Recent recommendations from the city’s dog-bite prevention task force will better protect residents from aggressive dogs and put greater responsibility on pet owners, where it belongs.

The committee came up with a list of sound recommendations that will improve portions of city code pertaining to dog-bite laws. Belinda Lewis, director of Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control, was right to invite community representatives to help look for solutions that will better protect the public from aggressive dogs while avoiding the unintended pitfalls of breed-specific legislation.

Considering breed-specific legislation is tempting when case after case of animal aggression involves a few breeds, the kennels at Animal Care & Control become filled with unwanted dogs that can’t be adopted because of their aggressive tendencies and gruesome dog attacks inflame the public’s angry perception of select dog breeds. But breed-specific legislation is difficult to administer and does not address the cause of aggressiveness in dogs. The problem is not with the pets; it’s with the pet owners.

The group recommends mandating neutering for any dog that bites, regardless of how severe the bite. And many of the recommendations focus on regulating dog tethering, which can lead to aggression. The groups suggested not allowing tethering for dogs younger than 6 months old, not allowing tethering overnight, limiting the number of dogs that can be tethered on one property and making sure tethered dogs are kept at least three feet from any property line. The group also supported harsher penalties for pet owners who are habitual offenders, including required pet-care instruction and prohibiting offenders from owning pets for a set period of time.

The committee’s efforts will lead to more effective animal control laws. The City Council should support those efforts by passing stricter pet ownership requirements when the proposed ordinance is presented later this year.