dog laws online at http://ci.haverhill.ma.us. Click on the link to "Departments" then "City Clerk" then "Haverhill General Code." Enter "Chapter 137" in the search box.

http://www.eagletribune.com/punewshh/lo ... d=topstory


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