How many bites should a dog get before he’s declared dangerous, and destroyed?

It’s a vexing question for city officials. Some believe a dog that attacks once should get a second chance. Others say one attack is too many, and it should be put to sleep.

City Council members soon will examine Kinston’s policy on dangerous dogs. They will look at ordinances from other cities to see if local regulations need strengthening.

Councilman Jimmy Cousins knows a woman who is afraid to leave her house and get into her car because a neighborhood dog attacked her in her driveway. Cousins said the woman told him she believes the dog would have killed her if someone hadn’t come to her aid quickly.

“What I’m saying is that if a dog is vicious just one time, we need to have some kind of ordinance to get rid of it,” Cousins said. “Any dog that bites any person doesn’t deserve to live any more.”

On the other hand, council members Alice Tingle and Joe Tyson say a dog can be provoked into attacking a human, although neither Tingle nor Tyson implied that the woman in Cousins’ story contributed to her own attack.

Public Safety Director Greg Smith told about a couple of police officers who encountered a dog that chased them up a tree on Herritage Street. Smith said any animal that attacks a police officer is destroyed immediately.

The city’s policy is for the animal control officer to declare a dog dangerous after it makes the first bite. The designation is sent to the City Council where members are asked to endorse it. Frequently, Smith said, the dog’s owner will appeal to the council to invalidate the designation. So far, Smith said, the council has supported the animal control officer’s decision. A second incident with the dog results in it being destroyed.

Drug dealers regularly keep pit bulls to alert them to the presence of police, Smith said. When dealers are selling their drugs, they let the pit bulls out to attack officers who might raid them. Officers will carry tasers or other defensive items to use against the dogs.

Non-vicious dogs can appear dangerous to someone who is afraid of animals, Smith said. A dog might chase a person, but never bite him. An animal control officer will pick up such a dog and take it to the animal shelter.

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