DeKALB – Aldermen on the DeKalb City Council reacted positively to a proposal that would strengthen the city’s dog laws.

“Dog owners need to take responsibility for their dog,” 4th Ward Alderman Brendon Gallagher said. “You should be able to feel safe walking your dog in any neighborhood, and if they can’t maintain a fence or maintain a leash to keep their dog [under] control, then we need to toughen up these laws.”

The ordinance would create an intermediate approach to handling dogs that bite a person or another animal. If a dog does so, its owner would be fined at least $500, in addition to paying for out-of-pocket expenses for any injury or damage caused by their dog.