Bad, mad and barking canines are the issue Kaua’i County Councilman Gary Hooser said Wednesday he will meet with Kaua’i Humane Society officers to discuss a vicious-dog ordinance for Kaua’i. “By the end of this year, we hope to have
Bad, mad and barking canines are the issue
Kaua’i County Councilman Gary Hooser said Wednesday he will meet with Kaua’i Humane Society officers to discuss a vicious-dog ordinance for Kaua’i.
“By the end of this year, we hope to have an animal ordinance that includes vicious and nuisance animals,” Hooser said.
“I’ve received letters and a phone call from people whose little dogs have been attacked by pit bulls,” he said.
Mad, bad and barking dogs have been in the news since three pit bulls attacked and were blamed for the death of a horse on a Princeville riding trail two weeks ago.
The rider of the horse, a woman, escaped serious injury in the incident.
The dogs and their owner have not been found.
Crimestoppers, a Kaua’i County Police program, has posted a sketch of the man investigators are seeking for questioning in the incident. The man was seen by witnesses who were coming to the aid of the stricken horsewoman.
The man was never seen in control of the dogs and the dogs have not been recovered.
The man sought for questioning is described as a local male, approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall and between 140 and 180 pounds.
The dogs were described as young males, two black and one brown and white.
In addition to the vicious dogs, Hooser said he is still struggling with a nuisance-dog ordinance.
“I know I’ve been working on this for far too long. I had a barking-dog ordinance (proposed) that wasn’t supported, but I am determined to get some resolution,” he said.
Hooser said the Humane Society “has really stepped forward. They have told me to refer all calls (about nuisance barking dogs) to them. Humane Society officers are investigating each complaint and documenting all cases.”
He said it is hoped that an animal ordinance review committee, which will include dog owners and hunters, can be formed composed of “reasonable people.”
Currently, Kaua’i only has a leash ordinance and no violent dog or nuisance dog ordinance in place.
There is a state law that allows owners of pets destroyed by vicious dogs to seek restitution, but that law has no punitive teeth other than its financial component.
The state currently leaves the regulation of violent animals to counties.
Staff writer Dennis Wilken can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) and mailto:dwilken@pulitzer.net
