Drafter
Clerk 05/21/2009
title
AN ORDINANCE adopting provisions for dangerous and potentially dangerous dogs; amending Ordinance 6444, Section 3, as amended, and K.C.C. 2.34.030, Ordinance 1396, Article 1 Section 3, as amended, and K.C.C. 11.04.020, Ordinance 1396, Article 2 Section 1, as amended and K.C.C. 11.04.030, Ordinance 7416, Section 2, as amended, and K.C.C. 11.04.035, Ordinance 1396. Article 3 Section 7, as amended, and K.C.C. 11.04.230, Ordinance 1396, Article 3 Section 12, as amended, and K.C.C. 11.04.290 and Ordinance 10423, Section 22, as amended, and K.C.C. 11.04.550 adding a new section to K.C.C. 11.02 and adding a new chapter to K.C.C. Title 11; and prescribing penalties.
body
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:
SECTION 1. Findings:
A. According to the Centers for Disease Control and the American Veterinary Medical Association, more than four million seven hundred thousand people are bitten by a dog every year, and dog bite victims requiring medical attention in the United States number approximately eight hundred thousand annually.
B. Various types of breeds have more potential to be dangerous due to size and jaw strength. Training, socialization and proper care can make a significant impact.
C. According to the National Canine Research Foundation, in 2004, twenty-two dog bite related fatalities in the United States were reported. In 2005, there were twenty-nine human fatalities. In 2006, there were twenty-six. In 2007, there were thirty-three human fatalities. Forty-five of the attacks occurred to adults over the age of eighteen, and fifty-five percent occurred to ages below eighteen.
D. According to the Centers for Disease Control, it is estimated that for each United States dog bite fatality, there are about six hundred seventy hospitalizations and sixteen thousand emergency room visits, twenty-one thousand other medical clinic visits, and one hundred eighty-seven thousand non-medically treated bites. N...
Click here for full text