The Lawrence City Commission approved city participation in a countywide ordinance to crack down on vicious dogs Tuesday — a day after a Lawrence Police officer shot to death a pit bull terrier in North Lawrence.

The ordinance will allow Douglas County Sheriff’s deputies to enter Lawrence city limits to impound dogs thought to be vicious.

“What we’re looking at is those dogs that are going to attack a person,” said Midge Grinstead, director of the Lawrence Humane Society.

The ordinance defines a vicious dog as any canine that kills or injures a human being. Dogs that demonstrate a disposition to attack humans also are included in the ordinance, as are large and powerful dogs that have been trained to fight.

The ban is not breed specific — instead, dogs will be judged on a combination of their temperament and ability to inflict harm.

“An extremely vicious Chihuahua is not something we’re concerned about, nor is a good-natured pit bull,” said Douglas County Commissioner Charles Jones, the ordinance’s chief proponent.

Under the ordinance, an impounded dog will be tested for vicious tendencies by trained workers. If they determine a dog is dangerous, they will send a recommendation for euthanization to the Douglas County District Court. Only a district judge can authorize putting down an animal deemed vicious.

Dealing with owners

“The thrust of this is to get the dog, and to deal with the owners as a secondary matter,” Jones said.

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Owners of vicious dogs would face penalties.

The first offense of owning a vicious dog could result in a $500 fine and 90-day jail sentence for the owner. A second offense increases those punishments to a maximum $1,000 fine and a six-month sentence.

A violation of the ordinance also triggers an automatic three-year prohibition on dog ownership.

Jones said owners of vicious dogs often are involved in other illegal activities.

“We think once word gets out, they won’t keep these dogs in Douglas County,” he said. “They’ll go someplace else, probably, but they won’t be in Douglas County.”

City Commissioner David Schauner agreed.

“These don’t strike me as pets,” he said.

Targeted group

Jones said officials estimate there are 25 vicious dogs in Douglas County.

“We think it’s important to keep this very focused on a very small group of dangerous animals,” he said.

Jones’ proposal came from the county’s Vicious Dogs Task Force, formed after an attack on a family dog by pit bulls that had gotten loose from a residence in eastern Lawrence.

Task force members — including representatives of the Lawrence Police Department, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Douglas County District Attorney’s Office, Lawrence Humane Society and governments of Lawrence, Eudora and Lecompton — crafted a proposed law that would serve as an umbrella for existing laws in area towns.

The new ordinance will allow officials to stop the dogs before they injure, Jones said. County officials have added a new position to the sheriff’s department to handle the dog cases.

“In many cases, Midge knows about the dogs well before these incidents take place,” he said. “But she’s been powerless to do anything about them.”

No opponent of the ordinance spoke Tuesday, and discussion among commissioners was brief. They directed city staffers to put the ordinance on the agenda for formal approval within the next few weeks.

Fatal encounter

The discussion came only a day after the police shooting of a pit bull in North Lawrence.

Animal control officers had been called to the house by a 67-year-old landlord who was trapped in his car in the driveway of his North Lawrence property. Police Sgt. Mike Pattrick said the pit bull would not let the landlord leave the vehicle.

According to Pattrick, animal control officers were unsuccessful in their attempts to capture the dog using a catch pole.

Pattrick said the dog charged officers several times. Police used a shotgun to destroy the animal.

Police discovered where the dog came from: a vacant lot next door to a rental house in the 400 block of Maple Street. Officers found another dog, a female pit bull, in the vacant lot without food or water.

Humane Society officials were called to assess the situation.

“The dog was really dehydrated,” Grinstead said. “Had we left her there she would’ve died of heat exhaustion.”

The Humane Society seized the female pit bull.

Police said they knew who owns the dogs but would only identify him as a Lawrence man.

Neighbors said they were relieved the dogs were gone but disappointed in the way it happened.

“It’s sad,” said Ivy Smith, who lives in the rental house with her two small children. “It’s sad for the dog. If it had been in a different home, a regular home, maybe this would not have happened.”