AR-News: (NYS) Recipe for Disaster - Proposed legislation requires ALL dogs to be insured

[Elizabeth Forel]

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NY Post

Sunday, April 18, 2004


You're Fined! Law Would $lap Owners, Seize Pups
By Frederic U. Dicker
State Editor

Albany -- Dog owners beware: The police may soon be out for your pooches.

State legislators want to force owners to buy liability insurance for
their dogs -- and have cops fine any owner whose pup doesn't have an
insurance tag on.

If the owner does not get insurance, the dog will be impounded and
possibly euthanized.

This latest proposal adds to the attack on the city's dog owners, who
already must register their pets and keep them leashed.

The measure, called "Elijah's Law" after 3-year-old Elijah Torres of The
Bronx, who was savagely mauled by a Rottweiler last fall, is aimed at
certain breeds with histories of attacking people.

But it applies to all dogs -- although the cost of the "attack insurance"
would depend on the breed of dog.

"We are determined to hold the owners of these vicious dogs accountable
for what their animals do," said Bronx Democratic Assemblyman Peter
Rivera, who sponsored the bill.

"And given that dog bites have increased 37 percent in the last 10 years,
holding all dog owners responsible for the behavior of their animals
makes sense," he told The Post.

Rivera said city dog owners would have to shell out between $75 and $150
a year for the policies, which provide coverage of us to $10,000 in
bite-related medical costs.

Under the proposal, dogs would have to be insured before sale or
adoption, and owners would be required to put orange tags on their pets
to indicate they were insured.

Anyone caught walking a dog without the bright orange tag on would be
subject to a $100 fine on the first offense and $150 for each offense
after that.

Canines found to be uninsured would be impounded. Owners would have 10
days to buy the insurance, and would be charged a $15 a day impoundment
fee until they did so.

After two weeks in the pound, authorities would have the option of
euthanizing an uninsured pet or putting it up for adoption.

The bill, co-sponsored by Bronx Democratic Assemblyman Ruben Diaz, would
also allow municipalities to force owners to muzzle dogs deemed
dangerous.

The number of reported dog attacks in the Big Apple and across the
country has skyrocketed in recent years.

Nationally, nearly 4.5 million bites occur each year, costing victims
$100 million in medical expenses.

OVERSIZED PHOTO OF A DAPPLE DOXIE
PHOTO CAPTION: Even seemingly harmless puppies like this will need to be
insured if a controversial bill passes.