Loose dog law is step in right direction

[bigdoglover]

News-Leader.com

Dumping of unwanted pets must be stopped.

Dogs running loose in Greene County have been a problem for years. And it seems to be getting worse.
After Springfield's city council passed a law regulating ownership of pit bulls earlier this year, reports of animals being dumped in the county have increased.



Now, the Greene County Commission is creating a law that would allow the Springfield-Greene County Health Department to pick up loose dogs in the county's urban service area.Currently, the county has no authority to do that.

There is a law that allows a person to shoot and kill a dog if it threatens their property or their safety. Commissioner Harold Bengsch has been getting more calls about dumped animals. He said that the sheriff's department tells people about the shooting provision when they call about loose dogs.

It's a reasonable solution on farms or property in otherwise extremely rural areas. But the county is becoming less rural all the time, particularly in the urban service area where this law would take effect. A stray bullet aimed at a dog can be deadly if it misses the mark and ricochets.

The county's legal department is preparing a proposal that would provide for two animal control officers and a new truck to help enforce the law. It would not solve the problem of loose dogs, but it would be a start.

The problem of people dumping pets outside city limits is outside the scope of the current proposal.

Ann Schonert, president of a pet rescue operation called Pet Connection, hears many reasons why people dump their animals in the county:


Pets have a better chance of survival since the animals won't be picked up by animal control;

Pets can survive off wild game;

A nice farmer will take it in and feed it.
All are wrong.

In reality, what these irresponsible pet owners are doing is increasing the likelihood that the animal will either starve and die a miserable death or get hit by a vehicle.

Schonert offered suggestions that both the county and city should consider to help prevent pet dumping:


Heavy fines for dumping animals.

Require microchipping animals so that owner information can be retrieved after an animal is found.
These suggestions may be too ambitious. But the county's proposed plan, while good, does not solve the problem.

It won't prevent or discourage people from dumping unwanted pets.

The problem won't improve unless people face serious consequences for doing it.