People who have canines of potentially dangerous breeds must register them with the Health Secretariats of the municipality in which they reside and have a non-contractual civil liability policy.
Pets have become part of families, but the responsibility for their behavior falls on their owners. It is therefore important that owners educate them and maintain them in compliance with the safety measures established by law, especially for canines, because bad behavior by a dog can lead to financial penalties and even prison.
In recent days, two women were attacked in Floridablanca by three Pit Bull dogs, cataloged in the National Code of Citizen Security and Coexistence, as “special management breeds.” There was no penalty for the owner for this bad behavior and poor ownership of the animals.
According to the Code and Deputy Mayor Héctor Darío Suárez Muñoz, member of environmental protection and natural resources of the Bucaramanga Metropolitan Police (Mebuc), when a canine causes harm to a person or another pet, a penalty of $1,386 is applied. ,000, equivalent to 32 current legal daily minimum wages (Smldv) and respond for damages to the person or pet.
Also read: Two women rolled 60 meters down a ravine after being knocked down by three pit bull dogs in Floridablanca
“Once the incident occurs, the Police prepare a report that is delivered to the Municipal Health Secretariat to generate the history of the canine. If the animal reoffends, it is removed from the owner and left at the disposal of the health authority,” explained the member of the Police.
The Deputy Mayor added that if the animal causes the death of a person or causes a lifelong injury, the owner can go to prison.
If a dog attack occurs, Deputy Superintendent Suárez Muñoz recommended, the quadrant patrol should be called immediately so that the situation is identified, the antecedent is generated for the animal and the respective commitments or sanctions are applied.
Registration and liability policy
The Secretary of Health of Floridablanca, Genny Liliana Uribe Gómez, explained that all canines of “special breeds” must be registered with the Ministry of Health and present a non-contractual civil liability policy, which “is what will help us protect to citizens and to intervene legally in situations of attacks.” The “special breeds” are the following: American Staffordshire Terrier, Bullmastiff, Doberman, Dogo Argentino, Dogue de Bordeaux, Fila Brasileiro, Neapolitan Mastiff, Bull Terrier, Pit Bull Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier, Presa Canario, Rottweiler, Staffordshire Terrier , Japanese Tosa and the others that the National Government determines.
You may be interested in: Alert: seven clinics in Bucaramanga and the area report “high occupancy”
The official recommended that the owners integrate these animals into social spaces from when they were puppies, not leave them alone in public spaces, and exercise them daily to reduce the level of stress and maintain a psycho-emotional balance. “The policy must be renewed every year and if citizens require more information about ownership, they can approach the Secretariat and we will support them,” she concluded.
