Pasadena has held six dog hearings so far this year, with three dogs determined to be potentially dangerous, two determined to be public nuisances and one hearing pending, according to the City of Pasadena.
The hearings are held under a city ordinance rewritten in 2024 and a state law that calls potentially dangerous and vicious dogs “a serious and widespread threat to the safety and welfare of citizens.” Pasadena Humane, the city’s poundmaster, investigates dog bite incidents and presents its findings to an independent hearing officer, and the Public Health Department coordinates and administers the process to ensure an orderly and fair review of each case, according to Director of Public Health Manuel Carmona. Dog owners, Pasadena Humane and members of the public may present information at the hearings.
State law lets cities set up their own hearing procedure for such cases, requires those hearings to be open to the public and generally bars breed-specific dog rules. Under city code, owners receive at least 10 calendar days’ notice, and the hearing officer issues orders within seven calendar days.
The city describes a public nuisance dog as one whose behavior disrupts the enjoyment of life or property without meeting the threshold of potentially dangerous or vicious. State law defines a potentially dangerous dog as including one that, unprovoked, bites a person and causes less than severe injury, and a vicious dog as including one that, unprovoked, inflicts severe injury on or kills a person. Possible requirements after a hearing include warning signage, secure confinement, behavioral training, muzzling outside the home, liability insurance or, in the most severe cases of vicious dogs, euthanasia, and owners must comply or surrender their dog, according to the city. City code states that a dog determined to be vicious shall be ordered humanely destroyed, with a timely appeal staying the order. Fines reach $500 per violation for nuisance or potentially dangerous dogs and $1,000 for vicious dogs. Owners may appeal potentially dangerous or vicious findings to Superior Court within five days, and a dog comes off the potentially dangerous list after 36 months without a further incident, under state law.
A 2024 Public Health Department review found “the current quasi-judicial process used by the City of Pasadena is an outlier,” noting seven of eight other cities surveyed used a hearing officer, and the City Council adopted the new ordinance July 15, 2024.
On June 8, the council approved a five-year Pasadena Humane contract of up to $10,473,183, 22.9% more than the prior contract, covering investigation and presentation of dog cases. Pasadena Humane, founded in 1903, also provides animal control in Altadena and 10 other communities. California led the nation with 673 dog attacks on postal workers in 2025, according to the U.S. Postal Service.
A special hearing was scheduled for Oct. 14 to determine the status of another dog. City code requires anyone who knows an animal has bitten or attacked a person to promptly report it to the poundmaster; Pasadena Humane’s number is (626) 792-7151. Hearing notices and records are posted at https://www.cityofpasadena.
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