Los Angeles County Animal Control Officer Rachel Riva doesn’t believe there is a hyper-aggressive dog problem in Malibu. Those kinds of problems come from abused animals and “this is an area where everybody tattles” and because of that, there is little outright animal abuse, said Riva.
“People in Malibu have little tolerance when they feel something is wrong with an animal or the way an animal is treated,” said Riva.
However, what does make Malibu unique for L.A. County Animal Control is that it’s a tourist destination, she said. The beach brings in many people from other areas and they bring along their animals, and frequently don’t know the rules.
There is an issue with people who let their dogs loose on the beach, which is against the law, she explained. Crowded beaches and dogs don’t mix.
“You’re going to have confrontations when people bring their dogs to the beach,” she said, and this often results in fights between dogs and sometimes dog owners.
Dogs are not allowed on L.A. County beaches at all because these are populous beaches, said Riva. Moreover, there are rules and regulations for private beach property owners. Dogs are not allowed on the public potion of the beach either, which is where the wet sand is, said Riva.
“If the dog’s feet are wet, then you’re going to get a violation,” said Frank Bonjiorno, field supervisor at the Agoura Animal Shelter. Bonjiorno clarified that two separate violations exist for dogs near the ocean. Dogs are not allowed on public beaches and they are not allowed in the ocean at all.
There are problems sometimes with dogs that are aggressive, said Riva. Sometimes dogs show aggression just because they are disoriented and unsure. And other times, aggression can be linked to the dog’s mother. If a puppy is born of a mother that was scared and skittish she may pass that behavior on to the puppy.
“Sometimes it’s imprinted and that makes the dog hard to train,” she said. This is especially true for abandoned dogs that are not used to human contact.
This is why dogs that have bitten somebody are not automatically put to sleep when they are brought to the shelter, unless they have bitten more than once, which is rare, said Bonjiorno.
Riva said she gets calls four or five times a year from people who are concerned that a dog may be aggressive, but when she gets to the location, she finds usually that they are not.
“People misunderstand the dog and they don’t want to take a chance,” she said.
When L.A. County’s Animal Control gets a call about a possible vicious dog, they try and contain the animal so it does not harm anyone, including itself, and they confine it, said Bonjiorno. They then bring it in to the shelter and try to locate its owner.
In order for animal control to initiate action, they have to first receive a signed complaint. Then they investigate to find out if the dog is licensed and vaccinated and to find out if the dog has ever bitten somebody.
They usually issue a misdemeanor citation when a dog actually bites another dog or a person, but only if the dog breaks skin.