8 September 19 - 25, 2024 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents now is the city getting around to addressing the issues. There are two categories for dogs that harm people or other animals: “dangerous” and “aggressive.” A dangerous dog is one that commits an unprovoked attack causing bodily injury. A dog is labeled aggressive if it has killed or injured another restrained ani- mal while not restrained. Dogs deemed dangerous or aggressive must be registered with the city and owners must pay a $250 registration fee and an an- nual fee of $50. The dogs must also be spayed or neutered and be restrained on a leash in the immediate control of a person or in a secure enclosure at all times. As of Aug. 22, there were 244 dangerous or aggressive dogs registered in the city, accord- ing to Dallas Animal Services (DAS). It was DAS that initially requested the 2022 audit. One of the major shortcomings the audit found was in the hearing process meant to ensure owners of aggressive dogs are in com- pliance, said Paul Ramon, DAS director. Be- cause of the way the city code was written in 2018, Dallas can’t hold legitimate and effec- tive compliance hearings for aggressive dogs. The city code doesn’t offer any details on how the hearings should function, so there have been no hearings, according to the audit. “They weren’t working as they were in- tended,” Ramon said of the processes. An- other barrier to effective hearings is that the city code says they should take place in mu- nicipal court for a decision to be made by the director of DAS. However, the DAS director can’t make decisions for municipal courts. “Yes, the director makes the initial determi- nation, but any appeals or court process, that has to be determined by the judge, so that language had to be fixed,” Ramon said. Owners of dangerous dogs were more compliant because the hearing process for them is actually spelled out in the city code, the audit found. However, DAS doesn’t have any formal procedures outside of these hearings to ensure owners are in compli- ance. This includes securing liability insur- ance coverage or financial responsibility of at least $100,000 in the event of an attack. After the changes are adopted, owners of dangerous dogs must show acceptable proof of financial responsibility in the amount of at least $100,000. They’ll have 30 days after the dog is deemed dangerous to show proof of financial responsibility. If an owner has not complied with orders regarding their dangerous dog within a timeframe established by the court, the ani- mal can be taken so DAS can “humanely de- stroy the dog,” per city code. A hearing process for aggressive dogs will likely be in place soon, meaning that if the city receives a sworn, written complaint that the owner of an aggressive dog has failed to comply with city code, the munici- pal court will conduct a hearing to deter- mine whether the owner is in compliance. The hearing must be conducted within 30 days of receiving the complaint. However, if the dog has already been impounded, that time frame shrinks to just 10 days from when the dog was seized. If the owner is deemed not in compli- ance, DAS will euthanize the dog by the 11th day after the date the municipal court issued an order, or when the dog was seized or im- pounded. But if the owner is found to be in compliance, the dog will be returned before the 11th day. DAS will also euthanize a dog if the owner can’t be found by the 15th day after the court issues an order, or after the dog was seized or impounded. We reported on the audit in 2002. At the time, the then-assistant director of DAS told us these changes could take as long as six months to adopt. Two years later, they’re still not implemented. We reached out to the city’s communications team to ask why it’s taken so long to get these changes before the City Council, but there was no response in time for publication. However, Ramon said, “It took a while to get all the factors re- viewed and understood, and the changes made. We took it before the Quality of Life Committee, provided them an update, and now it’s going before council for consent ap- proval.” He added, “We did ask for this audit to make sure that this process was working correctly and effectively, and we’re thankful for the response that we got so that we can make it whole and correct deficiencies that were in the code.” Jacob Vaughn People have died from dog attacks in the city of Dallas. Unfair Park from p6 Cowboy is organized by Nora Abrams, Mark G. Falcone Director, and Miranda Lash, Ellen Bruss Senior Curator, the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver. Cowboy is presented at the Carter by Sundance Square. With generous support from the Fort Worth Promotion and Development Fund, the Fort Worth Tourism Public Improvement District, and the Alice L. Walton Foundation Temporary Exhibitions Endowment. Additional support comes from 95.9 The Ranch & 92.1 Hank FM. Otis Kwame Quaicoe (b. 1988), Rodeo Boys (detail), 2022, oil and fabric appliqué on canvas, Collection of Matthew and Melanie Bronfman, Courtesy the artist and Almine Rech, © Otis Kwame Quaicoe, Photo by Hugard & Vanoverschelde September 28– March 23, 2025 FREE | #CARTERCOWBOY
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