City puts some bite in vicious animal ordinance

    The Clear Lake City Council has given its final approval to an ordinance which gives police a clear definition of vicious animals and procedures for dealing with them.
    The Council passed the third and final reading of its newly expanded city ordinance at its Tuesday, Feb. 18 meeting.  
    According to Police Chief Greg Peterson, a vicious animal is determined by its unprovoked actions against people or pets.
     The new ordinance provides procedures for the public and officers to follow if bitten.
    Under the new law, if a biting incident is reported to police and the animal is found to be vicious, a written notice will be issued to have the animal removed from the community or euthanized within three days.  The owner of the animal may request a hearing by the City Council, which must be held within seven days.  The Council may reverse or affirm the police recommendation.  If the vicious ruling is upheld by the Council, the animal must be removed within three days.
    Peterson noted the new ordinance also states any animal deemed vicious by other communities may not be brought into Clear Lake.  
    Since January 2007, 19 dog bites in Clear Lake had been reported to local police, said Peterson.
    “The last dog euthanized had bitten three people previously, but the bites had never been reported,” he said.  “People need to report these types of incidents for their own safety, as well as to be sure they have not been exposed to a health hazard.”
    In other business Tuesday, the Council  awarded a contract for demolition of the former Nelson’s Amoco station, 474 North Shore Drive, to Yohn Co. of Clear Lake. The bid was $19,890. The engineer’s estimate of the cost of demolition was $30,700.  The demolition will make way for redevelopment.