12/06/2006: ""Dog" Ordinance Receives Update"

It has taken over a year (original story) , but the County has finally updated an ordinance that regulates dogs "and other animals".

The primary issues addressed in the ordinance was how best to control and regulate dogs at large, and if that fails, to what degree should the owners be charged and fined. Also strongly debated was the question of should the current "livestock fund" be retained, and if so, how much money should be granted to the owners of live stock injured or killed. There was testimony that the County was in the "insurance business" by collecting money that was used to reimburse owners of livestock that are killed by dogs, but Councilman Ranker pointed out that the money is collected and used only for those cases in which the owner of the dog cannot be identified, and added that it is not a new policy or regulation, but simply an update of an existing program that has been in place for some years.

Karen Vedder from the Prosecutors Office explained that it is not uncommon for the justice system to award damages through Court action, and that is what the ordinance does. Sharon Kivisto testified that the awarding of damages for lost livestock is similar to other crime victim funds, and she was in support of the proposed ordinance, noting that the lost of livestock to dogs running at large has a financial impact on farmers.

Making only minor changes to the draft that had evolved from a number of workshops held over the last year, the Council set out a Damage Schedule of values for various animals, ranging from $15.00 for a dead chicken, up to a $1,000.00 for larger animals, such as sheep (but the lowly ram has a value of only half that -Hey! What's up with that?), cows, horses, and the like.

The penalty for a violation of the regulations may be a civil infraction, a criminal offense, or a combination of the two, depending on the circumstances, but in any case, there can be expensive repercussions to the owner of an offending dog.

A first offense is $100, a second offense is doubled up to $200, and for those repeat offenders, they will start getting hit with a $500.00 fine for each subsequent offense. This can quickly add up, and is intended to send a strong message to the offender.

If that fails to get someone's attention, the return of signs on county roads will state what can happen to dogs at large, and may help remind dog owners that they put their pets at risk if they fail to control them. The very last section of the ordinance states:

Signs:

The San Juan County Public Works Department shall install and maintain appropriate signs with the following notice:

"All dogs at large are subject to impound. Dogs seen chasing or injuring livestock may be shot by property owner."