By DAWNE LEIKER

dleiker@dailynews.net

Ellis City Council members will consider a draft of a new vicious and dangerous animal ordinance at its Monday meeting.

The meeting will be at 7 p.m. at Ellis City Hall, 815 Jefferson.

The council directed city attorney Olavee Raub at its Sept. 7 meeting to draft an ordinance based, in part, on the city of Hays' vicious and dangerous animal ordinance.

The breeds delineated in the draft primarily will be those that generically fall into the definition of pit bulls and Rottweilers, Raub said, including Staffordshire bull terriers, American Staffordshire bull terriers, American pit bull terriers, any other breed commonly called pit bulls -- as well as those that have characteristics common to those breeds.

The city of Ellis' current vicious animal ordinance identifies a dangerous dog to be "any animal that has a propensity or disposition to attack," Raub said. "So it's not limited to those breeds."

Although citizens would not be prohibited from owning the specific breeds of dogs listed under the ordinance, there would be additional criteria that would have to be met in order to keep them within city limits.

One criteria is registration. However, Raub said in addition to registration, the ordinance she is drafting also would require owners of the breeds deemed dangerous to show proof of liability insurance specifically covering an injury that might be caused by that animal.

Raub has studied the ordinances of other communities, such as Manhattan and Topeka, which require such insurance. She said the amount required is similar to automobile insurance levels at $100,000.

Vicious dog ordinances periodically have been considered in Ellis, and Raub remembers an ordinance was drafted and then rejected when she first became city attorney about 10 years ago.

Mayor Dave McDaniel said he is "sure the council will take action on the matter this time."

He pointed out an incident which took place in Ellis on July 1. Brooke Graves, 18, was injured by a pit bull as she and her mother, Kellie, walked two dogs. The incident, he said, "spurred this new discussion" of a vicious and dangerous animal ordinance.

Another incident occurred within the last few weeks, McDaniel added, which brought the issue to the forefront again. That incident involved sanitation workers being attacked by a dog. After the workers sprayed pepper spray at the animal, it continued to attack.

Other communities, he said, have faced the same situation, with community members calling for local government action in regard to vicious animals.

"The issue keeps coming up," he said. "Law enforcement wants direction on what they're supposed to do in these situations, and if it's in writing, it gives them the foundation."