What You Need To Know About El Paso's Dog Regulations

Heads up dog lovers, El Paso just got a little stricter on certain dogs in certain situations.

El Paso is a very warm and welcoming city and that includes the furballs. Dogs are welcome all over El Paso, in bars, in parks ... they can even take a dip at a dog friendly city water park.

Yep, El Paso is totally dog friendly but there are rules and requirements when it comes to having them and some of those just changed.

I love my dogs and always had, at least, one ever since I was maybe 5 or 6. A Shephard, several mixed breeds ... they hate it when you call them "mutts" ... a boxer, a couple of Pitts; I'm not "breed loyal".

READ MORE: Most Popular Dog Breeds In Texas

Not every dog breed is "mean" but some do have reputations. Honestly, a dog is the product of its owner and environment. You can't judge a human by their race, color or sex, right? Same goes for judging dogs by breed.

What Dog Law Changed In El Paso?

However, dogs are animals and if your dog, (however sweet it may be), does exhibit menacing behavior or actually bite someone, there are repercussions and the city just ramped 'em up.

The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to expand the definition of aggressive and vicious dogs under the city code that governs animals to strengthen public safety and animal welfare. Under Texas Health and Safety Code, a dog is designated as dangerous only if it acts unprovoked and causes bodily injury to a person. - elpasomatters

What Is An "Aggressive" Dog?

According to El Paso City Council:

The city’s ordinance now defines an aggressive dog as one that “menaces or interferes with public movement or displays threatening behavior toward a person or another animal” and a vicious dog as one that “causes severe injury to or kills a domestic animal, livestock, or fowl, excluding dogs acting in a legitimate hunting capacity.” - elpasomatters

The new rules requires owners of aggressive/vicious dogs to:

Keep the dog leashed or caged at all times
Post visible warning signs
Take a responsible pet owner course approved by Texas

What Else Should El Paso Dog Owners Know?

Owners of an "aggressive" dog must comply for at least one year while owners of a "vicious" dog must do it for a minimum of 3 years and pay a $50 monitoring fee. Owners can ask to be removed from the monitoring program but there's no guarantee they will be.

The 20 Most Loyal Dog Breeds

All dogs are amazing, but these breeds might be best if you're looking for a loyal companion.

Gallery Credit: Billy Jenkins

RANKED: Here Are the 63 Smartest Dog Breeds

Does your loyal pup's breed make the list? Read on to see if you'll be bragging to the neighbors about your dog's intellectual prowess the next time you take your fur baby out for a walk. Don't worry: Even if your dog's breed doesn't land on the list, that doesn't mean he's not a good boy--some traits simply can't be measured.

Gallery Credit: Sabienna Bowman