Commerce : Dog Impound Law Passed

The Commerce City Council unanimously passed an urgency ordinance Monday that allows the city’s animal control officer to impound a dog after the first time it bites a person. The ordinance took effect immediately.

Before, the city could only request that the dog be confined at the owner’s home after a single attack, said Carole Rowe, Commerce public safety coordinator. The city was able to impound an animal after a second attack.

Under the urgency ordinance, a hearing would be held after the dog is impounded to determine if the animal should be returned to the home, put up for adoption or destroyed. The hearing panel would include the city’s animal control officer and a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department representative, Rowe said.

If the owner is determined to be responsible for the attack by his dog, he could be charged with a misdemeanor and barred from owning that breed of dog for three years, Rowe said.