East Central Iowa News

Newton pet owners will have to shoulder more responsibility—financial and otherwise—as the City looks to reduce the number of problem pets.

At the Feb. 6 City Council meeting, City officials heard a report from Police Chief Robert Burdess on the rising number of issues concerning animals in the city. They also discussed a proposed ordinance that would address those problems. Mandates included tethering requirements, insurance for dog bites and signs to warn people about dogs behind invisible fences.

“Some insurance companies realistically don't want to insure a vicious dog, and there are some very high-risk insurance companies out there that are willing to take this on for a price,” Burdess said in the meeting. “Some folks who want to keep the dogs are willing to pay that price to keep keep the dog. So they'll pay an inordinate amount of annual premiums in order to keep their dog.”

Burdess explained that many of the dogs born or adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic were not socialized properly because they were not around many other people or dogs due to the pandemic. That has resulted in a large number of dogs having behavioral issues and escaping, fighting and biting people or other animals.

In the last two years, the Newton Police Department has had 283 cases involving dogs, with 135 in 2021 and 148 in 2022. That is above the 120 cases per year the police expected when they took over those calls, and they have an 85% reclaim rate. The ones that are not claimed go to the Animal Rescue League of Iowa to be adopted.

In 2021, 28 dog bites were recorded, the vast majority of which occurred within the home when a pet would bite a family member. In 2022, there were 30 bite incidents.

The current ordinance around dogs in the city was created in 2011 and amended in 2012. It outlines proper care for dogs, cases of neglect, and what to do with a violent or aggressive animal. The recommendations for ordinance amendments included laying out strict guidelines for tethering animals (on permanent objects and not between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.) and making a requirement for the dog to be vaccinated before it could be reclaimed. The ordinances pertaining to violent, problematic or aggressive dogs would also become much stricter, giving specific levels and infractions for problems with each incident from the dog, all the way up to euthanasia if the animal causes serious bodily injury or death to another.

Regarding renters who own problem pets, “Realistically, that would be a conversation between the landlord or property owner and the tenant to see if they're willing to take that risk and have that dog on their property,” Burdess said. “So that could be grounds for eviction or, you know, terminating a lease if that's in a lease already.”

The council was pleased to see a requirement for signage to show underground fencing and the presence of a dog, particularly for children in the area and any workers or first responders coming to the house unaware.

After discussing the tethering time restrictions, the council passed the ordinance with the suggested window.