Hudson, NH Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)

When Hudson rewrote Chapter 188, Dogs and Other Animals, in its entirety on August 10, 2021, it added a behavior-based definition rather than a breed list. Section 188-1.1A defines 'VICIOUS DOG' as a dog that, without provocation, attacks or bites a person or other domestic animal. Nothing in the chapter's definitions section names pit bulls, Rottweilers or any other breed; a dog's history of unprovoked attacks or bites, not its ancestry, is what makes it vicious under Hudson's code.

The one place the term does real work is Subsection D, which governs conduct inside the Town's designated off-leash dog areas established under Subsection B(2)(d). Paragraph D(1) requires every handler in an off-leash area to keep voice control and observation over a dog at all times, and lists specific conditions: current license and rabies tags, a minimum handler age of 18, no more than two dogs per handler, and no female dogs in heat. The last of those conditions, Subsection D(1)(i), states flatly that no vicious dogs are allowed in the off-leash area. A vicious dog is barred from those posted areas even on a six-foot leash under an attentive handler; the designation itself, not the leash, is disqualifying.

Chapter 188 does not set out a separate declaration hearing, muzzle mandate, liability-insurance requirement or registration fee tied to the vicious-dog label. Hudson's ordinance, adopted under RSA 31:39 and RSA 466:39, limits the term's legal effect to keeping such dogs out of the off-leash area. Any bite incident is still handled by the Hudson Police Department and Animal Control Officer under the chapter's general at-large and disposition provisions.