Galena —“I think we need to remind Galena residents that Galena, like many communities, has some very specific ordinances relating to keeping pit bull dogs,” Galena Police Chief Jerry Westemeier told the Gazette recently. “I know we have a couple of pit bull dogs in town, and other people may be thinking of getting them, and they need to know what they’re getting into, no matter how good-natured an individual dog may seem.”
The section of the Galena City Code regulating owning or keeping pit bulls within the city limits fills four full pages, and Westemeier strongly suggests that anyone considering keeping such a dog check with the Galena Police Department for all the details of the requirements.
Briefly, here are some of the requirements.
Special license
In addition to the regular dog license required for any dog, anyone keeping a pit bull must apply for and receive a special $50 license from the city.
The application for such a license, made to the Galena City Clerk, must include:
•Verification of the identity of the owner by a photostat of the owner’s driver’s license;
• Proof of ownership of the dog;
•A licensed veterinarian’s record of current immunizations and health of the dog;
•A certificate of insurance of not less than $100,000 covering any injury, damage or loss caused by the pit bull dog;
•Two photos of the dog taken not more than a month before the application showing front and side views of the dog’s head.
Confinement
When the city receives an application for a permit to keep a pit bull dog, a Galena police officer will inspect the premises on which the dog will be kept to be sure conditions meet all the requirements of the ordinance.
Pit bull dogs must be confined at all times, either inside or outside. Confinement on porches, patios or in houses where windows are open, or screened windows or doors are all that restrains the animal is not acceptable as inside confinement.
Outside confinement may be either in a confinement structure adequate to restrain the dog at all times, or on a leash with a person in physical control of the leash. The leash cannot be tied to a post, tree, or building.
The biting or nipping of any person or animal by a pit bull dog must be reported to the Galena Police Department.
The escape from confinement or the theft of any pit bull dog must be reported when it is discovered. Any pit bull dog found running at large is subject to impoundment by the police department.
Warning
All persons possessing a pit bull dog must display in a prominent place on the premises where a pit bull dog is to be kept a sign which is readable by the public at a distance of not less than 100 feet using the words “Beware of Dog—Pit Bull.”
Read more:
Galena Gazette
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