An unprovoked dog attack Sunday on a blind man's guide dog exposed the shortcomings of Cincinnati's reinstated ban on pit bulls, which takes effect Nov. 1. A veterinarian from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) identified the attacking dog as a female brown-and-white mixed boxer - not a pit bull.

Ted Chism at his Clifton home with his guide dog, Sparky, 3. (Leigh Patton photo) | ZOOM |

It tore through its leash and attacked "Sparky," a yellow Labrador guide dog belonging to Ted Chism, 66, while they were out for their regular stroll along Clifton Avenue. Sparky, trained to stay with his owner, sustained bites to his right front leg and right ear. Chism fears if Sparky is now afraid of other dogs, he could no longer be trusted as a guide dog.

Banning a single breed does not get at the broader need to compel owners to responsibly control their dogs. The boxer's owner Sharon Knaff was charged with failing to confine a dangerous dog under the city's dangerous dog ordinance. Two years ago, she was charged with allowing a dog to run at large.

One flaw in Cincinnati's dangerous dog laws is they don't escalate penalties for repeat offenses. The first offense is a second-degree misdemeanor. Same, for the second offense. Ohio law jumps a dangerous dog charge on second offense from fourth-degree to second-degree misdemeanor, increasing the owner's jail time and fine. A second offense for a "vicious" dog can make the owner guilty of a fourth-degree felony.

Ohio law defines pit bulls as "vicious" and requires owners to obtain liability insurance not less than $100,000. But a dog of any breed is deemed "vicious" if it has seriously injured or killed a person or killed another dog.

SCPA general manager Harold Dates argues the city should hold owners accountable for dangerous dogs that show a propensity for unprovoked attacks on other dogs or humans. "We want to nip it in the bud before a 'dangerous' dog escalates to 'vicious,'" Dates said. Owners need to recognize they have a problem dog and take action. Cincinnati and Ohio law go into some detail on the precautions owners must take in confining, walking and transporting dangerous or vicious dogs, including chain-link leashes, muzzling and locked cages.

The new Cincinnati ordinance requires owners to register a dangerous or vicious dog annually. Violators of the pit bull ban can be charged with a second-degree misdemeanor, which is punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $750 fine.

But council should review Cincinnati dangerous dog ordinances to allow judges to raise penalties for owners guilty of repeat offenses.