Montgomery is facing a rise in violence, and now the City Council is confronting another threat: Violent dog attacks.

City officials say they are working to strengthen the dangerous dog ordinance after residents reported repeated attacks in neighborhoods without meaningful consequences for irresponsible owners.

At a work session yesterday, District 3 Councilor Marche Johnson said she is working directly with Montgomery County Humane Society Director Steven Tears to revise the city’s animal laws, noting that local enforcement is restricted under Emily’s Law, Alabama’s statewide process for declaring a dog dangerous.

“We’re working on the ordinance that is set forth by the city about vicious dogs,” Johnson said. She added that she and Tears have reviewed “Emily’s Law with its estate” in hopes of finding stronger local provisions.

The goal, she said, is to “come up with something that we can all agree on” to protect residents from dogs that are currently “frightening our residents.”

Emily’s Law, passed in 2018, sets strict rules for dogs that injure or kill someone, requiring a judge to determine whether a dog is dangerous and whether it must be euthanized or returned to its owner under tight restrictions, including microchipping, spay or neuter, secure enclosure rules, and a $100,000 surety bond.

However, Johnson and Teers said these rules also limit how quickly the city can intervene when a dog is threatening the public.

According to Tears, animal control agencies cannot legally declare a dog vicious even if attacks are documented.

“According to our ordinance and laws, [viciousness] can only be determined by a judge,” Tears said. He explained that animal control has no authority to force removal or euthanization unless a court orders it.

“We have no authority to tell someone… unless it goes before a judge,” he told council members.

Tears said enforcement often stalls because residents do not follow the legal steps required to move a case forward. Even if photo or video evidence exists, animal control cannot file a complaint on their behalf.

“The complainant has to show up in court to swear to the validity,” Tears said. “Any citizen can go down and sign the appropriate documents… and show them their proof.”

To take legal action, residents must file a sworn statement, provide evidence, and appear in court to testify.

Johnson said a resident at the meeting reported that her mother had recently been knocked down and injured by a dog.

“The dog attacked her mom and knocked her mom down,” Johnson said, adding that “by the time everybody got there, they had already moved the dog.”

Residents expressed frustration that attacks continue despite repeated calls to animal control, prompting Johnson to ask Tears to meet personally with the victim’s family. Johnson also pledged to publish clearer public guidance on how residents can legally report attacks so the city can take action.

Video of the meeting:

Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].