Canine control to be topic for Salem panel

The city’s dog ordinance does not mention the so-called invisible fences.

By D.A. WILKINSON

VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU

SALEM — The city is observing the dog days of summer by having a rare August committee meeting to debate canine control.

Clyde Brown, chairman of council’s rules and ordinances committee, said Monday he expects a packed house.

The meeting is set for 6 p.m. today at council chambers.

Officials are responding to a rise in complaints about dog bites.

Police Chief Robert Floor said that so far this year, there have been a total of 11 adults and children injured in eight separate incidents. No one was hurt seriously.

Police filed a charge of allowing a dog to run at large in one of those cases. The charge is a minor misdemeanor punishable by a $100 fine.

Brown said that since the debate began, “I’ve seen more dogs on leashes.”

He added that he has also continued to see dogs running loose.

Current ordinance

The city ordinance requires owners to keep dogs under control with “leashes, a tether, adequate fence, supervision or secure enclosure.”

The existing ordinance defines “dangerous” and “viscous” dogs as one in the same, but doesn’t describe them in any way. The city ordinance requires they be kept in locked enclosures.

There’s no specific mention of so-called electric or invisible fences designed to prevent dogs from running free.

Brown said he has heard negative comments about the effectiveness of such fences. But since he heard them, he said he’s visited homes that confine dogs with the invisible fence.

“I’m amazed by what I’ve seen,” Brown said.

A transmitter on a collar signals the dog not to cross the boundary lines.

Brown said the invisible restraint can be adjusted to prevent a dog from digging under the fence, or set higher to prevent the dog from jumping over it.

Denying service

The owners of invisible fence companies won’t provide fences for some of the larger, dangerous dogs for fear of a lawsuit, Brown said.

He added that the companies would decide which dogs can be confined with the invisible fences.

Jim Plizga, owner of the Invisible Fence of Eastern Ohio, has worked in the field for 17 years.

He said that his company works with the animals and owners and helps train the pets to get used to the electronic fence. He described the effect on the animal as more “static” than a shock.

Plizga said there are some animals that his company will not work with. That’s decided on a case-by-case basis, not by breed or size, he said.

Some large dogs adapt well to the system while some very small dogs do not.

Brown said the committee will consider any changes in the policy about vicious dogs later.

And the councilman said he wanted to make sure the rights of everyone, including dogs, are protected under the law.

“The dog has a right to a life,” Brown said.

wilkinson@vindy.com