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A dog running loose on a Paia beach recently bit and seriously injured a 7-year-old boy. The fine for allowing an unleashed dog is $500. Do you think:
The fines should increased?
17%
Dogs should be banned from all beaches?
19%
Dogs should be allowed on only designated beaches?
17%
Some combination of tougher laws and limited beach access should be enacted?
48%
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Member Comments
| KarenChun | |
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03-13-08 5:19 PM
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I didn't vote because all the choices are about toughening laws against unleashed dogs or banning them. What should be toughened is the penalty for allowing your dog to bite someone. Don't penalize the vast majority of dog owners who have sweet-disposition dogs and take care of them responsibly.
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| thespra | |
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03-13-08 11:39 AM
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was that dog a stray or the owner nearby? the problem lies with the owner, it should have been leashed. dogs should not be banned from beaches, but peterO definately should. That's illegal what you do PeterO, I hope somehow you get poisened. Karma
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| Mauidiver | |
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03-12-08 8:54 PM
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YES..dogs should be leashed and owners should be held responsible for their pets actions. Although, if the proper authorities continue to refuse to enforce the laws and fines, efforts to create new laws are a simple waste of taxpayers money....sounds like PeterO is much more of a danger than a loose dog.
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| manamagic | |
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03-11-08 5:35 AM
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This is to PeterO.[s711-1108.5] cruelty to animals in the fist degree. (1) a person commits the offense of cruelty to animals in the first degree if the person intentionally or knowingly tortures, mutilation, or POISIONING of any pet animal resulting in serious bodily injury or death of the pet animal.Cruelty to animals in the first degree IS A CLASS C FELONY.
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| PeterO | |
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03-11-08 4:25 AM
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I give poisoned food to loose dogs. If you have a dog, and don’t want him to be poisoned, then keep him on a leash or inside your house.
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| mauicin | |
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03-10-08 3:28 PM
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"Most dogs on the beach do not pose a problem"? Are u serious!! Well it the owner adheres to the law that states that they dog should be leashed then it's not a problem. As for myself, and I'm an adult, I have a fear of dogs and don't appreciate anyones dogs sniffing at me or humping my leg. As you can tell, I'm not a dog lover myself but it doesn't mean that i HATE dogs!! And I don't blame the dogs, but I do blame the unresponsible owners.
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| Sherry | |
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03-10-08 2:00 PM
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This innocent child is forever traumatized and his spirit and trust is forever broken because of a coward who ran and left him bleeding and crying for help. It is a selfish and misguided concept to believe that your dog is not a potential danger to anyone when unleashed. It is an animal. I personally own 2 dogs. Because of the people out there who think their dogs are special and above the leash law, my dogs are kept in my yard. I would love to be able to walk them on their leashes, but I am afraid to do this because of unrestrained animals coming after them. I love my dogs, I do not want them dead or mauled. Sit in a animal hospital one day and watch the tears and grief of a family who lost their leashed dog to a loose dog. It is tragic. It is unnecessary and it has to stop here. Save our children, save our pets, take responsibility for your animals.
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| mauigirl2008 | |
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03-09-08 11:46 PM
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DOGS THAT ARE ON A LEASH AT THE BEACH DON'T POSE A PROBLEM, Haikuhomie. Not everyone appreciates strange dogs running after them, smelling them, or licking them... Believe it or not, some people don't like dogs. Personally, I have 2 dogs and IF I take them to the beach they are on a leash. I don't take it for granted that my like for my animals will be embraced by everyone else. Just common sense...and courtesy...
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| ManaoMana | |
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03-09-08 9:21 PM
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Many laws on Maui are unenforced. This leads to a general disregard for many laws. Junk car dumping, zoning violations, speeding, etc. Put more resources into enforcing the existing laws. Making more laws that are unenforced will just increase lawlessness.
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| haikuhomie | |
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03-09-08 4:56 PM
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Most dogs on beaches do not propose a problem. Why should one dog bite ruin it for the thousands of dog owners in the county? Maybe if we had access to more of our beaches, there would be room for all to peacefully co-exist and we could have designated dog beaches in different parts of the island.
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| JayDogg | |
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03-08-08 5:22 PM
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DOGS SHOULD BE ON A LEASH AT ALL TIMES, EVERYWHERE UNLESS TOTTALY SECLUDED, OWNER SHOULD ACKNOWLEDGE SURROUNDINGS AND BE RESPONSIBLE ENOUGHT TO HAVE ANIMAL UNDER CONTROL@ALL TIMES AND/OR LEASHED. NOT EVERYONE LIKES DOGS. HIGHER FINES MAY BE APPROPRIATE, AND OTHER POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES FOR THE DOG/OWNER. IF YOUR DOG IS NOT GOOD WITH CHILDREN THEY ARE NOT GOOD FOR THE PUBLIC. BANNING ANIMALS IN THE PUBLIC WOULD BE RIDICULOUS. IF THE PET LAWS WERE ENFORCED BY ??? HUMANE SOCIETY ???? LIFE GUARDS ??? PARKING LOT SECURITY??? THESE PROMLEMS COULD BE?? EXCECUTED BEFOR ACTIONS TAKEN!!!BUT IF YOUR LEASHED THE PROBABILITY WOULD BE PREVENTED MOST LIKELY BE RESPONSILBE ESPECIALLY IN THE PUBLIC. THIS SHOULD HAVE NEVER HAPPEN
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| duwekoolani2 | |
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03-08-08 5:05 PM
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The dog dies and the owner paid $500 buck's.
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| mauigirl2008 | |
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03-08-08 1:54 AM
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Marco1, Please elaborate on your theory of how that helps..
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| marco1 | |
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03-07-08 10:13 PM
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No new laws without ENFORCEMENT.
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| Citizen | |
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03-07-08 8:16 PM
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Wouldn't it be helpful to know just how many citations have been handed out for this offence and how much fines have been collected? Maybe more enforcement people are needed. Maybe we have enough and they need to get busy. Maybe there's enough and they're busy but wasting their time because nobody ends up getting fined.
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| mauigirl2008 | |
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03-07-08 7:29 PM
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Tougher laws, increased fines, and maybe more than a fine--community service or even jail time for repeat offenders that have no regard for the law. But who is going to do the enforcement? Apparently there are only a few animal control officers for Maui County and they need to "witness" the violations. That concept is pretty unreasonable. By the time animal control is called to the time they respond the perpetrators are usually gone. Something thing needs to be done differently, the system is obviously not working.
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| Kaleo1 | |
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03-07-08 4:32 PM
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The fine is not $500. That is the maximum fine. The actual fine for a first offense is $50, which most dog owners I know shrug off as part of the cost of owning a dog. There are so few animal control officers the chance of getting a ticket is negligible anyway. Perhaps if the fine really was $500 people would obey the law! Maui County Code Section 6.04.110 (Animal Control) Penalties: A. Any person convicted of a violation of any section or provision of this chapter, except the provisions relating to excessive barking dogs and dangerous dogs, shall be fined not more than $500. The minimum fine shall be as follows: for a first violation, a fine of not less than $50; for a second violation within five years after a prior violation under this section, a fine of not less than $100; and, for a third violation within five years after two prior violations under this section, a fine of not less than $200.
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