§ 31602 Dangerous Dog Definition

• •A dog can be called 'potentially dangerous' if it scares or hurts people or other pets twice in 3 years, even if it wasn’t teased or bothered first.
• •If a dog bites someone and causes a small injury (not super bad), it can be labeled 'potentially dangerous' even if it only happened once.
• •The bad behavior has to happen when the dog is *not* on its owner’s property—like at a park or on the street.
• •Owners must be extra careful with these dogs to keep people and other animals safe.

Your neighbor’s dog runs up to you while you’re walking your cat on a leash. The dog tries to attack your cat, and you have to kick it away to stop it. A month later, the same dog chases another cat down the street and hurts it.

This dog could be called 'potentially dangerous' because it tried to hurt animals twice in less than 3 years, and both times it was off its owner’s property. The owner might have to follow special rules, like keeping the dog on a leash or muzzled in public.