Heads up dog lovers, El Paso just got a little stricter on certain dogs in certain situations.<\/p>\n
El Paso is a very warm and welcoming city and that includes the furballs. Dogs are welcome all over El Paso<\/a>, in bars, in parks … they can even take a dip at a dog friendly city water park<\/a>.<\/p>\n Yep, El Paso is totally dog friendly but there are rules and requirements when it comes to having them and some of those just changed.<\/p>\n I love my dogs and always had, at least, one ever since I was maybe 5 or 6. A Shephard, several mixed breeds … they hate it when you call them “mutts” …\u00a0 a boxer, a couple of Pitts; I’m not “breed loyal”.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Most Popular Dog Breeds In Texas<\/a><\/p>\n Not every dog breed is “mean” but some do have reputations. Honestly, a dog is the product of its owner and environment. You can’t judge a human by their race, color or sex, right? Same goes for judging dogs by breed.<\/p>\n What Dog Law Changed In El Paso?<\/p>\n However, dogs are animals and if your dog, (however sweet it may be), does exhibit menacing behavior or actually bite someone, there are repercussions and the city just ramped ’em up.<\/p>\n The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to expand the definition of aggressive and vicious dogs under the city code that governs animals\u00a0 to strengthen public safety and animal welfare. Under Texas Health and Safety Code, a dog is designated as dangerous only if it acts unprovoked and causes bodily injury to a person. – elpasomatters<\/a><\/p>\n What Is An “Aggressive” Dog?<\/p>\n According to El Paso City Council:<\/p>\n The city\u2019s ordinance now defines an aggressive dog as one that \u201cmenaces or interferes with public movement or displays threatening behavior toward a person or another animal\u201d and a vicious dog as one that \u201ccauses severe injury to or kills a domestic animal, livestock, or fowl, excluding dogs acting in a legitimate hunting capacity.\u201d –\u00a0elpasomatters<\/a><\/p>\n The new rules requires owners of aggressive\/vicious dogs<\/a> to:<\/p>\n Keep the dog leashed or caged at all timesPost visible warning signsTake a responsible pet owner course approved by TexasWhat Else Should El Paso Dog Owners Know?<\/p>\n Owners of an “aggressive” dog must comply for at least one year while owners of a “vicious” dog must do it for a minimum of 3 years and pay a $50 monitoring fee. Owners can ask to be removed from the monitoring program but there’s no guarantee they will be<\/a>.<\/p>\n The 20 Most Loyal Dog Breeds<\/p>\n All dogs are amazing, but these breeds might be best if you’re looking for a loyal companion. <\/p>\n