Jeez Louise: Hannibal City Council unanimously declares 3-year-old pitbull ‘dangerous dog’

HANNIBAL, Mo. — The Hannibal City Council declared a purple-collared dog named Louise to be dangerous at an administrative hearing ahead of its meeting Tuesday night.

Louise was one of three grey-haired 3-year-old pitbulls to run up on city employee Ernest Jones on Nov. 21 after escaping from a gate that had accidentally been left open in a fenced-in yard.

“There was one dog that came up … and it looks like it’s a friendly dog, and I went to go pet it. Then there’s two more dogs (that) came around the building, and then they went aggressive,” Jones said. “I had one trying to drag me down with my foot, and I was fighting the other two off with my lunch bag.”

One of the dogs grabbed hold of Jones’ overalls, but he couldn’t remember which dog it was because they all looked similar. 

Greg Price, another city employee, said he grabbed a shovel upon seeing the altercation and “smacked” it on the ground, breaking it. Though the dogs initially dispersed, Price said they soon returned and bit a third city employee, who was not present at the meeting, on the leg. Price said the third employee had “bite marks on his pant leg and … on his lunch box,” and that’s when he called 911.

Price said he followed the dogs until a community service officer (CSO) arrived. He said “the purple one” went after the CSO.

Louise’s owner, who also owns the other two dogs involved with the incident, did not identify herself during the meeting. She wasn’t identified on any documents provided during the City Council meeting. the owner apologized profusely and became emotional in recounting the contrast between the family’s personal relationship with them and the behavior they exuded during the altercation.

The decision to officially declare Louise as a dangerous dog was ultimately made by Hannibal Police Chief Jacob Nacke, who said he made the call after reviewing video footage and speaking with witnesses and the CSO, who claimed the dog had acted aggressively in the past during previous run-ins.

4th Ward Council Member Charlie Phillips asked the owner if the dogs were licensed and had their shots. The owner said yes. 

5th Ward Council Member Michael Fleetwood asked the owner if the dogs have had any sort of training. The owner said no.

“(If) you keep those dogs, they need to be trained, they need to be disciplined,” he said. “Obviously the three of them together are much more aggressive than one individual.”

Hannibal Mayor Barry Louderman assured the owner that a declaration of a dangerous dog did not mean Louise would have to be euthanized. He empathized with her feelings as a fellow pet owner, but he said the situation could have easily been “so much worse” if the dogs had gotten Jones to the ground or if they’d attacked a child.

The council voted unanimously to uphold Nacke’s classification of Louise as a dangerous dog, meaning that her owners must:

• raise their fence to 10 feet.
• place a muzzle on her for walks.
• display a sign that reads “Beware of Dangerous Dog” on their property.
• switch her purple collar to an orange one.
• and hold liability insurance in the amount of at least $100,000 in case Louise destroys property or injures or kills a human, among other various penalties outlined in section 4-106 of the city’s charter.

Though Louise was the only dog to be declared dangerous, Louderman encouraged the owner to be equally as cautious with the other dogs involved.