Dangerous Dogs Bill introduced in Missouri Legislature--and we need your stories about dangerous dogs and bicycles to help move it forward

Several years ago, cyclist Barry Bean of Peach Orchard, Missouri, was seriously injured while bicycling when a stray dog ran in his path and caused him to crash. 

Rep. Jeff Shawan of Poplar Bluff is the sponsor of HB 1525, providing penalties for owners of uncontrolled dogs who injure people

Once he had recovered from his injuries, he made it his mission to change Missouri law to better prevent dangerous stray dogs.

Currently Missouri law provide penalties for dog owners if their dog is loose and bites someone. But there is no penalty if the loose dog causes any other type of injury--such as causing a bicycle crash.

HB 1525 will address that problem by simply adding the words "bites or injures" to Missouri's already existing, already successful, dangerous dogs law.

The House Committee is planning to hold a hearing on the bill within the next two weeks, and we would like to hear your stories and experiences with dangerous dogs.

We'll use your stories and experiences to help build a stronger case for passing the improved Dangerous Dog Law in Missouri.

 * Send your experiences and stories to director@mobikefed.org

 * You can also leave stories in the comments for this article on our web page or on the Facebook post

 * Please indicate if we can use your real name and location (city, state) or if you would prefer the story to be anonymized

  * We plan to compile stories and share them with legislators and on our web site.  However, we can share them privately only (ie, not on the web site) and/or anonymize them at your request.

Thank you!

What is in the bill - what does it do?

Current Missouri law provides for penalties for owners of dangerous dogs when those dogs injure a person by biting.

However, if the injury is caused in some other way--say, by loose dogs running in front of a cyclist--then there is no penalty.

The bill fixes this situation by simply adding the words "or injured" and "or injures" to current Missouri law, which has already been in place for years and is used succesfully to deal with dangerous dogs who repeated attack or bite people.

More information

More information:

• About current Missouri dog law, and what to do if you are injured or bitten by a dog while cycling

Working to make Missouri safer for people who bicycle and walk is one of four primary goals in MoBikeFed's Vision for Bicycling and Walking.  Working for important legislation like the dog injury bill is one way we reach that goal.

Your ongoing membership and generous financial support helps turn our Vision into reality!