California city to require $100,000 insurance policy for dangerous dog' owners

"Under the updated code, animals would be labeled potentially dangerous dogs and vicious dogs based on certain behaviors, circumstances and situations. Other changes to the code include definitions for what constitutes a severe injury and the duties of animal owners. The Redlands City Council approved the changes on Tuesday, Dec. 16 a move Mayor Mario Saucedo said is long overdue."

"I think some of the challenges of trying to go just on subjective evaluations was kind of cumbersome, and now with this, it allows a little more objective investigations and administrative recourse, Saucedo said before the council's unanimous passage of the updated ordinance. Tabitha Crocker, the city's Facilities and Community Services Department director, said the new updates to the ordinance were aligned with best practices and legal standards to ensure clarity, consistency and enforcement."

"Under the ordinance, a dog is considered potentially dangerous and vicious when it engages in an unprovoked behavior that requires someone to take defensive action to prevent bodily injury to themselves or others, which now includes any domestic animal or livestock on the property of its owner. The ordinance would also cover attacks in a common area of a multi-family residential property."

Redlands tightened its animal ordinance to label dogs as potentially dangerous or vicious based on specified behaviors and situations. The ordinance adds clear definitions for severe injury and outlines owner duties. The City Council approved the updates on Dec. 16, with officials saying the changes provide more objective investigations and align with legal best practices. The ordinance covers unprovoked attacks that force defensive action, including attacks on domestic animals or in common areas of multi-family properties. Severe injury definitions expand to include major fractures, muscle tears, disfiguring lacerations, or wounds needing multiple sutures or surgery. Law enforcement may impound immediate threats and release requires insurance, licensing and vaccination.

Read at www.redlandsdailyfacts.com