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SENATE BILL 844
BILL BITES MAN
In SB 844, so far as we can see--and at 6 1/2 pages the bill is not so long as to cross our eyes--the only reference to new criminal punishments for the owner of a dog that bites a person comes in Section 8 of the bill. It adds subsections 5 and 6 to existing law, and 5 and 6 deal with class A and class C misdemeanors. Presumably--we are not criminal law lawyers--these misdemeanors impose the possible "30 days imprisonment, $1,250 fine, or both" that the bill Summary refers to. Assuming that summary is correct, we think this legislation is a case of bill bites man.
We do not dispute that a dog that bites a person is a dangerous thing. As those of you who have seen my right hand recently know, I just tangled with a dog and my hand lost. It was my fault; I behaved stupidly with the animal. Even so, the animal is now clearly a danger, and I do not oppose some form of restraint or restriction placed on it, and on its owner, to keep other people safe--including, potentially, even being put to death. (The dog, that is.) What I do oppose is the possibility of disrupting the owner's life. Thirty days in jail for most people means the loss of their job. That can mean the loss of the home or rental space, especially if the person takes more than a few weeks to find a new job--and since the person is now somebody who just left jail, he is not going to find work easily. At the worst, the bill could add to the roster of people who re hungry, on welfare, or even homeless, in Oregon. According to the existing law, the owner can already be fined $500; that, plus the death of the guy's dog, is probably enough punishment for the guy who owned, and failed to restrain, the animal.
Section 8 of this bill takes a harm to one person (the person bit by the dog) and multiplies it to harm another person, his wife and his kids. Is this bright? Make the owner put the dog to death if we must--he can buy another dog, say a poodle or schnauzer, or something equally innocuous. But do not, simply because one dog somewhere wrecked one person's leg or hand, go and legislatively wreck the lives of others. Lets take a bite out of this legislation and put section 8 to sleep.
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