Dangerous Dog Ordinance Wording

The Acadia Parish Police Jury is changing some of the wording in its dangerous dog ordinance.

The goal is to make the ordinance easier to enforce.

The changes will give authorities a wider range of animals to possibly target with the regulations.

The ordinance in Acadia Parish originally included rules for pit bulls.

The Acadia Parish Police Jury amended the ordinance last week removing the references to pit bulls and other similar dogs.

That will help authorities target any type of dog considered a danger to the public.

Here's some background on what it takes to declare a dog dangerous according to the parish's guidelines.

An animal control officer or any adult must file a complaint, under oath, with the director of animal control.

The police jury will then notify the dog's owner that a complaint has been filed.

Once an investigation is complete there are two possible outcomes.

If the dog is not considered dangerous it's returned to its owner with any impoundment fees waived.

If the dog is found dangerous the owner must follow the parish guidelines for things like registration, confinement and liability insurance.