The Region : Dog Law May Be Stiffened

Los Angeles is considering putting new teeth in its animal-control laws with an ordinance that would banish vicious dogs from Los Angeles by revoking their licenses. “For instance, if your dog bites two or three people--viciously--we could hold a hearing and say your dog is persona non grata and its city license is now revoked,” Department of Animal Regulation Director Robert I. Rush said. Such an ordinance is already in effect in Pomona and is under preliminary study by the Los Angeles city attorney’s office, Rush said. Any final decision on such an ordinance would have to be made by the City Council. The target of the new law would not be the annoying dog that barks at the postman or keeps the neighbors awake. “It’s the vicious dog, the kind of dog that tears up kids,” Rush said. “We would just say, ‘Your license is revoked. Remove the dog from the city,’ ” he said. “What they do with the dog, that’s their problem. It would be up to them.”