Council considers pet ordinances

Dennis Webb
December 16, 2004


Glenwood Springs City Council tonight will consider banning
wolf-hybrid dogs and limiting the number of dogs and cats per
household.

The proposed wolf-hybrid ban, and language that would clarify
the city's existing municipal code regarding vicious animals,
follows an attack by a wolf-hybrid on a 7-year-old girl in
downtown Glenwood Springs in May.

In addition, council is scheduled to look at a proposal limiting
adult domestic dogs and cats to three of each per household.
Earlier this month, New Castle's Town Council limited pet
ownership to no more than three adult dogs and five adult cats,
and no more than five of the animals combined, per household.
Glenwood Springs city attorney Karl Hanlon said the
consideration of limiting pet numbers followed complaints by
residents of a neighborhood about a home with a lot of pets.
"Council decided that they'd like to take a look at that," he said.

The proposed ordinance also would add wolf-hybrids to the list
of animals already banned in Glenwood Springs. These include
cattle, goats, sheep, swine, foxes, chickens, ducks, turkey and
geese, and in excess of four rabbits, except in connection with
commercial slaughter and processing of the animals.

A wolf-hybrid bit Gracie McSwain in the face May 3 when the girl
was at the home of the animal's owner, Jim Wagner. Wagner
wasn't home at the time, but a house sitter was.

Wagner later pleaded no contest to one count of having a vicious
dog. He agreed to pay $1,500 in restitution, remove his three
wolf-hybrids from his yard and not get any more of the animals.
The state legislature this spring prohibited communities from
banning breed-specific domesticated dogs, such as pit bulls.
But Hanlon said wolf-hybrids aren't considered domesticated, so
they are excluded from that legislation.

Hanlon said he and city police chief Terry Wilson are interested
in a broader ordinance banning other exotic animals, such as
tigers. But for simplicity's sake and to address the concerns
brought on by this year's attack, they decided to first try to get the
wolf-hybrid ban in place and continue working on drawing up
language for a broader ban.

"We weren't getting anywhere as quickly as we wanted to," he
said.

He said he's not aware of other wolf-hybrid bans in Garfield
County, but bans of wolf-hybrids and other exotic animals are
common on the Front Range.

At the request of Municipal Judge Victor Zerbi, the proposed
ordinance clarifies that owners of vicious animals will be held
strictly liable for attacks committed without provocation on private
or public property, or for threatening to attack while on public
property.

Hanlon said this means that the owner of the animal is liable in
all circumstances - including, for example, when the animal is
under someone else's care.

City staff is recommending approval of the ordinance.