Vermilion Parish Police Jury looks at making it harder to own a vicious dog

The Vermilion Parish Police Jury is not saying you can not own dogs such as pit-bulls, german shepards or rottweilers; however, if you want to own one, the Police Jury may want you to jump over hurdles in order to do so.
Billy Noegel, the public works director for the Police Jury, spoke to the jurors Wednesday night about trying to create an ordinance that owners of “vicious” dogs have to meet certain requirements before they own a vicious dog.
Noegel told jurors that if you want to own a vicious dog in Erath, the homeowner has to carry a certain amount of homeowner’s insurance, and the dog has to live in a certain type of kennel. Because of the tough
vicious dog ordinance, Erath does not have a pitbull problem, he added.
Noegel said if a vicious dog owner jumps “through the hoops” to own a pitbull in Erath, he or she is a responsible dog owner because the dog owner is taking the correct precautions.
“Do you know what has prevented a fatal pitbull mulling in Vermilion Parish?,” Noegel said. “Nothing. It could happen anytime. Vermilion Parish has been lucky. It happened twice in different states.”
Noegel said he wants to try his best to stop a vicious dog in the parish from killing someone. “It happens,” he added.
The Police Jury did not want to adopt the same vicious dog ordinance as Erath unless all of the other municipalities in the parish adopted the same ordinance.
Police Juror Wayne Touchet told Noegel if other municipalities in the parish want to adopt the vicious dog ordinance then the Police Jury will look into it.
“What is the point of doing it in the rural area if not all municipalities are going to follow?,” Touchet said.
Noegel plans to visit each municipality’s city council meeting and see if they would be interested in creating a parishwide vicious dog ordinance.
Touchet said if they agree to it, “then maybe” the Police Jury will adopt the same ordinance.
Police Juror Allen LeMaire said he would like to make it hard for people to own vicious dogs. Again, Touchet said all of the parish municipalities are going to have to adopt the vicious dog ordinance for it to benefit the rural areas.
Police Juror Ron Darby said a lot of vicious dogs are vicious because the owner makes the dog that way.
Noegel responded. “Every story I read (about dog attacks) states the dog never showed aggression before this.”