"Dangerous dog" registry coming to College Park

By Christian Boone

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

College Park, saying it's acting in the interest of public safety, will officially enact a  "dangerous dog" registry next month that some critics are likening to canine profiling.

Residents owning dogs that have, without provocation, bitten a human since March 31, 1989 will be required to register their pooch with the city clerk's office. So will pit bull, Doberman, Rottweiler and German shepherd owners, whether their dogs have ever attacked someone or not.

A $25 annual fee accompanies the registration. Those who fail to register their dogs face fines and confiscation of their pets.

Such breed-specific legislation isn't new -- Lawrenceville, LaGrange and Floyd County have all enacted their own versions -- but College Park appears to be the first municipality in Georgia to require registration for breeds beyond pit bulls. According to the minutes of the College Park council's April 4 meeting, at least one councilman mused whether the city would be better off banning the dangerous breeds altogether.

The registry was enacted after recent pit bull attacks in areas near College Park, which straddles Fulton and Clayton counties. Last August an infant was mauled and seriously injured by a pit bull in Clayton; two months later, a Jonesboro resident walking his dog was attacked by a neighbor's pit bull.

Even College Park's animal control officer was bitten by a dog, according to the minutes of the April city council meeting. City officials did not return calls seeking comment Friday.

"To me this is a desperate attempt to get money," said Atlanta Underdog Initiative founder Ami Ciontos, who also is upset that College Park held no public hearings on the dog registry. "If they really wanted to make a difference in public safety, they'd go after people who don't take care of their dogs. Instead they're trying to make a buck off of responsible dog owners."

It's unclear whether these registries actually prevent dog attacks. A recent study by the Platte Institute in Nebraska concluded "a pit bull ban will most likely have no effect on dog bites in the city and cost hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars," though that hasn't stopped an increasing number of  municipalities from adopting their own "dangerous dog" statutes.