The Ward family's German shepherd, Shadow, earned a dubious distinction in early 2009: It was the first canine in Lancaster County classified as a "dangerous dog" under the state's new dog law, which took effect that year.

Shadow had bitten a teenage boy near an elementary school in Manheim Township.

"There were five kids playing with a toy on his property, said Wesley Ward, of Pleasure Road. "They were goofing off and wearing hoodies. My wife told the kid not to run, and he ran. The shepherd went after him."

The teen's injuries were not serious.

But a district judge ruled that Shadow was a "dangerous dog." Since then, the Wards have been forced to shell out $550 every year to the Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement, as well as take out $50,000 in liability insurance to cover injuries inflicted by the dog.

What if they move? Or sell Shadow? What if the dog dies?

Then they have to immediately alert the state, which maintains a registry of dangerous dogs and their locations — and now requires annual registrations from the owners of such animals.

At the same time, many of the 15 other local dogs declared dangerous after attacking people or pets before the new law took effect are unaccounted for, according to a review of the state's dangerous dogs database.

What of the German shepherd named Bear from Landisville declared by a judge to be dangerous in June 2005, according to the state's registry? Or the mixed breed named Griz from Marietta, ruled dangerous in December of 2005? How about the bulldog named Taz from Quarryville, ruled dangerous in February of 2007, or the mixed breed named Zeus?

They're on the registry, but there's no trace of them or their owners at the addresses provided by the state.

The findings raise the question: How do you know if there's a potentially vicious dog living next door to you?

The answer: In most cases, you don't.

The Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era obtained the list of dangerous dogs and their owners here and across Pennsylvania through an open-records request.

The Department of Agriculture, which is responsible for maintaining the registry, reported 16 such canines in Lancaster County and 230 in other parts of Pennsylvania.

But a review of the database found that most of the local pet owners appear to have moved, some outside the county. In two cases the owner had euthanized their pets, but the dog still appeared on the list.

The newspaper tracked down only two animals on the dangerous dogs list here. Addresses listed for half of the others in the database were outdated, according to a cross-reference with county property records. The owners of a handful of dangerous dogs did not return phone calls.

Nicole Bucher, a spokeswoman for the ag department, acknowledged that some addresses are out of date. But she said that the department is making a new effort to track down the correct locations of the state's most dangerous dogs.

"We depend on the owners of the dog, if they move, to give us a new address," Bucher said.

And if they don't notify the state?

They're difficult, if not impossible, to track down.

"We try to do biennial inspections," Bucher said. "It's my understanding we've put forth a renewed effort to get those inspections up to date."

She added that the department does have "staff limitations" and "sometimes updating an address in a database doesn't necessarily come before an immediate action."

A dangerous dog is one that has attacked, inflicted severe injury to, or killed a human being or a domestic animal without provocation while off an owner's property, according to state law.

A dog also is considered dangerous if it was involved in committing a crime.

The 1982 law and every subsequent update, including the 2008 version, have required owners of dangerous dogs to notify the state if they move or sell their dog.

But the newest update to the law carries the toughest tracking provision to date: a requirement that owners re-register their dangerous dogs every year, and pay the $550 every year, too.

Owners of dogs put on the list before 2009 are grandfathered under the old law, which required them to pay a one-time registration fee of $200. They do not have to file every year.

Daniel Pinilla's Dalmatian, Max, is currently listed on the dangerous dog registry, and has been since October 2002 after it broke through a 4-foot-high wood fence in his backyard and attacking two passing dogs.

Pinilla had Max euthanized in April because of old age; the dog was nearly 14. Pinilla said he never believed his dog was dangerous.

"He was good with people. He was really, really good with little kids and everything," said Pinilla, of Valley Drive in Manor Township. "He just didn't get along with other dogs."

Pinilla said Max caused a few scrapes to the other two dogs, injuries that were not life-threatening. But the damage was done.

"The judge gave me an option of putting him down or registering him as a dangerous dog, so we registered him," Pinilla said.

Since the tougher dog law was passed, many owners have chosen to euthanize their dangerous animals, said state dog warden Travis Hess, whose jurisdiction covers Lancaster County.

"When there is a situation where we charge the owner with harboring a dangerous dog and we go over all the things they have to do, they are more likely to put the dogs to sleep, in general," he said.

It is illegal for owners or keepers of dangerous dogs to allow the animals outside of secure enclosures unless the dog is muzzled and restrained by a substantial chain or leash and under physical restraint of a "responsible person."

The owners also must spay or neuter the dog, have a microchip implanted in it and post signs with a symbol that warns children of the presence of a dangerous dog.

"A lot of times, when a dog gets put on the dangerous dog list, the owner has a lot of costs associated with that, and they make the personal decision to put the dog down," Bucher said.

Or they skip town without letting the department know where they're headed, and without having to register their animal again.

It's a loophole Ward feels is unjust. He registers Shadow, his German shepherd, with the state every year and has added the pet to his homeowners insurance policy.

"By the time he passes away, I'll probably have put out $11,000 or $12,000," Ward said. "They pay one time, and who knows where they are?"

tmurse@lnpnews.com