The Town Board has determined that the regulation and control of "dangerous dogs" is a matter of grave concern and that these dogs pose a serious danger to the health, safety, morals and general welfare of the Town of Bedford residents and their real and personal property. It is the intent of the Town Board in the enactment of this article to impose restrictions on owners of "dangerous dogs" in addition to those penalties provided by the New York State Agriculture and Markets Law and Chapter
48, Article
I, of the Town of Bedford Town Code to safeguard public health and protect public and private property and generally maintain peace and good order within the Town of Bedford.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
DANGEROUS DOG
A.
Any dog which without justification attacks a person and causes
physical injury or death or poses a serious and unjustified imminent
threat of harm to one or more persons; or any dog which without justification
attacks a companion, farm or domestic animal and causes physical injury
or death or poses a serious and unjustified imminent threat of harm
to one or more companion, farm or domestic animals; or any dog which
without justification attacks a service dog, guide dog or hearing
dog and causes physical injury or death; or any dog which has previously
been determined to be a "dangerous dog" in accordance with Article
VII of the New York State Agriculture and Markets Law.
B.
Any dog which has attacked or bitten any human being or which
habitually attacks other dogs or domestic animals, or which behaves
in a manner which poses a threat of serious bodily injury or death
to any person or any domestic animal or which has been trained, tormented,
badgered, baited or encouraged to engage in unprovoked attack upon
persons or domestic animals is hereby presumed to be a dangerous dog
for the purposes of this section, until further determination of facts
are made as hereinafter provided.
C.
A dangerous dog does not include a police work dog, which acts
in the manner described in this definition while such police work
dog is being used to assist one or more law enforcement officers in
the performance of their official duties. For the purposes of this
exception, a "police work dog" means any dog owned or harbored by
any state or municipal police department or any state or federal law
enforcement agency, which has been trained to aid law enforcement
officers and is actually being used for police work purposes.
D.
The Dog Control Officer shall provide the Town Clerk with a
list of dogs determined to be "dangerous" under this chapter or under
Article VII of the New York State Agriculture and Markets Law.