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Orange County Wants To Map Where Vicious Dogs Live

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(Photo by Art_man via Shutterstock)

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The "Who Let the Dogs Out?" Baha Men track may be the anthem for this situation. Dogs deemed "vicious" or "dangerous" may soon be getting the Megan's Law treatment. The Orange County's Board of Supervisors are looking into whether or not they should allow a website that lists the addresses of homes housing dogs that have a history of attacking people or animals. The registry map would also include a description of the dog and what sort of attacks happened.

“It’s important for residents to be educated on where dangerous animals live,” Ryan Drabek, a spokesman for OC Animal Care told The Los Angeles Times. “When people go for walks, it’s good to know.”

The board is expected to vote on the proposal on Dec. 17; however, they were originally supposed to make a decision on Monday, but they were in the midst of defining what makes a dog "vicious" or "dangerous." The ordinance would cite "dangerous" dogs as ones that have attacked and severely injured others (including humans and animals) on more than two occasions in a three-year period, according to NBC Los Angeles. The "vicious" definition includes dogs that have been trained to fight and have killed or severely injured a person.

CBS Los Angeles reported that in 2012, an ordinance was approved to prevent "vicious" dog owners to obtain another canine. It looks like dog control is on the up-and-up in Orange County.

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