Police chief defends handling of biting dog

MARENGO — A Marengo postal carrier was attacked by a couple of pit bulls recently, and social media has not been kind to the police department in its handling of the situation, Police Chief Ben Gray told the city council last week.

The postal worker’s skin was punctured by the dog bites, said Gray.

Animals are not banned or destroyed on the first offense, the police chief said. “We do issue citations.” Officers have given out 15 tickets and 30 warnings this year for animal violations, he said. After a second offense, a judge may ban a dog.

“I don’t have the ability to just go take somebody’s dog away from them,” Gray said.

According to city ordinance, a dog that bites someone must be quarantined for 10 days after which it is checked for rabies.

Animal Protection and Control ordinance 55.03 says any dog that has been reported to have bitten a person shall be treated as a vicious animal pursuant to Marengo Ordinance 57.2(4).

Ordinance 55.27 requires that the owner of an animal report an attack to police when an animal bites a person. Anyone with knowledge of the attack should also report that to police.

A person claiming to have been bitten must show police or a physician proof of a bite if deemed necessary by the director of public health, the ordinance says.

The fine for allowing a dog to attack a person is $200.