Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
| By Courtney Llewellyn Reminder Assistant Editor SPRINGFIELD The Center for Disease Control and Prevention stated that approximately 4.7 million people suffer from dog bites each year. Sen. Stephen J. Buoniconti wants to change that. An act is being proposed by the senator to create a "Dangerous Dog Registry" for the state of Massachusetts which would mirror the concept of the Sex Offenders Registry. The locations and photographs of dogs that could cause safety issues would be listed online for public viewing. The registry would be maintained by the Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety. "What constitutes as a 'dangerous dog' right now varies in every community," Buoniconti said at a press conference at the Thomas J. O'Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center last Wednesday. "I want to create something that would be state-wide." Currently, a dangerous dog in Springfield must be kenneled while at home, but there are no rules concerning when the dog is taken off the owner's property for a walk. A recent attack of an 89-year-old man and a nine-year-old girl on Winnipeg Street in Springfield by a bull mastiff prompted Buoniconti to seek action on a dangerous dog registry. A dangerous dog is one that "has bitten, attacked or inflicted injury on a person or companion animal that is a dog or cat, or killed a companion animal that is a dog or cat," according to Buoniconti's proposed act. A dog would not be considered dangerous if injury or damage was sustained by a person who was committing a crime or trespassing upon the premises occupied by the animal's owner, or if that person was provoking, tormenting or physically abusing the animal. The legislation would not be breed specific, so there would be no targeting of certain breeds. Once a dog is deemed dangerous by an animal control officer, the owner would have to pay a $100 registration fee and submit an address and a picture of his or her dog to the online registry. Similar legislation has been passed in New York, Florida and Virginia and is being considered in Hawaii. "It's still a relatively new legislation," Buoniconti explained. "Virginia's is the oldest and there it is only one year old." "A registry like this would help prevent future and multiple incidents," Buoniconti added. "Some say it's not the dog that's dangerous, it's the owner. This act would put responsibility in the owner's hands." Buoniconti expects the state senate to hold hearings on the act for the creation of a dangerous dog registry this fall and hopes a decision will be made by next spring. "We're trying to keep this logical," he said. "We're trying to cover loopholes in the system and keep people safe by deterring more incidences from occurring. People have the right to feel safe in their own neighborhood, and the Dangerous Dog Registry would certainly add to that feeling of safety." |