Dog Attack Forces Leash Law Enforcement

Featured Stories, News

Jasper Mayor, John Weaver, announced on Monday, June 11th, the City of Jasper would begin enforcing the city’s leash laws more forcefully.
At a newly renovated Jasper City Hall on Tuesday, Jasper Animal Control Officer Lonnie Waters told the city council that he had been forced to classify two Rottweiler dogs in Jasper as Dangerous.

The move comes as a response to a severe dog attack that happened on May 16th.

According to Waters, he was forced to classify the two dogs as dangerous after hearing of an innocent that had happened in the Jasper Magnolia Station subdivision.

Waters told the council that on May 16th, Mrs. Andrea Johnson went outside to release her small Shitzu dog when at the same time her neighbor, Mr. Shields, released his two Rottweiler dogs. Johnson then when inside and heard a noise. When Johnson went back outside, she saw her dog being carried off in the street by Sheild’s dogs. At this time, they thought the small dog was dead.

However, Waters said, during the police interview, the officers noticed that the small dog was still breathing. Shields then offered to take the small dog to a veternarians hospital and then by the time he arrived to an animal hospital in Blue Ridge, the small dog was dead. Both Johnson and Shields were also at the council meeting on Monday.

“Sometimes in life you have to plan ahead to make sure you have done everything the law and everything within your power to keep everyone safe.” Johnson told the council referring to how she felt like the dogs should be handled. Johnson recommended to the council that the dogs be put down.

“I feel that by making this recommendation I am doing my part as a law biding citizen to keep the people and the animals in my neighborhood safe.” Johnson said.
Johnson, a mother, made the recommendation because she was afraid that the incident could have happened to her child and not just her dog.

“What if those dogs had assaulted my child?” said Johnson. “He would have never survived the attack.”

Sheilds, the owner of the dogs that were classifed, told the council as he spoke to them that he understood the laws concerning the dogs.

“At this point, I have been told that if both of these dogs are classified as dangerous or viscious dogs, then I am only allowed to keep one dog.” Shields said about the law. Sheilds had been told by Waters already that both his dogs had been classified as Dangerous, but the city council has the authority to overrule the decision.

According to Waters, any animal that injures another animal is considered Dangerous and will be classified as Dangerous, and any animal that injures a human will be classified as Viscious. Also according to the current Dangerous Dog Control Law in the state, anyone in ownership of a dangerous dog must register the dog and carry at least $15,000 in liability insurance. Owners of these dogs who do not comply with these and other provisions may have their dogs confiscated and destroyed.

In addition, Waters told the council earlier in the meeting that a new law in the state, which will become effective July 1st, is going to raise the insurance cost of dangerous dogs to $50,000 per dog.

Shields, before he sat down, told the council that he wasn’t aware of the city’s leash laws at the time. “I should have read the local laws…at the same time they let their dogs out without a leash too. I’m sorry that it happened. I hate that it happened.”

Questions were then raised by Mayor Weaver to Waters on why the leash law wasn’t being forced more fully in the Jasper.

Waters told Weaver that the main reason was because he was unable to write citations to people when enforcing it.

Mayor Weaver then announced that Jasper would begin fully enforcing the city’s leash laws, even adding the City of Jasper Police Department would be given direction the next day that if they have any animal control issues they were to issue a citation.

“We are going to control the animals in Jasper, GA from this day forward.” said Mayor Weaver.

As for a decision on whether or not one of Shields dogs is to be put down, that is still undecided.

“A decision will be made ASAP, I am still going over the legal issues with the City attorney and as soon as those issues are solved and agreed on a decision will be made. This is our first case like this and we want to make sure that we do what is right and fair for all parties involved and I have talked to all parties and explained everything to them and they are willing to wait on my decision,” Waters told FYN today in an email.

Back to Top