Who Let the Dogs Out?*

*Hopefully not you, a person who is a responsible and conscientious dog owner

Warning: puns ahead. Sorry, we couldn't help it.

Melrose residents are the ulti-mutt dog lovers, but we in the Melrose Place Crime Prevention District wanted to share some fur-damental state laws and City/Parish ordinances to stop dog owners from having a ruff day. 

Please note that the below information is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. For that, you should go to a licensed Attorney-at-Paw. 

Owner Liability

Pursuant to La. C.C. art. 2321, dog owners are strictly liable for damages for injuries to persons or property caused by the dog and which the owner could have prevented and did not result from the injured person’s provocation of the dog. Dog owners are more generally liable for damages caused by the dog upon a showing that the owner knew or, exercising reasonable care, should have known that the animal’s behaviour would cause damage.

Sec. 14:204 of the EBR Code of Ordinances provides for several owner responsibility to ensure their pet is not a threat to public health and safety, including confining dogs to prevent escape, securing non-spayed female dogs (and cats) to prevent contact with non-neutered males, and not allowing their animal to cause a nuisance, including excessive barking. 

Registration

Sec. 14:200 & 201 of the EBR Code of Ordinances requires dogs (as well as cats and ferrets) to be both vaccinated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian and registered with the Animal Control and Rescue Center annually. 

Pens & Enclosures

Sec. 14:203 of the  EBR Code of Ordinances provides for the minimum requirements for dog and cat indoor pens and yards, including the fencing requirement for dog yards. Invisible fencing must have warning signs, and dogs who have escaped in the past and threatened or bitten are banned from using invisible signs. Electric fences are illegal.

Dogs At Large

Per La. R.S. 3:2771, no dog owner shall permit any dog in their possession or kept on their premises to run at large on any unenclosed land or trespass upon any lands, enclosed or unenclosed, of another. Dogs are considered the personal property of the dog owner (R.S. 3:2773).

Dangerous & Vicious Dogs

Per La. R.S. 14:102.14, it is unlawful to own a “dangerous dog” without properly restraining or confining the dog indoors or in a secure enclosure. For the purposes of this law, a “dangerous dog” is defined as any of the following: (1) any dog, when unprovoked, has engaged in a behavior that requires a defensive action to prevent bodily injury while off the property of the dog owner on two separate occasions within a 3-year period; (2) any dog, when unprovoked, bites a person causing an injury; or (3) any dog, when unprovoked, has killed or seriously injured a domestic animal while off the property of the dog owner on two separate occasions within a 3-year period.

Per La. R.S. 14:102.15, it is unlawful to own a “vicious dog”. A “vicious dog” means any dog which, when unprovoked and in an aggressive manner, inflicts serious bodily injury or kills a human being and was previously determined to be a dangerous dog.

Sec. 14:208 of the EBR Code of Ordinances provides for multiple classifications of dogs including “potentially dangerous”, “dangerous”, and “vicious” dogs, and pursuant to Sec. 14:210, owners of dogs classified as dangerous are required to have liability insurance of at least $200,000.

Animal Control

EBR’s Animal Control & Rescue Center is located at 2680 Progress Road in Baton Rouge and is open between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays. They can be contacted via phone at 225-774-7700 or via email at acc@brla.gov. However, animal control officers are on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for emergencies. 

Sec 14:205 of the EBR Code of Ordinances requires that Animal Control seize and impound any dog, registered or otherwise, that is running at large on any street, road, or other public place within the city-parish. To report stray animals, nuisance animals, or animal cruelty situations, contact Animal Control and make a report. Sec. 14:501 defines animal cruelty to include failing to provide proper food, water, shelter, veterinary care, space, light, and other neglect. Reports regarding cruelty and neglect, dog fights, and cockfights can be anonymous.

If you find a stray pet that is wearing a rabies tag on its collar, you can call animal control and try to trace the rabies tag number to the animal’s owners. You can also run “found” ads in the Advocate for free (4 lines for 3 days). Call 225-388-0111 to run the ad.  

Animal bites and scratches must be reported to Animal Control, where a bite report will be created for an animal. 

Let’s keep Melrose Place a safe, hospitable, and bark-tastic place for all pets by following the law.

Amy Pirtle

President, Melrose Place Crime Prevention District