In Delaware, even the smallest bark could soon take a
bite out of your wallet.
A new bill passing the State House would mean fines
for noisy dog owners.
Well, the owners aren't the problem.
It's the dogs barking. But the owners need to do
something about it,
Chris, or they're going to pay up.
That's right, Jason, let's be honest.
Most dogs bark. Little ones,
small ones. Well, lawmakers here in Delaware just passed a
bill that Wood Forest dog owners to pay up if
Fido doesn't shut up.
You could say dog owners at
Wilmington's Rockford Park are barking mad over a new proposal
targeting loud dogs.
I think it's fairly ludicrous.
The bill that passed the House and Senate shifts enforcement
of all animal control laws from local police to the
Office of Animal Welfare.
It also creates monetary fines for excessive barking,
classified as barking for more than 15 minutes at a
time or intermittently for 30 minutes or more.
Whether we like it or not,
dogs bark. Charlie Hall with the American Kennel Club says
the bill doesn't explain how animal control will enforce the
issue.
The bill doesn't quite handle or look at all the
things that dogs potentially could bark
or or about, but instead turns that into a situation
where it becomes a nuisance,
especially if I have an issue with the neighbor next
to me.
There are many exceptions to the rule,
including animal shelters, vet clinics and pet stores.
The civil penalties for excessive barking include first a warning,
$50.00 for a second violation,
100 for the third, and
$150.00 for all violations after.
With our dogs, we have little cop bar collars
and if we don't feel like they're going to control
themselves,
we put the bar control collars on them.
Does Leo bark? Leo barks.
He does. He barks. He barks when someone knocks or
he hears a little noise outside,
he he barks. Annie Jablow sees both sides of the
barking issue,
but says finding owners isn't the answer.
I see how you know you let your dog bark
all night.
That can be annoying too.
So I don't know pros and cons,
I guess, but there are a lot of things you
can't control,
especially if you're not home or something.
But your dog's barking. What are you going to
do? Now? The bill sits on Governor John
Carney's desk. If signed, it would take a year to
go into effect,
guys. So both sides to this,
you know, you don't want a barking dog,
but you know, your dogs bark.
My dog barks. What is excessive,
I think, and how it's going to be enforced is
the big question.
And I wonder if those collars work.
Some of them vibrate, some of them do shock,
right? And whether dog owners have some love.
They work. But as one of your people you spoke
to,
Chris said they're not home.
You don't even know if your dog's barking or not.
You can suddenly get a ticket and not even know,
not even see it coming.
All right, Chris O'Connell in Delaware,
Thank you very much. We'll see what the governor decides
and what the state does and what the conversation would
be with your dog.
Were you barking today? No,
you don't do that. Were you doing that?
Yeah. Chris, thank you.